There were tears all over the Bernabeu as Real Madrid said goodbye to Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modric on Saturday night.
The club’s greatest-ever manager and arguably greatest-ever midfielder were paraded around the stadium in scenes that even left president Florentino Perez sobbing.
Yet it hasn’t always been so nice for Madrid‘s legends, with huge names like Raul, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos experiencing difficult goodbyes.
But this was very different, as Cadena SER’s Antonio Romero said: “Farewells to legends began to change with Toni Kroos.
“Today was spectacular, exciting. Seeing a real man like Ancelotti who couldn’t speak… any legend would dream of a farewell like the one Modric and Ancelotti had at the Bernabeu.”
Julio Pulido added: “Madrid has learned from past mistakes and is finally getting better at giving the club’s legends the proper send-offs.
“In the 85th minute, I thought to myself, how many players can stop a game for four minutes, like Modric did? Very few players get that send-off, and that’s what Modric got because he deserves it.”
Javier Herraez finished: “The club is managing to give a good send-off to its legends. Even Lucas Vázquez. The crowd gave him a standing ovation; he deserves that recognition.
“The afternoon was a perfect one; it seemed like paying tribute to everyone at once might blur the difference, but I think they’ve become stronger.
“Also, that image of the two of them together, hand in hand, puts a full stop, because they are two people who will return to Real Madrid if they want to.”
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