Lionel Messi is hoping to add yet another global football icon to Inter Miami’s star-studded roster—and this time, he’s setting his sights on one of Real Madrid’s all-time greats.
Currently ranked No. 1 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest players of all time, Messi, now 37, is still dazzling in Major League Soccer. After two seasons with Inter Miami, where he’s already lifted the League’s Cup in 2023 and the Supporters’ Shield in 2024, the Argentine legend is hungry for more silverware—and he believes Luka Modric could help deliver it.
According to reports from Fichajes, Messi has personally requested that Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham pursue a deal for Modric, whose current contract with Real Madrid is set to expire in June. Despite Modric’s public desire to retire at the Bernabéu, Beckham has reportedly greenlit the move, with talks expected to begin this summer.
The 39-year-old Croatian midfield maestro—who became a cult hero during his early years at Tottenham Hotspur—would follow in the footsteps of other ex-Barcelona teammates now in Miami, including Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba.
While Modric recently reiterated his dream to retire in Madrid, telling Telefoot, “I don’t think about that now, but I have already said that I would like to retire at Real Madrid because it would be a dream for me,” the allure of joining Messi in sunny Florida might prove tempting.
Inter Miami sees Modric as a potential “sporting coup,” and his arrival could be another landmark moment for MLS in its ongoing mission to grow the sport’s popularity in North America. Though nothing is finalized yet, optimism is growing within the club.
And as FourFourTwo cheekily noted—between the relaxed pace of MLS, the palm-lined beaches of Florida, and a reunion with one of football’s greatest ever players—Modric would be wise to at least take the call.
