Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has joined Swansea City as an investor and co-owner, the Championship club have announced.
The 39-year-old Croatia captain has spent the last 13 seasons with Real Madrid and helped them win six Champions League titles after a four-year spell at Tottenham earlier in his distinguished career.
Swansea failed to disclose how much Modric, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, had invested but he expressed excitement at the chance to use his knowledge to help the Welsh outfit.
Modric said: “This is an exciting opportunity. Swansea has a strong identity, an incredible fanbase and the ambition to compete at the highest level.
Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Swansea City
“Playing at the highest level, I believe I can provide my experience to the club.
“My goal is to support the club’s growth in a positive way and to help to build an exciting future.”
Modric’s main focus right now is on Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Arsenal on Wednesday, but his contract at the Bernabeu is set to expire at the end of this season.
His decision to invest in a football club follows team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior doing likewise at Ligue 2 outfit Caen and Portuguese side FC Alverca, respectively.
Swansea are currently owned by Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt, Nigel Morris and Jason Cohen, a group that assumed majority ownership from Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan last November.
‘Swansea has a strong identity,’ says the Croatia captain
“I am excited that Luka has come on board as an investor and co-owner,” Swansea chief executive Tom Gorringe said.
“There is no better role model in the game for our players, from the academy right through to the first team.
“His endorsement of our ambition and willingness to support us on our journey will be instrumental as we aim to continue to improve our results on and off the pitch.
“In our conversations, he has demonstrated his passion for the club, his knowledge of how we are performing, and a genuine passion to help us improve.
“I am really looking forward to working with him more closely to drive us forward.”
Swansea’s most recent accounts, released last month, showed a pre-tax loss of £15.2m for the financial year ending June 2024.
A joint statement from the Swansea board read: “We are delighted that Luka has joined our ownership group.
“From our first discussions, it was clear that there was alignment on our visions and that Luka would be a real asset to our group.
“We’d like to thank Luka and his team for their support through this process, and we look forward to welcoming him to the Swansea.com Stadium to meet you all as soon as possible.”
