• Champions League

Modric and Bale partied until 8AM

Luka Modric says completing La Decima became an "obsession" for Real Madrid and the club's fans.

Modric, played the full 120 minutes of the history-making 4-1 win over city rivals Atletico in the Champions League final on Saturday,

Speaking to Sportske Novosti in his native Croatia, Modric said he expected Madrid's team to be even stronger next year, with the Decima pressure lifted and further new signings to come.

"I am convinced that Madrid will be even better," he said. "La Decima was an obsession for the club and the fans. We really felt an enormous pressure.

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Carlo Ancelotti opted for Madrid over Manchester © PA Photos

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"Now we will be more relaxed and will be more lethal. The team is very good, but with some new signings, as is the habit here, it will be stronger. But I should not talk about that."

The former Tottenham player also revealed that he could have missed out on the occasion completely had he gone through with a pledge to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2012.

"I had promised PSG I would go there," Modric said, "but when Madrid appeared I went flying there instead. I said [to former Spurs team-mate Gareth Bale] 'I knew that you were coming, so I came as an advance party to adapt and play better for when you arrived.'"

When asked how he celebrated the Champions League victory, Modric said he and Bale did not get in until daybreak.

"It was eight in the morning when I brought Bale home," Modric said. "I thought I was going to sleep, but in my house there was a party going on. My family were there, and my friends and we ended up in the swimming pool in the cold water. There I understood just what we had achieved."

Asked if the champagne had been flowing, the former Tottenham midfielder claimed he had been drinking only water in the Estadio da Luz dressing-room after the game.

"I did not drink a drop," he said "I drank water like a camel. They told me I had run 15 kilometres, I was dehydrated. Later we let the reins go, it was an exhausting season, there had been huge pressure for la Decima. But it was all worth it."

Luka Modric stunned fans by chopping off his trademark locks following the Champions League final victory © Getty Images

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