GdS: Dedication, emotion, passion – how ‘infinite’ Modric continues to amaze at Milan

Luka Modric may be 40 years of age, but he continues to play with the heart and desire of someone who is at the start of his career.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall what Modric did in the 97th minute of Milan’s win over Napoli. After pressing in the opponent’s half and intercepting a ball that he clears the final whistle goes. Modric, gripped by fatigue and emotion, kneels on the San Siro grass and lets out a shout of joy.

On Milan’s TikTok channel, a video has garnered 11 million views in 24 hours. It was a league match, not worth as much as one of the six Champions League titles won, or even one of the other 28 trophies in the trophy cabinet.

Incredible engine

Modric will forgive his teammate Rabiot who insisted on reminding him how old he is after the game:I don’t know how Modric manages to run so much at 40 years old.”

The data from the last match confirms it: Adrien and Luka are the Rossoneri players who ran the most (11.319km and 11.094km respectively). It was how the latter was able to win the duel against Kevin De Bruyne.

In the first five rounds of Serie A, Modric is first for completed passes (300), completed passes in the opposition half (169), interceptions (10), balls recovered (31) and through balls (46). He has played in all five league matches for a total of 425 minutes on the field.

He has been there in six of the seven matches for an average of 64 minutes of play. It is more than he had in his last season in Madrid, in an intense campaign spanning seven competitions. Out of a total of 6,030 minutes available for the season, Luka played 2,985: an average of one half per game.

Centrality

Certain stats are only possible if you take care of your body like Modric does. Massages, physiotherapy, specific training, healthy eating, and many other good habits. Luka is always the first to arrive and the last to leave Milanello, and that’s not just a figure of speech.

The Croatian is central to the team and very central to the dressing room, where he is looked after by his team-mates and, for kindness and politeness, by the entire staff who work at Milanello. Luka and his family have chosen a residence in the Porta Nuova area, in the city centre. To integrate perfectly, he is studying Italian.

His history with Milan is also very long: it’s the team that Modric supported as a boy. And where today, among the Rossoneri boys and girls, his son Ivano and his eldest daughter Ema play.