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Luka Modric has already made 10 appearances this season, and despite being 40 years old, there’s no sign of him stopping anytime soon.
Today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport has dedicated a page to the Croatian veteran, who is currently on international duty with his country. This season, he’s up to 10 appearances and 736 minutes, and those metrics should increase today as Croatia are up against Gibraltar.
At 40, he still plays with the same spirit and quality, setting new goals for his future while working hard on the training ground. The midfielder is bordering on infinite, hoping to reach the World Cup next year before potentially renewing his contract with Milan for another season.
World Cup in his sights
One of Modric’s main goals for the season is to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, having featured in Croatia’s last four World Cup campaigns. He started with two appearances as a substitute in 2006, while he got three group-stage games in 2014.
In 2018, of course, Croatia made it all the way to the final and while they lost the game against France, Modric still won the ‘player of the tournament’ award. Croatia achieved third place in 2022 and next year, the captain wants more glory for his country.
Modric is well-known in the States as well, and not just because of the Club World Cup earlier in the summer. Indeed, there have been countless admirers and widespread appreciation for the midfielder this season.
Tireless machine
After his efforts with the national team, Modric will return to Milan. During the last international break, he had a day of rest before returning to Milanello, so that means he should be back in action on Tuesday (if the pattern is repeated).
As has become clear, he chose Milan to satisfy new ambitions and his usual hunger for success. He trains meticulously to ensure he’s still a key player in the game and so far, it seems to be working. In fact, he has completed the most passes in Serie A this season.
368 passes in the first six matchdays, and a passing success percentage that has never dropped below 90%, peaking at 95% against Udinese. Precision and endurance go hand in hand, having played in all six league games for a total of 515 minutes on the pitch.
If we take a look at all eight games this season, thus including the Coppa Italia, Modric has an average of 67 minutes on the pitch per game. Last season, with Real Madrid, the same metric amounted to 47 minutes, so one half per game. Increasing age, but also increasing stats.
Ibrahimovic’s compliments
Modric has had a similar impact to Ibra’s in January 2020. Both arrived at the age of 39, celebrating their respective 40th birthday with the Rossoneri shirt. It took Ibra two and a half years to lead Milan back to success, with the Scudetto in May 2022, while Luka’s impact has been more instant.
Ibrahimovic agreed that the two are different, speaking to the pink newspaper: “We’re different. He’s a leader on the pitch, he has brought the experience that was missing. Even if he hadn’t played a ‘wow’ game, just being around him gives you something.
“At the end of last season, we said we needed more experience. We hired the coach first, then Modric. Ancelotti told us he was the only Real Madrid player who had never been injured. He has an incredible mentality. His celebration after Milan-Napoli says it all. It’s passion, identity, he’s a master.
“If he had been here when I was playing, I would have extended my career by a couple of years,” the Swede stated. In short, everyone understands the importance of Modric and the question is how far Milan can go with him this season.
English (US) ·