Mediocrity, mentality, stupidity – five Modric demands from five iconic quotes

Everyone knows what Luka Modric offers to AC Milan on paper. An excellent midfielder who may be slightly past his best. However, this is where the other elements come in.

There is more to signing Modric than minutes on a pitch. It would be disrespectful to him to suggest that was his sole aim with Milan. Instead, the Rossoneri are getting a proven winner, a leader and someone who knows what it takes to rise.

Today, Gazzetta dello Sport has run through some of his most ‘iconic’ quotes that show his focus and way of thinking.

Modric’s sentiments

It starts in 2012, when the Croatian stated that ‘Italians are always afraid of something’ when referencing their chances of getting out of the Euro 2012 group stage. It did not happen, of course, perhaps as they were focused on things between Croatia and Spain.

Then, there is more recent one, perhaps the best. ‘Milan can’t be mediocre’, a message that every Rossonero feels and wants to be felt in the dressing room. Last season, the club fell below their standards, and this summer, there needs to be a returning to the level expected.

Another Milanese option was there previously, however, he quickly rejected it. In the summer of 2018, Inter were attempting a big move for him, but he took to social media to purge the rumours, ‘This [Inter move] is the biggest stupidity in history.’

Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Respect and humilty are also big parts of his character, as he showed with his comments towards Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2020, he stated ‘There’s no need to discuss the importance Cristiano has had for Madrid, but we had no doubt that we could have had the same ambitions even without him. Regardless of the strength of the individual, the team always comes first.’

In 2019, he also stated that ‘If you don’t win, you have to be there out of respect,’ when Lionel Messi beat his Portuguese teammate to the Ballon d’Or. Respect clearly is everything for him.

Finally, there is the need for intelligence. Modric is seen as one of the most intelligent footballers of a generation and speaking to French football in 2018, he said ‘Football is a game played with the head. You can use all the physical strength you want, but there’s something called football intelligence, the intelligence of the game, which will always be essential. Physicality will never replace intelligence.’

It is clear here that we can see what matters most to the Croatian. On and off the pitch.