MN: ‘Inexhaustible’ Modric is Milan’s shining light – end point remains unknown

AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri understandably continues to rely on Luka Modric, but for how much longer will he be able to?

As MilanNews recall, the contract Modric signed with Milan in the summer was a one-year deal. There is an option for another year, but there is a rather unusual caveat to this, at least in terms of how contracts usually work: the player will decide.

The Croatian, a Ballon d’Or winner in 2018, arrived having won everything there is to win with Real Madrid. Yet, those who frequent Milanello speak of someone who is determined to keep performing to and setting the highest standards.

A shining example

At 40 years of age, many might presume Modric is a midfielder who must be physically ‘protected’ by two more defensively-minded players to each side. Yet, Modric has rediscovered his ability to win balls as well thanks to his positioning and reading of the game.

Compared to his years in Spain he doesn’t get forward quite as much nor cover the full length of the pitch, but instead he is directing from deep. It is not too dissimilar to when Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned from the MLS: a player who has reinvented himself, to get the last drops out of a stellar career.

Is it possible that the fans might only enjoy this spectacle for a year? We’ll have to wait a few more months to find out the answer. For now, Luka is focused solely on the league and on reaching as high a height as possible with the team.

He’s happy in Milano and at Milan, and he’s happy to have fulfilled the dream he nurtured as a child, when he watched in admiration as Zvone Boban won with the Rossoneri. To understand his future, we need to be patient and respect his decision.