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For the first time this season, some cracks started to appear in Luka Modric’s appearance as a 40-year-old superhero.
When he arrived on a free transfer from Real Madrid in the summer, there was a lot of discussion about the role that Modric would play in this Milan squad, not just in terms of his position but his importance too.
Some speculated that he might just be a luxury reserve, while others believed he would be a leader in the most important matches and perhaps rested for others. Allegri answered it in the first few weeks: the Croatian will always play, wherever and whenever possible.
This will only be proven more this weekend, with him likely to start a fourth successive game, where his minutes have been ridiculous in each.
What the data says
Modric’s preparatory work before and after games is obsessive, and that is why he is able to keep going at the highest levels at an age when many are already a few years into retirement from professional football.
In 2025-26 so far, the former Spurs man has played 10 of Milan’s 11 games across all competitions. He has started nine games, and has played the entirety of seven matches. The result: a total of 809 minutes played, making him the sixth-most used outfield player by Allegri.
The aforementioned numbers are significantly higher than those from his last two seasons at Real Madrid. In 2024-25, Modric played 27 of 56 games as a starter (48%), which was down from 23 of 46 in 2023-24 (50%).
Last season, however, the Croatian captain played more 90-minute games (10, compared to six the previous year). Of course Real Madrid have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to midfield talent, so they were much more able to rotate him in and out whenever suited.
The first warning signs
On Tuesday night at the New Balance Arena, Modric looked human for the first time. He is normally the orchestrator and the metronome for Milan, yet when the team were swept up in the first-half siege from Atalanta, he too seemed unable to stop the surge in pressure. It’s hard to do it alone, admittedly, as he often has in recent weeks.
The giveaway in the build-up to Ademola Lookman’s equaliser was very uncharacteristic but it was an emblem of poor ball management by the entire team. When even the tidiest midfielder in recent football history (arguably) is giving the ball away in bad areas, pressure will build.
Modric had a 70% pass completion rate in Atalanta’s half, he completed just 1/3 of attempted long passes and 0/3 crosses. He lost over 50% of his ground duels, was dribbled past three times, lost possession nine times and didn’t manage a shot, while his touch count was down too.
That being said, he also had a 92% pass completion rate generally, managed a couple of interceptions, blocked one shot and had seven recoveries. He also wasn’t given much help positionally, often being left isolated on an island by Samuele Ricci and Youssouf Fofana.
The alarms are not about Modric as a player – his quality is simply beyond doubt – but rather his use. At 40, it would be naive to presume he has the same battery life as everyone else, and it is at risk of being drained very early.
The returns of Ardon Jashari and Adrien Rabiot should help, as should Ricci hopefully finding some form and confidence, because playing 191 minutes inside five days is not an ideal solution for anyone.
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