1 day ago
42
AC Milan have secured their most decorated ever signing in Luka Modric from Real Madrid, and they did so without paying a transfer fee.
In truth, Modric’s move to Milan seemed to get done very quickly after the initial approach, and the signing was made official last month. Sporting director Igli Tare is believed to have suggested it, but Massimiliano Allegri was obviously a big endorser.
It is no surprise given the quality and experience the Croatian will bring, even at the age of 39. In fact, a lot of Modric’s numbers demonstrate that he has perhaps never been playing better, even if an eye will have to be kept on his minutes.
As part of our full scouting report on Modric we also took a look at some of the key bits of data, which we can expand a bit more upon.
No cabinet big enough
Luka Modric started his career with Dinamo Zagreb, and it is probably not a bad thing to begin at a club where the pressure is high to win silverware every year. It is something he did, lifting sisx titles across two years.
| Dinamo Zagreb | Prva HNL (Croatian League) | 3 | 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Croatian Cup | 2 | 2007, 2008 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Croatian Super Cup | 1 | 2006 |
Modrić was a part of one of the best eras in Real Madrid’s history, which is not an easy thing to do. He won a total of 28 major honours with the club over 13 seasons, at a rate of over two per season therefore.
Below is a breakdown of what he won in the Spanish capital:
| UEFA Champions League | 6 | 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–2024 |
| La Liga | 4 | 2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24 |
| Copa del Rey | 2 | 2013–14, 2022–23 |
| Supercopa de España | 5 | 2012–13, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 5 | 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2022–23, 2024–25 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 5 | 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23 |
| FIFA Intercontinental Cup | 1 | 2024–25 |
The former Dinamo Zagreb man was a massive part of the three consecutive wins from 2016 to 2018 under the then-coach Zinedine Zidane, getting an assist in the 2014 Champions League final as well.
The 2018 Ballon d’Or was perhaps the ultimate individual accolade, and it came after Los Blancos got the better of Allegri’s Juventus in the 2017 UCL final in Cardiff, something he was keen to bring up but will shy away from doing so directly.
At the top of his game
In the 2024-25 La Liga season, Modrić ranked 4th in accurate passes per 90, 1st in accurate long balls per 90, 4th in expected assists (xA) per 90, and 2nd in chances created per 90. Despite his age, he remains incredibly impactful.
In a match against Rayo Vallecano earlier this year (2025), he had a 90% pass accuracy (62/69 passes completed), 9/10 long balls completed, 4 key passes, 9/13 duels won and 5 recoveries. It is a stat line that shows that he embodies the tag of all-action midfielder.
Compared to other European midfielders in the ‘top five’ leagues, Modric is in the 94th percentile for progressive carries, the 99th for forward passes, the 98th for forward pass accuracy, the 90th for key passes and the 97th for progressive passes.
To put that in perspective, the Zadar-born maestro was the only midfielder in Europe’s ‘top seven’ Leagues (includes Belgium and the Netherlands) to rank in the 90+ percentile for progressive carries, key passes, and forward pass accuracy.
The comparison becomes quite interesting when pitting Modric against two creative forces of their respective teams; one who has just left the club and another who has just joined the league.
Compared to an injury-hit Kevin De Bruyne in 2024-25, Modric came out on top in duels, defensive actions, progressive carries, forward passes, forward pass %, and progressive passes, in terms of the percentile they rank in.
Looking at the radar/spider web below, Modric also beats Tijjani Reijnders in every category, but there is certainly a certain symmetry about the areas that they excel. Could he be the Dutchman’s replacement?
Leadership in abundance
Being surrounded by Galacticos at Real is one thing, but the stats for his country show how he has fully developed into a leadership role.
In the FIFA World Cup his exploits showed that he can drag a team, as talented as Croatia were. They got a runner-up finish in 2018, where he received the Golden Ball as the best player. He also captained the team to a third-place finish in 2022, earning the Bronze Ball.
They reached the UEFA Nations League final in 2022-23 as well, finishing as runners-up. Modric is a big part of the reason that Croatia have punched above their weight over the past decade, given the comparative resources and not having a particularly competitive league domestically.
Luka was named in the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament, becoming Croatia’s most-capped player in March 2021 and their oldest-ever player in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier. He is the oldest scorer in Euros history, and has been voted Croatian Footballer of the Year a record thirteen times.
Some states from individual matches show it too: in a game against Poland last year, Modric scored a goal, had 136 touches, 94% pass accuracy (99/105 passes), 22 passes into the final third, 5 chances created and 8 duels won.
Against Scotland not long prior to that he recorded 11 passes into the final third, 8/9 duels won, 6/6 accurate long balls, 6 interceptions, 4/4 take-ons completed and 3 chances created.
In the 2022 World Cup versus the tournament’s surprise team Morocco, Modric had 100% long ball accuracy, 100% take-on success, 93% pass accuracy, 83 touches and 6 possessions won.
English (US) ·