Luka Modric’s numbers in this first part of the season are impressive. He touches the ball more than anyone else in Serie A, attempts more passes, completes more, both overall and in the opponent’s half, and also receives more passes than any other player. "Everything he touches turns to gold,” wrote 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' this morning about the Croatian star, who at 40 continues to amaze as he always has throughout his career.
There were never doubts about the ex Real Madrid player's quality or leadership. What is surprising everyone is his physical condition. Modric covers a lot of ground, averaging around ten kilometers per match, which is far from common at his age. The former Real Madrid player needed very little time to become irreplaceable in Max Allegri’s Milan. When the coach writes his lineup, Modric’s name is always the first. So far, Allegri has never left him out of a league match. He has always started, and only Matteo Gabbia has played more minutes (810 for the Italian defender, 785 for the Croatian).
Here are Modric's stats in detail:
"Modric is the Serie A player with the most touches in the first nine matchdays, 748, compared to Napoli’s Di Lorenzo with 717 and Inter’s Bastoni with 714. ‘Computer Luka’ also leads in attempted passes (606, or 67 per match; behind him Bastoni with 554 and Solet with 549) and completed passes (559, or 62 per match; followed by Bastoni with 491 and Solet with 489). Done? Not yet. The former Real Madrid man also ranks first for completed passes in the opponent’s half (324, compared to Barella’s 285 and Di Lorenzo’s 256). And for passes received, he’s again top with 508, ahead of Bastoni (499) and Barella (475)," as relayed via Milan News.
