In the contract Milan had Luka Modrić sign last summer, there is an option for an additional season, but in this case it will be the player who decides. The Croatian champion, Ballon d’Or winner in 2018, arrived in the Rossoneri world almost on tiptoe: great humility and simplicity define him, and it is his résumé, and above all his way of training and performing on the pitch, that speak for him.
Teammates, coach, staff, and club executives all describe a person who is approachable and completely devoted to the cause. At Real Madrid he won everything there was to win and more; at Milan, the forty-year-old Modrić is enjoying himself like a kid. That’s also because Allegri has been using him in a rather unusual role, as a holding midfielder in front of the defense: Luka is the team’s fulcrum.
One might think of a player (and it would be natural given his age) who needs to be physically "protected" by two ball-winning midfielders alongside him. But now, at the end of his career, Modrić has rediscovered himself as a ball-winner too. There is a great deal of intelligence in his play, both with and without the ball. The Croatian’s footballing IQ, combined with unmatched experience, allows him to position himself almost perfectly in every situation. The number of balls he manages to recover or intercept in his own half is impressive.
Compared to his years in Spain, there is certainly a bit less in terms of attacking output, but when it comes to organization, the quality that flows from his feet is almost embarrassing. Gradient Sports, which evaluates passing quality by placing each technical action in context with various factors beyond simple statistics, has found that at the moment, across Europe’s top five leagues, Milan’s number 14 is the best passer. In other words, his decisions are always "safe": he doesn’t put teammates in difficulty with his passes and is excellent at finding them between the lines, setting them up to hurt the opposition. He’s so good to watch that when mistakes do happen (always rare) they almost seem like a joke.
The impact Modrić has had at Milan at the age of 40, albeit in a different way, resembles the effect Ibrahimović had after returning from the United States. Teammates speak about him almost spellbound, opponents treat him with the utmost respect, and Allegri, who has coached many champions in his career, enjoys him with a constant smile. So far, his physical management has been nearly perfect, as pointed out via Milan News.
The season goes on, Milan sit in second place, and the level of satisfaction is consistently high. While focus must remain at its peak to avoid missing the target, it’s undeniable that thoughts often turn to Modrić's future. Is it possible that Rossoneri fans will only get to enjoy this spectacle for a single year? To find out, we’ll have to wait a few more months. For now, Luka is focused solely on the league and on going as far as possible together with the team. He feels very happy in Milan and at the club, and he’s glad to have fulfilled the dream he nurtured as a child, when he watched with admiration as Zvone Boban won wearing the Rossoneri shirt. To understand what will happen in his future, patience is needed and, in any case, his decision must be respected. These months, whatever happens next, have already been full of magic and emotion.
