Luka Modrić at 40: A Croatian Legend

Luka Modrić played his 190th game for Croatia on Monday, September 8. A day later, he celebrated his 40th birthday. This is an age where, needless to say, many usually stop playing competitive sports at a high level. Yet, Luka Modrić at 40 is still incredibly valuable to club and country.

Even for a national team that has plenty of talented midfielders, like Croatia currently do, their elder statesman captain still stands out and leads by example. Modrić is still indispensable for the Vatreni.

So big is his dream to play in one more FIFA World Cup that he left his comfort zone at Real Madrid to join AC Milan in hopes of getting more playing time, and thus staying relevant for Croatia.

A Trophy Collector at Club Level

Modrić spent 13 years at Real Madrid, where he quickly became the engine of the midfield. All that on a team full of stars, that went on to dominate European club football in a way we haven’t seen any other single team do in our generation.

Luka won six UEFA Champions League titles during his time in the Spanish capital. That includes the 2015 to 2018 hat-trick, which no other side matched in the UEFA Champions League era of Europe’s elite club competition.

During that time, Modrić was at the height of his career, also leading his national team to a historic second-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.

But back to his accomplishments with Real Madrid. He also won four La Liga titles, two Spanish King’s Cup trophies. Furthermore, with him on the team, Los Blancos lifted the old, annual Club World Cup on five occasions, while also becoming the first team to win the new Intercontinental Cup in December of last year.

This is by no means a complete list of honours won by Modrić in his career. He was also quite successful at his first major club at Dinamo Zagreb, in the domestic Croatian game. He won several individual awards as well, chief among them the 2018 Ballon d’Or.

Dreaming Big with the National Team

Amid all this success at the club level, he often talked about his dream to win something for his national team.

The fact that he hasn’t succeeded at that, despite having been close at two World Cups, and even closer at the 2023 UEFA Nations League finals, is the most likely reason why we are seeing Luka Modrić at 40, still going strong in his active footballing career.

In August, when he made his first Serie A appearance for Milan, he became the oldest player in the Italian league’s history to make his debut in it.

Luka Modrić at 40

Luka Modrić is a legend for the Croatian national team, and he is also one of many Real Madrid icons.

Even now, he is still an important asset to his current Milan side. His vast experience is very valuable, as are his still timeless skills at reading and directing the game.

According to the website Transfermarkt.com, Luka Modrić at 40 only has a lower market value than Cristiano Ronaldo at that age.