Milan Nel Cuore
One number tells this story better than any words: 40. That is the age of Luka Modric, the Croatian midfielder who is rewriting the Serie A record books in the 2025/26 season wearing the AC Milan shirt. Having arrived on a free transfer from Real Madrid in the summer of 2025, the Ballon d'Or winner of 2018 has become the most decisive player in the Rossoneri squad: first in Serie A for completed passes, first for through balls, the oldest midfielder ever to score in the history of Italian football. And just recently he made a gesture that moved an entire fanbase: he donated his Ballon d'Or to the Museo Mondo Milan.
Arriving in Milan: when Real Madrid let a legend go
The news came on 22 May 2025: after 13 seasons, 534 appearances and 6 Champions League titles, Luka Modric would leave Real Madrid following the Club World Cup in the United States. It was an expected farewell, yet no less significant for it. The Croatian midfielder had just turned 39 and the footballing world seemed ready to grant him a gentle exit, perhaps in MLS or the Saudi league.
AC Milan had other ideas. On 14 July 2025 Modric landed at Malpensa airport for his medical and signed a one-year deal until 30 June 2026, with an option for a further season, worth €3.5 million net per year. He chose the number 14 shirt, the same he had worn throughout his career at Real Madrid. With his arrival, Serie A welcomed a Ballon d'Or holder for the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.
Profile
Luka Modric — midfielder, born 1985, Croatian. Ballon d'Or 2018. At Real Madrid from 2012 to 2025: 534 appearances, 39 goals, 6 Champions Leagues, 4 Club World Cups, 4 La Liga titles. With Croatia: World Cup finalist 2018, World Cup semi-finalist 2022. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in football history.
The numbers behind an extraordinary season
Anyone who thought Modric had come to Milan for a farewell lap of honour was proven wrong from the opening weeks. The Croatian has become Massimiliano Allegri's most-used outfield player, accumulating 2,366 minutes across 28 Serie A appearances, with 27 starts out of 29 matchdays. A remarkable figure that becomes even more staggering in context: Modric has played more minutes than Leao and Pulisic combined.
His individual statistics are jaw-dropping. With 970 completed passes, Modric tops the overall Serie A rankings by a comfortable margin. But another stat truly certifies his technical superiority: 69 through balls, also the highest tally in the entire league. His offensive passing accuracy reaches 88%, with an even more impressive general figure: 97% of offensive passes completed and 96% of passes generating dangerous actions.
Add to that 2 goals, 2 assists, 44 key passes, 166 ball recoveries and 93 duels won. Numbers that would be excellent for a 25-year-old midfielder and that become simply extraordinary for a player of 40.
Record after record: the oldest midfielder to score in Serie A
On 14 September 2025, matchday 3, Milan hosted Bologna at San Siro. Modric scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory, becoming in one stroke the oldest midfielder to score in Serie A history, surpassing the record of Nils Liedholm, which had stood since 1961 when the Swede scored at 38 years and 169 days — in the Milan derby against Inter, wearing the Rossoneri shirt.
But the Croatian was not finished. That goal against Bologna also made him the oldest player to score his first Serie A goal, breaking a record that had belonged to Angelo Mattea since 1930: a mark that had stood for nearly a century.
The oldest scorers in Serie A history
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic — 41 years and 166 days (Milan)
2. Alessandro Costacurta — 41 years and 25 days (Milan)
3. Silvio Piola — 40 years and 131 days (Novara)
4. Luka Modric — 40 years and 5 days (Milan)
5. Pietro Vierchowod — 39 years and 355 days (Piacenza)
On 13 February 2026 came his second goal, in the 2-1 away win at Pisa. At 40 years, 5 months and 4 days, Modric became the third-oldest player to score from open play in Serie A, behind only Ibrahimovic and Costacurta. Both former Rossoneri: almost a family tradition.
The fifth man over 40 in a derby
On 8 March 2026 Modric took to the pitch for the Derby della Madonnina at 40 years and 180 days. His appearance made him the fifth outfield player to feature in a Milan derby after turning 40, joining an exclusive club of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alessandro Costacurta, Paolo Maldini and Javier Zanetti.
Milan won that derby 1-0 with a goal from Estupiñán, reigniting their title challenge. Modric played the full 90 minutes, controlling midfield with the class and tactical intelligence that have made him one of the greatest ever in his position. After the match, manager Allegri simply called him "a phenomenon".
More minutes than Leao and Pulisic combined
A statistic that went viral on social media in recent weeks tells you more than any tactical analysis about Modric's centrality to Allegri's project: the Croatian has accumulated more playing time than Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic put together. A staggering fact, considering that Leao and Pulisic are the two highest-paid players in the squad and the ones around whom the club built its recent technical project.
Modric has covered 81% of all available minutes in the league, a figure that confirms not only his physical reliability but also the unconditional trust that Allegri places in his qualities. The manager reiterated this at his pre-match press conference ahead of Milan vs Torino: "Seeing a 40-year-old man with such passion for what he does is incredible. Luka creates enthusiasm and brings positivity to the whole environment".
The Ballon d'Or at the Museo Mondo Milan: "this gesture is for the fans"
The most emotional moment of this extraordinary season came in mid-March 2026. Luka Modric decided to donate his Ballon d'Or, won in 2018 by ending the decade-long Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, to the Museo Mondo Milan at Casa Milan. The trophy, until then kept at his home in Madrid, was personally placed by the Croatian midfielder in a dedicated display case, enriched with images and quotes tracing his extraordinary career.
"When the club first told me about this idea, there was no doubt in my mind: from the very first day I arrived here I felt wonderful and loved by all the fans. This is a small gesture to repay all the affection they have shown me since the day I joined Milan."
— Luka Modric, March 2026
Modric's Ballon d'Or is the thirteenth in AC Milan's history, following those of Rivera, Gullit, Van Basten (three times), Weah, Shevchenko, Kaká and other great champions who have worn the Rossoneri shirt. The trophy is on display every day from 10:00 to 19:00 at the Casa Milan museum.
In a further statement, Modric added words that touched the hearts of the fans: "From the very first day I wore this shirt, I felt something indescribable: for me, being a player of this club means fulfilling a dream. Sharing my Ballon d'Or with all the fans, who for months have never failed to show me their support at every match, is a way of giving back some of that affection".
The future: renewal until 2027?
The question of a contract extension is the storyline running alongside the final stretch of this season. Modric's deal includes an option to extend until 2027, with his salary rising to approximately €4.5 million net should the club qualify for the Champions League. Milan are confident the clause will be activated and the board are pushing for the Croatian to stay at least one more season.
The final decision will be Modric's, and he will communicate it before departing for the World Cup with Croatia. Allegri and the club have made their desire to keep him crystal clear, but the player wants to assess his physical condition and the competitiveness of the Rossoneri project before committing to another year. The fact that, at nearly 41 years of age, he remains the most-used outfield player in the squad is a strong argument in favour of renewal.
The legacy of a timeless champion
In modern football, where speed and athletic intensity seem to take precedence over everything else, Luka Modric is living proof that pure talent and tactical intelligence know no age. At 40 he dominates the Serie A midfield with the same elegance and the same precision that made him a legend at Real Madrid.
His season at Milan is not a farewell tour: it is a second youth. The gesture of donating his Ballon d'Or to the museum says it all: Modric is not passing through, Modric has become part of Rossoneri history. And he is not finished yet.
Luka Modric is writing an unforgettable chapter in AC Milan's history. At 40 years of age, with the number 14 on his back and a Ballon d'Or in the club museum, the Croatian midfielder has proved that class never ages. Whatever the future holds, Modric's 2025/26 season will live on in the memory of every Rossonero fan.
Forza Milan, sempre.