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.
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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.
| Club | Competition | Titles | Years won |
|---|
| 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:
| Trophy | Number of Titles | Years |
|---|
| 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.
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.
Form is temporary,
Class is permanent.
Just like with Zlatan, as long he stays healthy, he’d be one of the best players in the league.
Ok, I wanna see him in Milan now.
Also – Reijnders number of defensive actions are atrocious. No wonder our mid field was so leaky…
Reijnders was never a defensive mid. You don’t buy a sports car and use it like a tractor.
I’m not sure how reliable Datamb compare actually is.
In 2023/24 Yacine Adli had the following:
duels %: 88..9 defensive actions: 82.8 prg carries: 88.4 forward passes: 98.2 forward passes %: 90.7 key passes: 46.3 prg passes: 99.3 which pretty much make him look like a monster that season, yet we all remember the 2023/24 season, the blunders in front of the penalty area,…
Also did they compare Modrić to an injured/ill De Bruyne ?
Also did they compare Modrić to an injured/ill De Bruyne ?
They compared 39 year old bench player Modric with 33 year old De Bruyne who missed only a month and a half because of a hamstring injury. They didn’t compare prime Modric to De Bruyne from last season. They are both way past their prime, both were not primary options for their teams, both were signed for free by Italian clubs.
That was very appropriate comparison.
Also, they made compared a 39 year old bench player Modric and 26 year old, best season of his career, Reijnders.
So what was the point ?
“Hey look, this old man soon to be retired is better than that other old man”
I didn’t mention Reijnders because he doesn’t belong in that conversation.
Yes, they compared an old man soon to be retired to another old man soon to be retired. Thats why it was a good comparison that you found a problem with and tried to make an excuse for one of the old men soon to be retired.
Who should have they compared Modric with? Vitinha, Pedri? Who?
And like i said, they also compared the old man soon to be retired with according to Serie A the best midfielder in the league last season.
Based on the graphic, the numbers and minutes played, it sure looks like Reijnders belongs in that conversation.
“Who should have they compared Modric with? Vitinha, Pedri? Who?”
Or maybe don’t make these sort of number based comparisons that can be very misleading.
As I pointed out in my OG post, Adli looks like a monster in datamb, which is far from the truth when you actually see him play.
And it’s not like Modrić is some sort of an obscure player who needs some sort of an introduction or stats, the man is an ATG and among the best midfielders ever.
Reijnders doesn’t belong in that converstation, Modrić and De Bruyne are among the greatest midfielders of the current era if not ever, and Reijnders is so far just a great goalscoring midfielder.
Not the best midfielder, 2nd best. Scott McTominay was MVP. He was obviously the best midfielder.
Yea but other comparisons wouldn’t be relevant because we’re getting a retiring Modric who will play against over-the-hill KDB. Wouldn’t make sense to compare them in their primes …
This whole conversation started because of your comment:
“Also did they compare Modrić to an injured/ill De Bruyne ?”
Then you say:
“Modrić and De Bruyne are among the greatest midfielders of the current era if not ever”.
As I said:
“They compared 39 year old bench player Modric with 33 year old De Bruyne who missed only a month and a half because of a hamstring injury. They didn’t compare prime Modric to De Bruyne from last season. They are both way past their prime, both were not primary options for their teams, both were signed for free by Italian clubs.
That was a very appropriate comparison.”
The Reijnders comparison is there not because he is on the same level with them all time, but because he played for the same team Modric is going to play (as they wrote “Could he be the Dutchamn’s replacement”) and in the same league Modric and De Brujne are going to play. And they were comparing each of their last seasons not their careers. So you saying that Reijnders doesn’t belong in the conversation makes no sense.
Numbers, stats and graphics tell A story. They don’t tell the whole story. This article is telling A story.
Well you can compare Modric to Pedri and Modric doesn’t look bad at all against a guy half his age.
These people are boring
Like I’ve already said to people doubting his impact in Milan. This says A LOT:
“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.”
Even with somewhat limited playing time, he’s still in the top-4 in the “creativity” areas. He’s just what we’ve needed for years.
Such a bad signing,
with all respect, he looked high aged and tired. He’d have came when Boban was calling.
“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.”
Lots of graphs, charts, numbers and such… but unfortunately, they ignore the fact that Father Time is undefeated. Don’t get me wrong. I like the pick-up. Just anything you get out of him is gravy.