July 14, (THEWILL) — Croatia captain Luka Modric has officially completed his transfer to AC Milan on a one-year contract with an option to extend until June 2027, marking the end of his remarkable 13-year tenure at Real Madrid.
The 39-year-old midfielder, who will turn 40 in September, joins the Serie A club following confirmation from newly-appointed Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri earlier this month.
The Croatian international will don the number 14 shirt at San Siro, a number that holds special significance for the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner.
“It’s an immense honour for them to compare me to [Cruyff]… I wore the no. 14 at Tottenham in honour of him, and because the no. 10 wasn’t available,” Modric reflected when discussing his choice of shirt number.
Modric’s departure from Real Madrid concludes one of the most successful individual careers in modern football.
The midfielder made 597 appearances for Los Blancos, accumulating an extraordinary 28 trophies including four La Liga titles and six UEFA Champions League victories.
His final appearance came during Wednesday’s 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals, where he entered the match in the second half.
The veteran midfielder brings unparalleled experience to Milan, having represented Croatia 188 times and scored 28 goals for his country.
His crowning achievement came at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he led Croatia to their first-ever final and won the Golden Ball award for the tournament’s best player.
That same year, he broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly by becoming the first player since 2007 to win the Ballon d’Or outside of the Argentine and Portuguese superstars.
Modric’s arrival strengthens Milan’s midfield options alongside Youssouf Fofana, Yunus Musah, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with Samuele Ricci also joining from Torino this month.
The Rossoneri, who finished eighth in Serie A last season and missed European qualification, will begin their campaign against newly-promoted Cremonese on August 23 with the Croatian maestro expected to play a key role in their revival.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
