Luka Modrić

Luka Modrić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Serie A club AC Milan after concluding a historic 13-season spell at Real Madrid. He signed a one-year contract with Milan in July 2025, continuing his competitive career at age 40, wearing the number 14 shirt, and captaining the Croatia national team.

He was a former midfielder for Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. Best known as a deep-lying playmaker, he is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation and among the greatest Croatian footballers of all time, praised for his vision, technical precision and tactical intelligence.

Born in Zadar, Modrić rose through Dinamo Zagreb’s system after a childhood shaped by displacement during the Croatian War of Independence. He made his senior debut in 2005, winning three league titles and domestic cups before transferring to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008, where he helped lead the club to its first UEFA Champions League appearance in nearly 50 years.

Modrić joined Real Madrid in 2012 and became a central figure in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, helping secure multiple domestic and European titles, including three consecutive UEFA Champions League trophies from 2016 to 2018. At the international level, he has represented Croatia in every major tournament since 2006 and captained the team to a runner-up finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.