Almost 850 games for 4 clubs
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With almost 850 games for four clubs and more than 200 goal involvements (91 goals and 141 assists), Luka Modric can look back on an incredible career. On Tuesday, the Croatian midfielder celebrated his 40th birthday while being long removed from retiring. Modric joined AC Milan this summer and has signed a contract until the end of the season with an option for one additional year. With a market value of €4 million, there is only one player with a higher value at the same age, and that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Al-Nassr star turned 40 in February and has a market value of €12m. Ronaldo broke a record previously set by Zlatan Ibrahimović and Edwin van Der Sar. Ibrahimović, who retired in 2023, and Van der Sar had a market value of €4m at 40. Modrić is now in the same category.
Goalkeepers dominate the top ranking of the most valuable players at 40. Jens Lehmann had a market value of €3m when he played for VfB Stuttgart in 2009. Also in the top ten are David James, Brad Friedel (both €3m), Gianluigi Buffon (€2m), and Mark Schwarzer (€1.5m). The field players in the top ten are Paolo Maldini (€2m), Joaquín, and Jorge Molina (both €1.5m). Like Modrić and Ibrahimović, Maldini also played for Milan while turning 40.
Luka Modrić: A career in numbers
At the age of 39, Modric was the second-oldest signing in Milan’s club history. The only player who was older was goalkeeper Marco Storari, who joined the club aged 40 in January 2017. Ibrahimović was 38 when he joined Milan in 2019 and then helped the club to win the Scudetto in 2022. Modrić has made three appearances for the Rossoneri. After a season in which Milan missed out on European football and also lost the cup final, Modrić is supposed to help guide the club back to the top four. Indeed, Champions League qualification is the minimum goal this season.
Before joining Milan, Modrić played for Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham, and Real Madrid. Modric played the most games for Real Madrid, making 597 appearances for the Spanish giants. That ranks him among the top 10 players with the most games for Real Madrid. With Real, Modric won 28 club titles, including six Champions League trophies. In 2018, he received the Ballon d’Or and won the UEFA European Footballer of the Year award. The 190-time national team player also guided Croatia to a second place at the 2018 World Cup and to a third place at the 2022 World Cup.