At 40 years old, Luka Modrić keeps proving football doesn’t always follow the rules of age. Since Softfootball announced his signing to AC Milan from Real Madrid in August, the Croatian maestro has stormed into the 2025/26 Serie A season, leading the league in successful passes, line-breaking balls, possession regained, and even interceptions after just five matchdays. Not bad for a man many thought was long past his prime.
Since joining AC Milan, Modrić has started all four of his Serie A games, playing 335 minutes and earning MVP honours in victories over Lecce and Bologna. His influence has been instant calm on the ball, clever off it, and somehow everywhere at once.
In Milan’s 2–0 win at Lecce, the veteran midfielder notched 54 accurate passes, an assist, a tackle, and an interception. Against Bologna, he went one better, scoring the decisive goal while completing 37 of 44 passes (84%) and winning four tackles. That display drew heavy praise from pundits on The Totally Football Show in a video uploaded via the podcast’s official X account, who marvelled at his energy and football IQ.
The host said:
So, in the first five matchdays of Serie A this season, Luka Modrić ranks 1st for successful passes, first for successful passes in the opposition half, first for line-breaking passes, first for possessions won back, and first for interceptions.
His sports analyst further stressed:
As Rabiot said after the game, I don’t know how he does it. He’s 40 and playing 100 minutes. We’re down to 10 men, and he is there running, intercepting balls, screened by defence, getting into Napoli. For a 40-year-old guy to still be able to go past players just by being cleverer than them, sort of doing a body shift here, a feint there, rolling his body and getting past — it is amazing.
Watch the video below:
For a player who once faced rejection for being “too small” and grew up amid war-torn Croatia, Modrić’s story has always been about defying odds. Now, under Massimiliano Allegri, he’s more than just a signing — he’s Milan’s brain in midfield, replacing the creativity lost with Tijjani Reijnders’ exit.
And yet, watching him glide across the pitch, you’d never guess he’s 40. Maybe time listens when Modrić has the ball
