LUKA MODRIĆ: FOCUS AND FUN FACTS

The Rossoneri haven't had a Ballon d'Or winner since Ricardo Kaká's last season here (2013/14), more than ten years ago. Luka Modrić has always supported our colours, and after winning everything with the camiseta blanca, he will have a new experience representing AC Milan. He was born in Zara, Croatia on 9 September 1985, and throughout his career, he has played for Zrinjski Mostar, Inter Zaprešić, Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham and Real Madrid.

He has an endless list of achievements: he began his career back in Croatia, winning the league three times, a Supercup and a Croatian Cup. In Spain, he won la Liga four times, the Supercup five times and the Copa del Rey twice. Then, six Champions Leagues, five European Supercups, five Club World Cups and an Intercontinental Cup. And in 2018, he won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first player to interrupt the Messi-Ronaldo supremacy that was going on since 2008. 

He moved from Tottenham to Madrid in 2012, and he won everything with Real, becoming a real legend there. 13 seasons and 591 appearances, 43 goals and so much quality. He played under exceptional managers including Ancelotti, Mourinho, Zidane and Benítez, getting into every team, right the way across the midfield. He said goodbye to the Santiago Bernabéu on 24 March following the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, and he played his last game for Los Blancos on 9 July at the MetLife Stadium in New York, losing out to PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals.

In official matches, he faced AC Milan with both Tottenham and Real Madrid. The first meeting was in the two-legged Round of 16 tie in the 2010/11 Champions League when Spurs got the better of... Massimiliano Allegri's Rossoneri, the same manager who will now be in charge of Luka in this new adventure. Our game against him and Real was actually very recent, just 5 November last year, and we secured a prestigious 3-1 win.

He made 186 appearances for Croatia in their iconic white and red stripes: in 2018 he played in the World Cup final, won 4-2 by France in Moscow, and in 2022 in Qatar, they were knocked out by Argentina in the semis, who then went on to win the tournament. He was Croatia's captain since August 2016 after Darijo Srna's retirement from national football. In June 2023, he played in the Nations League Final, which Spain won on penalties.

His passion for AC Milan stemmed in the 90s, when he admired our team's European success as just a young boy. A Croatian coming to Milan like Zvonimir Boban just makes us more excited to welcome Luka, who just a few years ago in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport admitted: "From a young age I imagined playing for AC Milan but it went differently...". Luckily, dreams often come true in football. The full circle is complete, welcome to AC Milan, Luka.

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