Close to 850 matches for four clubs
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Luka Modric has had an extraordinary career, having played nearly 850 matches across four clubs and contributed to over 200 goals (with 91 goals and 141 assists). The Croatian midfielder celebrated his 40th birthday on Tuesday and shows no signs of slowing down. This summer, he joined AC Milan, signing a contract lasting until the end of the season, with an option for an additional year. With a market value of €4 million, Modric is only outmatched at this age by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who turned 40 in February, has a market value of €12 million. He set a new record for players at this age, surpassing the figures of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Edwin van der Sar, who both had a market value of €4 million when they turned 40. Modric now shares this category with them.
In the ranking of most valuable players aged 40, goalkeepers are particularly prominent. Jens Lehmann had a market value of €3 million while playing for VfB Stuttgart in 2009. Other notable goalkeepers in the top ten include David James and Brad Friedel (both valued at €3 million), Gianluigi Buffon (€2 million), and Mark Schwarzer (€1.5 million). Field players making it to the top ten are Paolo Maldini (€2 million), Joaquín, and Jorge Molina (both €1.5 million). Like Modric and Ibrahimović, Maldini was also with Milan when he turned 40.
Luka Modrić: A career in numbers
At the age of 39, Modric became the second-oldest player to be signed in Milan’s history, following goalkeeper Marco Storari, who joined at 40 in January 2017. Zlatan Ibrahimović was 38 when he joined Milan in 2019 and played a key role in leading the team to win the Scudetto in 2022. Modric has made three appearances for the Rossoneri. Following a season where Milan missed European competition and lost in the cup final, he is expected to help steer the club back into the top four. Champions League qualification is the primary objective for this season.
Prior to his time at Milan, Modric played for Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham, and Real Madrid. He made the most significant contribution to Real Madrid, with 597 appearances, placing him among the top 10 players for matches played at the club. With Real Madrid, Modric secured 28 trophies, including six Champions League titles. In 2018, he won the Ballon d’Or and the UEFA European Footballer of the Year award. Having represented Croatia 190 times, he also led the national team to a second-place finish in the 2018 World Cup and a third-place finish in the 2022 edition.
