Modric: From Bernabeu to San Siro, the legendary midfielder opens a new chapter in the red and black | Sports characters

On July 15, 2025, AC Milan officially announced that 39-year-old Luka Modric will join as a free agent. The two sides will sign the contract until 2026, with a one-year option renewal clause. Since then, the career of this Croatian midfielder has once again completed the turning point in an almost poetic way.

"I am very happy to be here and join a club like AC Milan. I can't wait to see you all in San Siro, hoping that we can make you happy, bring you many wonderful moments, make you proud of us, and celebrate many victories together." Modric said in an interview with the official AC Milan Club channel.

From the curtain call of the Bernabeu to the new start of San Siro, Modric's story has always been closely linked to the word "transcendence": transcending the hardships of war, transcending the boundaries of age, and transcending the secular definition of midfielders.

Time is turned back to July 15, and the sultry air of New York is filled with the bitterness of parting. In the semi-finals of the 2025 Club World Cup, Real Madrid lost 0-4 to Paris Saint-Germain. This loss not only ended Real Madrid's Club World Cup journey, but also became a masterpiece of Modric wearing a white robe. In the 64th minute, he replaced Bellingham, put on the captain's armband, and completed the final touch of his Real Madrid career amid the cheers of Paris fans. At the end of the game, he lowered his head to sort out his jersey, his fingertips slashed across the team logo on his chest, tears and sweat intertwined on his wrinkled face. At this moment, there was no applause from the 80,000 people of the Bernabeu, no brilliance of the Golden Globe Awards podium, only a veteran said silently to the 13 years of time.

Modric's Real Madrid career is an epic written with his feet. In the summer of 2012, when the Croatian, who was 1.72 meters tall and weighed less than 60 kilograms, doubts came like a tide. Some mocked him as "the worst signing in La Liga", while others asserted that he could not adapt to Real Madrid's "Galaxy Battleship" system. However, he spent 13 years turning doubts into respect: 597 appearances, 43 goals and 95 assists, 28 championship trophys, 6 Champions League top, 4 La Liga champions, and 4 La Liga champions. In 2018, he won the Golden Ball Award at the age of 33, the World Footballer and UEFA Best Player, breaking the ten-year monopoly of Mero Ronaldo. Behind these numbers is the amazing energy contained in a thin body.

But Modric's greatness is far more than data. He is the soul of Real Madrid's "Celebration Midfielder" and the Dinghai Sword in the locker room called "Mo Ma". When Cross chose to retreat bravely, when Casemiro left England, he chose to stick to the last moment.

When Modric took off his white robe after the Club World Cup, he chose to dedicate his remaining heat to Milan City. This choice includes both competitive considerations and emotional calling. Many media analysts said that in addition to the fact that Modric came to AC Milan, he also hopes to join a giant who does not play in the Champions League in the new season (not willing to play against Real Madrid again) but has an influential team in the five major leagues. At the same time, he can also ensure his playing time in order to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. For Milan, which ranked only 8th in Serie A last season, Modric's joining is undoubtedly a shot of a heart attack. The No. 14 jersey he wore, once belonged to Reindes, who left the team this summer, now carries the hope of revival of the Ross and Blacks.

Looking back at Modric's life trajectory, you will find that "counterattack" has always been the main theme of his career. He was born in Zadar, Croatia in 1985. In his childhood memory, explosions and hunger are the main themes, and the only comfort is a football. This experience made him become the "controller of order in chaos" in the future.

From Dynamo Zagreb to Tottenham, from Bernabeu to San Siro, Modric has proved with 40 years of life that true greatness lies not in conquering the times, but in transcending destiny. When he put on a red and black robe for the first time at Milanello training base, when his long pass crossed the night sky of San Siro and when fans shouted his name, the 39-year-old veteran was interpreting with action: the legend never ended, it just continued in a different way. From "Magic Flute" to "Red and Black Leader", Modric's story is still writing a new chapter on the green field.