JAKARTA - The legendary Croatian midfielder, Luka Modric, officially joined AC Milan after leaving Real Madrid. Modric signed a one-year contract with the option of an extension until June 2027, as announced by the Serie A club on Monday, July 14.
The 39-year-old arrived at Milan on Sunday 13 July and was warmly welcomed by Rossoneri fans. In a video shared via the club's official Instagram, Modric expressed his joy at the new move in his career. "I'm very happy to be here to start a new chapter in my career," Modric said, quoted by VOI from Reuters.
Modric's move to San Siro has also been confirmed by AC Milan's new coach, Massimiliano Allegri, since early July. He will wear jersey number 14 the number he previously wore while playing for Tottenham Hotspur in honor of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.
"It's a great honor to be equated with (Cruyff)... I wore number 14 at Tottenham in honor of him, because number 10 at that time was not available," Modric said in an interview after winning the Ballon d'Or in 2018.
Modric, considered one of the best midfielders of all time, ended his long career with Real Madrid after 13 years. During his time with the Spanish giant club, he appeared in 597 matches and won 28 prestigious trophies, including six Champions League titles and four LaLiga titles.
Modric's last match with Real Madrid took place last Wednesday when he came on as a substitute in the 0-4 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semifinals.
"This is a bitter end... He is a legend of world football and Real Madrid. He will be remembered for so many great things, not because of the 25 minutes he played today," said Real Madrid coach, Xabi Alonso, after the match.
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Apart from being successful at the club level, Modric is also an icon of Croatian football. He has made 188 appearances for the national team and scored 28 goals to make him the player with the most caps in Croatian history.
The peak of his international career occurred at the 2018 World Cup, when he led Croatia to reach the final for the first time and won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. At the end of that year, he also won the Ballon d'Or, breaking the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo since 2008.
Modric's presence in midfield Milan will strengthen the sector, which was previously filled by Youssouf Fofana, Yunus Musah, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Milan also recently recruited Samuele Ricci from Torino earlier this month.
Last season, AC Milan failed to qualify for European competition after finishing eighth in the Serie A standings. They will open a new season against promoted Cremonese on August 23. With Modric's experience and vision of play, Milan hopes to rise and compete again at the top of Italy
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