Luka Modrić
#10 · Midfielder · age 40 · (C)
Fifth World Cup at 40; broke cheekbone in April but expected fit
85
WC26 rating
- Recent form
- 54
- Career peak
- 84
- League level
- 90
- Competition pedigree
- 98
- International pedigree
- 100
- Longevity
- 65
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
The Modrić farewell tour is the central narrative of Croatia’s tournament. Dalić’s system has been built around him for nine years and continues to be — a 4-3-3 with Modrić as the deeper-lying creator, Kovačić and Mario Pašalić as eights, and Perišić-Kramarić-Sučić rotating ahead of him. Even at 40 he is the player who decides whether Croatia can hold possession against England’s press; if he is fit and ticking, Croatia can hurt anyone, and if he is not, they have no obvious like-for-like replacement. The cheekbone scare in April was the kind of moment that historically would have ended a 40-year-old’s career — that he has trained through it and will start says everything about Modrić’s physical management and his standing in the squad.
Strengths
- press-resistant first touch under pressure
- long-range right-footed passing and switches
- set-piece delivery from both sides
- leadership and tournament temperament across two decades
Recent form
Solid debut Serie A season at AC Milan in 2025-26; broke a cheekbone in April but cleared by medical staff to start in the opener.
Spent part of his childhood living as a refugee in a Zadar hotel during the Croatian War of Independence — his grandfather, also named Luka, was killed by Serb paramilitaries in 1991.