Modric joins Milan as it looks for big improvement
Luka Modric has officially been announced as AC Milan player after ending his glittering career at LaLiga giant Real Madrid and vowing to take the Italian giant back to the top.
Modric departs Madrid having amassed 597 matches for Los Blancos, collecting 28 trophies in the process, more titles than any other player in the club's illustrious history.
He joins a Milan side looking for big improvements under new coach Massimiliano Allegri, who rejoined the Rossoneri after a spell in charge from June 2010 to January 2014.
Milan finished eighth in Serie A in 2024-2025 under former coach Sergio Conceicao, who was sacked as a result of not meeting the club's high expectations its failure to qualify for Europe.
Paulo Fonseca, the coach at the start of last season, only lasted six months in the job, and although Conceicao oversaw January's Supercoppa Italiana triumph, his reign only lasted five months and one day.
Modric, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2018, has signed an initial one-year with the option of a further 12 months, and says his aim is to bring glory back to the Rossoneri.
"I'm very happy to be here at a great club like AC Milan to start a new chapter in my career. I can't wait to see you all at San Siro," he said on his social media profiles.
"We hope to make you happy and give you many wonderful moments this year, to make you proud of us and celebrate many victories together. A big hug to everyone!"
This will be only Milan's fourth campaign without European football this century, having also spent 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 without continental commitments.
Prior to his move to Milan, Modric had been linked with transfers to Inter Miami, Al-Nassr and Inter Milan, but he is now focused on making an impact with the Rossoneri.
"I wanted to stay in Europe, to continue playing competitive football. I had some other offers but when Milan showed up for me, it was clear from the first moment," he said.
"Milan cannot be satisfied with average and need to have the biggest goals possible, to win titles, to compete with the best teams in the world. That's why I am here.
"I'm never satisfied, I always want more. When you've experienced that feeling (of winning), you want to feel it even more. I still have hunger, desire, still wanting more."
To explain his longevity, Modric said "the most important thing is the love for the game, for football".
"That's what I still have, what I still feel in my belly, this fire, that's what pushes me. There are no secrets.
"For me, it's the passion, the love for football. I am never satisfied."
Modric's first competitive outing for his new team could come on 18 August (AEST) when it faces second tier Bari in the Round of 64 of the Coppa Italia.
Allegri's side then starts its Serie A campaign against newly promoted Cremonese six days later.
