Having played for Milan for just over a year, midfielder Luka Modric revealed, in an interview with a Spanish newspaper published on September 3, 2026, his strong desire to return to Real Madrid. Despite adapting in Italy, the connection with the Spanish club remains intense.
When talking to the newspaper, Modric praised the structure of the Italian team, but confessed that the first season away from the club where he is considered an idol had its challenges and moments of difficulty in adapting.
“I also miss Madrid, the city, the club and everything. But I can say that I feel good and happy here in Milan. I was welcomed with open arms from the first day and I’m very happy. Proof of this is that I’m still here for the second year in a row. So, despite missing Madrid a lot, now I’m in Milan and I’m also happy here,” said the player.
“I would like (to return). If I’m honest, I don’t have to hide it. Real is my home and of course I would like to return one day. But we’ll see how and in what capacity, if that happens”, added the Croatian athlete, without hiding his preference for the Merengue team.
Modric stressed that his intention for a possible return would not just be to be present, but to play a significant role. “I don’t want to go back just to come back, to be there just to be there. It’s not who I am. I want to be useful, I want to help Real Madrid. I don’t want to be there just without knowing why. That’s my mentality and that’s my way of thinking. Because Real Madrid gave me everything, it gave me a lot, and I believe I would only come back to do something useful, to do things well and to work not just at Real Madrid, but for Real Madrid”, he added.
The player left Real Madrid in July 2025, after a 13-year spell at the Spanish club, where he arrived in 2012 from Tottenham. During his career in Spain, he accumulated an impressive total of 28 titles, including six Club World Cups and six Champions League trophies, consolidating his legacy.
Modric reflected on the complexity of goodbyes in football, stating: “I think that, in my experience, it is more difficult to say goodbye than to get used to it, because then you have to accept that, one day, it ends. Football and things… You separate yourself from some things that you experienced intensely. For me, it was more difficult to say goodbye than then coming here and, little by little, getting used to a new routine, a new reality, a new club.”
He concluded that, by leaving the Madrid team, he felt he had fulfilled his duty. “It wasn’t easy to say goodbye, but, as I said, it’s part of life. When you know that you gave everything, that you did everything in your power for this club, you leave with your head held high. I left with my head held high”, declared the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner.
During the extensive interview, Modric took the opportunity to speak out about the constant comments regarding his age. At 40 years old and about to turn 41, the player has a contract with Milan until June 2027.
“It’s not that it bothers me or irritates me, but it’s getting tiring. It’s tiring to hear this, because it’s not something that started two years ago. This speech started in 2019, after the World Cup, when I was 33 years old. At that time it was already: ‘Let’s see how long he can last, he’s 33, 34, we can’t go on any longer…'”, commented the Croatian.
He concluded by arguing that age should not be the determining factor in evaluating an athlete. “So I believe that you shouldn’t take into account age, passport or identity document. What matters is what you do on the field. It doesn’t matter if you are 18, 30, 40 or 50 years old. It doesn’t matter. If you demonstrate on the field, day after day, that you can compete, I think that’s what should matter: whether you can do it or not. For me, age is just a number, but people are obsessed with it. It seems that if you get old, you automatically become useless. And that’s not how it works. It doesn’t affect me or bother me; it’s just tiring to hear it every day. It also motivates me to prove that it’s not true, to show that it’s still possible to do things at such an advanced age”, concluded the experienced athlete.
