Luka Modric has placed no deadline on the closing stretch of his playing career, but the Milan midfielder has made clear that his immediate priority is to help the Rossoneri return to the Champions League. For now, the Croatia captain feels fit, motivated and still fully involved in the game.
Key takeaways
- Modric says he will continue playing while his body continues to respond well.
- The Croatian does not know whether his career will last months, one season or longer.
- He intends to assess his future gradually, listening to his physical condition.
- Modric has not ruled out a future return to Real Madrid in a non-playing capacity.
- Milan’s push for Champions League qualification remains his principal club objective.
A decision to be taken step by step
Speaking after Croatia’s Nations League meeting with Spain, Modric said the appetite for competition has not faded. He described himself as feeling well, with the energy, ambition and passion required to remain a professional.
Yet he did not want to make a public promise over the duration of his career. “It could be two months, three months, six months, a year or two years; I do not know,” he said. “I do not want to give an answer now and then regret it.”
Rather than setting a final date, Modric said he would judge the situation match by match and month by month. The key factor, he explained, will be the way he feels physically. Whether this proves to be his final season in football or whether he carries on remains undecided, although he stressed that he is still enjoying the game.
Milan first, with Madrid a possibility for later
There is also an awareness that the next professional chapter must eventually be considered. Modric has been linked with a possible return to Real Madrid in an executive role, but he suggested that any reunion would require the right circumstances.
“I would like that, but I want to be useful and work for Madrid, not simply be at Madrid,” he said, adding that several elements would need to fall into place before such a move could happen.
That is a question for the future. In the present, Modric’s focus is firmly on Milan and on the demanding league campaign ahead. The task he has set himself is clear: to help take the club back into the Champions League, a target that gives added weight to every Sunday afternoon in Serie A.
