Modric: ‘I hope people stop reminding me of my age now’ | OneFootball

Luka Modric hopes people will ‘not remind me of my age anymore’ after scoring to celebrate his 40th birthday and give Milan victory over Bologna.

It was a hard-fought match at San Siro this evening, as the Rossoblu had long spells of possession, while the Rossoneri were left frustrated by rattling the woodwork at least three times.

Modric broke the deadlock by starting and then finishing the move, meeting the Alexis Saelemaekers roll across to sweep in from just inside the penalty area.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Milan 1-0 Bologna

It was his first ever goal for Milan, celebrated just days after his 40th birthday, becoming the fifth player in history to score in Serie A after turning 40.

Modric gave himself the ideal birthday gift

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Luka Modric of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC 1909 at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Croatia international has been a supporter of the Diavolo since childhood, so this was a dream come true to find the net at San Siro.

“It was a great way to celebrate. We won, which is the most important thing, and now we have to focus on the next matches,” Modric told DAZN Italia.

“I hope people will not remind me of my age anymore! It was a good move, Ale gave me a great ball and it was easy to score, it was more his pass than my finish. I thought the whole team fought well, game by game I am sure we’ll get more confident, and when players come back, when we get to know each other more, we will get better.”

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Luka Modric of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC 1909 at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Saelemaekers also spoke to DAZN Italia in the post-match interview standing alongside Modric.

“I watched Modric when I was a kid, so having him by my side now is a dream. He is an incredible player, but an even more wonderful person. He is really humble, but he’s the one who did it all for the goal,” said the Belgium international.

Max Allegri was sent off in stoppages with his jacket ripped from his shoulders, so winning 1-0 like this, have Milan become a proper Allegri team?

“I think the coach did great work from the first day, you can feel the squad has the grit to achieve something special, so we hope to keep going like this,” laughed Saelemaekers.

“It’s a position I really like, as I can run from behind and attack the opposition defence, while Tomori covers my back in an incredible fashion.”