Still world-class at 40: Is he the greatest midfielder ever? | OneFootball

He truly is something of a phenomenon. At 40 years old, Luka Modrić once again took to the field as captain of the Croatian national team on Friday and, together with his teammates, secured a World Cup ticket for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

With their 3-1 victory over the Faroe Islands, the Croatians are now officially qualified, and Luka Modrić will, in all likelihood, play in his fifth World Cup next summer.

Yes, you heard that right. The midfield strategist would, if he (as expected) is allowed or wants to go, join legends like Lothar Matthäus, Gigi Buffon, and Rafael Márquez in the all-time top 10.

The fact that the midfield engine, at his advanced age, is still an integral part of a national team that is anything but weakly staffed, is no accident. Since his move last summer—he joined AC Milan—Modrić has been an undisputed regular starter and, in addition to his winning goal against the Europa League club FC Bologna, has also collected two important assists.

If you take a look at the statistics the Croatian still puts up, you can't help but be amazed. At a proud 40 years old, the six-time Champions League winner still ranks among the world’s elite in key areas. According to the statistics portal 'fbref', Modrić is once again in the top 1% of all midfielders in Europe’s top leagues for "shot-creating actions" this year. When it comes to offensive actions that directly lead to a shot on goal, he’s still incredibly dangerous.

And that’s not all. Whether it’s completed passes, progressive passes, or so-called "key passes," the former Real Madrid star is still among the absolute best in the world. So it’s hardly surprising that, with his almost certain participation next summer, he’ll secure a spot among the record World Cup players.

Anyone who wrote off the Croatian last summer was sorely mistaken. Luka Modrić is still playing at a level that, in the coming years, could very well spark the debate about whether he might be the greatest midfielder of the 21st century.

If nothing unforeseen happens, we’ll see him again next year on the biggest stage football has to offer. And even though Croatia will probably never go to a World Cup as a (co-)favorite, we’ve known at least since the 2018 World Cup—when Modrić led the four-million-inhabitant nation to the final—that you can always expect anything from this man. Even at 40 years old.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 STRINGER - AFP or licensors