Modric Stays at Milan After the Champions League Miss

Luka Modric is staying at AC Milan until 30 June 2027, one point short of the Champions League. He turned 41 on 9 September 2026.

He went into the summer as a free agent after Milan finished fifth. On the club’s Instagram he called the season below expectations and said the desire to bounce back is immense.

Fifth Place, One Point, and a Last-Day Loss

Milan’s 2025-26 league season ended on 24 May 2026 with a 1-2 home defeat to Cagliari. Como won 4-1 at Cremonese the same afternoon and took fourth. Roma beat Hellas Verona 2-0 and held third.

Going into that Sunday, Milan and Roma were level, two points above Como and Juventus. A home win would have put the Rossoneri in the Champions League. The loss, plus Como’s three points, dropped Milan to fifth on 70 points, one behind Como’s 71.

The club’s own final table lists Milan with 20 wins, 10 draws and 8 defeats from 38 games, scoring 53 and conceding 35. Inter took the title on 87 points. Napoli finished on 76, Roma on 73, Juventus on 69. Fifth sent Milan into the Europa League.

THE LAST-DAY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RACE

Modric later said the side had stayed in the Scudetto fight until about March, then threw the Champions League place away in the closing matches. He called that a hard blow for a club that, in his words, must play in the Champions League every year.

Why Modric Would Not Let the Season End There

The midfielder’s first Milan deal ran to 30 June 2026. When it lapsed he had to choose whether to stop, leave, or take the extra year the club had already written into the paperwork. He chose the third path, and he named the unfinished league season as the reason.

I’m thrilled to continue to be part of AC Milan, where you’ve made me feel welcomed and loved since the very first day. After a season below our expectations, the desire to bounce back is immense. A new season and a new challenge await us; a project I believe in and one that truly motivates me. I’m ready to give everything once again for this shirt, and I’m so proud to keep wearing these colours. I can’t wait to return to San Siro and hear your roar. See you soon. Forza Milan sempre!

Luka Modric, AC Milan Instagram

The club posted that message with the renewal. The same words sit on the official clip below.

View this post on Instagram

He had already stayed after the Champions League miss before that video landed. The Instagram note put his own voice on a choice the club had been chasing for weeks.

Amorim Told Him He Would Come Get Him

Ruben Amorim replaced Massimiliano Allegri after that fifth-place finish. At his unveiling the new coach made the Croatian a public priority, and he did it while the player was still resting after Croatia’s World Cup exit.

Amorim said he had spoken with Modric twice. If needed, he said, he would come and get him. He called him a key point for possession, especially at the start of the season, and he said out loud that the midfielder would not play every game.

WHAT AMORIM PUT ON THE RECORD

• The keep: He said Modric is a player Milan want for his experience.
• The calls: He said he had spoken with him two times and would do it again.
• The pickup: He said if needed he would come and get the guy in person.
• The minutes: He said he is not going to play all the games.
• The job: He said the midfielder is a key point for more possession, above all at the beginning.

That pitch sits inside Amorim’s first weeks on the Milan bench, when the coach was still selling a rebuild after his Manchester United exit. The board spoke with Modric as well. Italian contract figures put the wage at €3.5 million net, the same as 2025-26, plus bonuses.

The debate around the stay did not treat him as a farewell act. It treated him as an organiser Milan still needed after missing Europe’s top competition by a single point, which is why Amorim said he would collect him in person if the phone calls were not enough.

The One-Year Option Is Now a Managed Role

AC Milan signed a contract until 30 June 2027 on 23 July 2026. The statement recorded 37 appearances and 2 goals from his first season and said he will keep the number 14 shirt. The extra year was the option for a one-year extension written into the 14 July 2025 arrival deal, not a fresh long contract.

HOW THE EXTRA YEAR WAS DECIDED

1. 14 July 2025: Signs until 30 June 2026, with a one-year option to 30 June 2027, after 13 seasons at Real Madrid.
2. 24 May 2026: Milan lose 1-2 at home to Cagliari and finish fifth on 70 points.
3. 30 June 2026: The first Milan contract expires and he becomes a free agent.
4. 3 July 2026: Starts his 202nd Croatia game against Portugal, plays 109 minutes, and goes out of the World Cup 2-1 in the round of 32.
5. Early July 2026: Amorim says he has called twice and will collect him in person if needed.
6. 23 July 2026: Milan announce the option year through 30 June 2027.
7. 23 August 2026: He comes off the bench in a 2-1 win at Torino. Amorim says he does not have 90 minutes in his legs.
8. 9 September 2026: He turns 41. Milan call him “our midfield maestro” on the club channels.

The 2026-27 league season is already three games old. Milan have 2 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats and 7 points, sitting fifth. Modric started against Venezia on 28 August (2-0) and at Juventus on 6 September (1-1). He has 0 goals and 0 assists in those league games. The Torino bench appearance was the first public proof of the minutes plan Amorim described in July.

He Can Pass Ibrahimovic If He Plays Into Spring

On 9 September the squad marked the birthday at training, and the club cut a video of old Milan clips to the San Siro roar. The calendar fact behind the cake is simpler. If he keeps getting selected into 2027, he will move through the club’s oldest-player list.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic still holds the mark. He played against Udinese on 18 March 2023 at 41 years and 166 days. Alessandro Costacurta is next, at 41 years and 25 days against Udinese on 19 May 2007. Modric’s start at Juventus on 6 September 2026 came at 40 years, 11 months and 28 days, three days before the 41st birthday.

OLDEST COMPETITIVE APPEARANCES FOR MILAN

Add 166 days to 9 September 2026 and the Ibrahimovic mark falls on 22 February 2027. A league game after that date would take the club record. He already has a Serie A goal at 40 years and 5 days, scored against Bologna on 14 September 2025.

Bilic Will Not Play Him in Every Nations League Game

Croatia still have him. He started all four World Cup games in the summer, passed 200 caps, and was on the pitch after 109 minutes in the 2-1 round-of-32 loss to Portugal on 3 July. Slaven Bilic, the Croatia coach, said after a long talk in Zadar that there was no persuasion required, and that Modric remains the most important player for Milan as well as for the national side.

Bilic also said he will not play all four Nations League games against Spain and England. He will follow a rhythm that suits him, close to the one Milan now use. That is the same bargain Amorim described in July, only now it runs across club and country at 41.

The extra Milan year does not restore the Champions League place lost on 24 May. It gives a Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder one Europa League season, a rationed role, and a chance to leave San Siro on a higher finish than 70 points. He said that was the point of staying.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Luka Modric first sign for AC Milan?

AC Milan announced his arrival on 14 July 2025 on a deal until 30 June 2026, with a written option for a further year to 30 June 2027. He joined as a free agent after 13 seasons at Real Madrid, where he scored 43 goals in 597 games.

What shirt number does Modric wear at Milan?

He wears 14. The club assigned that number on the day he signed in 2025 and confirmed it again in the 23 July 2026 extension statement.

How many trophies did Modric win at Real Madrid?

Milan’s own biography lists six Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, five European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, two Copa del Rey titles and five Spanish Super Cups. Before Madrid he scored 17 goals in 159 games for Tottenham and 32 in 128 for Dinamo Zagreb after loans at Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić.

Where was Luka Modric born?

He was born in Zadar on 9 September 1985. When Milan first signed him the club listed 188 Croatia caps and 28 international goals, already the most appearances in the country’s history.