Luka Modric to retire after 2026 World Cup following Milan's Champions League failure

Luka Modric will retire from professional football after the 2026 World Cup, with the 40-year-old midfielder set to make the announcement following Croatia’s participation in the tournament. The decision, reported by Nicolo Schira and cited by Diario AS, brings the curtain down on a career that has spanned more than 850 club appearances and 196 international caps.

Modric left Real Madrid at the end of the 2024-25 season to join AC Milan, where he impressed during his debut campaign in Italy. However, a key factor in his retirement call was Milan’s failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League — a campaign that ended with a home defeat to Cagliari. According to the report, Modric would have considered playing on for another year had Milan secured European football’s top club competition.

The World Cup will serve as the final chapter of a glittering international career. Modric has earned 196 caps for Croatia and is expected to surpass 200 during the tournament, a fitting milestone for a player widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.

His club career tells a similarly decorated story. After breaking through at Dinamo Zagreb and earning recognition at Tottenham Hotspur, Modric joined Real Madrid in 2012 and spent 13 years at the Bernabeu, making 597 appearances and collecting 28 trophies — including five UEFA Champions League titles. He was named the Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2018, the same year he led Croatia to the World Cup final in Russia.

Real Madrid said farewell to several long-serving figures last weekend, with Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Alvaro Arbeloa all making their final appearances at the Bernabeu during the victory over Athletic Club. The club chose not to renew any of the trio’s contracts. Modric, a former teammate of all three, had already departed a year earlier — a move Real Madrid are reported to have had reservations about.

When Modric does officially announce his retirement after the World Cup, Real Madrid are expected to pay tribute to a player who helped define one of the most successful eras in the club’s history.