Luka Modric

Modric moved to AC Milan after leaving Real Madrid, and at 40 remained a first-team regular, logging 37 appearances and 2,864 minutes with 2 goals and 3 assists in the 2025-26 season despite his age.

For Croatia he built one of the great late careers in the sport, captaining the country to the 2018 World Cup final and winning the Ballon d'Or that year, then continuing as Croatia's midfield fulcrum through multiple further tournaments.

A deep-lying playmaker whose game relies on scanning the field and disguised passing rather than physical attributes he no longer has at 40 — he controls tempo through positioning and decision-making, receiving the ball under pressure and finding the pass that changes the picture.

Croatia's 2026 World Cup ended in the round of 32, a 2-1 defeat to Portugal, after which Modric decided to retire from international football — closing out a national team career that included the 2018 World Cup final.

He chose to keep playing club football, however, agreeing a new one-year contract with AC Milan after new head coach Ruben Amorim made retaining him a priority, with Modric citing his childhood connection to the club dating back to Zvonimir Boban's era there.