Milan midfielder Modric: ‘I supported the Rossoneri as a child because of Boban’

Luka Modric has revealed that his connection with Milan runs far deeper than his current chapter in red and black, admitting he grew up supporting the club thanks to his childhood idol, Zvonimir Boban.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Corriere della Sera, the Croatian midfielder explained that while he once believed his career would end at Real Madrid, Milan always held a special place for him.

“As a child I was a Milan fan, because of the hero of my childhood: Boban,” Modric said. “I thought I would finish my career at Real Madrid, but I always knew that if I played for another club, it would be Milan. I’m here to win.”

That ambition extends directly to the Scudetto. “At Milan you must always play to win,” he added. “Only to win.”

At 40, Modric also reflected on how he has remained competitive at the highest level. There is no secret formula, he insists, only passion. “You have to love football, think football, live for football. Training and diet matter, but the real secret is the heart. I’m happy in training like I was as a child.”

Modric spoke movingly about his upbringing in Croatia, shaped by family, humility and the trauma of war. He recalled growing up among animals rather than attending nursery school, and the loss of his grandfather during the conflict in the early 1990s. “Those years made me who I am,” he said. “Football helped us live life as it should be lived at that age.”

The midfielder also paid tribute to figures who shaped his career, from Francesco Totti to Carlo Ancelotti and José Mourinho, while praising Massimiliano Allegri’s personality and footballing intelligence.

Modric closed by returning to the present, pointing to Milan’s position in the table and refusing to rule anything out. “There’s still a long way to go and many strong teams,” he said. “But we are Milan. And that matters.”