Can Luka Modrić Rewrite Milan Derby History at 40? A San Siro Showdown

Modrić and the 40-year-old derby dream

The Croatian Luka Modrić, Milan’s star, is poised to meet history as he features for the Rossoneri in the eagerly awaited Derby della Madonnina against Inter, scheduled for Sunday evening at the Giuseppe Meazza in the 12th round of Serie A.

Some say football legends are those who defy time, appearing renewed when the stadium lights glow at San Siro; wrinkles aside, they rediscover energy that challenges identity.

Thus Modrić will become the fourth player aged forty or more to take part in the Milan derby, following in the footsteps of Maldini, Zanetti and Ibrahimović, turning it into a notable generational clash.

Modrić joined Milan this past summer on a free transfer after leaving Real Madrid, choosing to continue his career in Italian football.

Past legends in the derby offer color to the tale. Paolo Maldini’s last derby appearance as captain came in February 2009, at 40 years, 7 months and 20 days old, during a 2-1 Inter win that night and with Adriano opening the scoring for the Nerazzurri.

Javier Zanetti’s penultimate derby as Inter captain arrived on December 22, 2013: Inter won 1-0 courtesy of Palacio’s heel strike, five minutes from the end, as Zanetti pressed on in his later stages of the career.

Zlatan Ibrahimović has long been a derby staple, with clashes very often yielding goals for and against. His last full-tilt derby appearance came on November 7, 2021, aged 40 years and 11 months, when Milan and Inter drew 1-1 at San Siro, with Calhanoglu’s penalty and a De Vrij own goal shaping the night.

Costacurta, Alessandro Costacorta in the piece, also featured in a 39-year-old cameo in 2006: 17 minutes off the bench for Milan against Inter, a small cameo that underscored how age can be a profile, not a ceiling.

Team balance

Inter currently boast 24 points and sit level with Roma in second place, while Milan and Napoli sit two points behind at 22. Inter lead on goals scored, with 26, a clear edge over their rivals. Milan, meanwhile, have shown some inconsistency in recent fixtures, drawing with Atalanta and Parma and scraping a win over Roma, leaving them in third with 22 points, two behind the leaders.

As Modrić readies himself for a potentially historic cameo, the narrative of the derby expands beyond the usual tactical battles to a tale about age against tempo, experience against enthusiasm, and a stadium that refuses to fade with the lights.

Punchline 1: If Modrić can crank it at 40, perhaps I should start my own calendar—the year would be a one-date special: “When legends still run.”

Punchline 2: In Milan, aging is a formation—a back four of memories, a midfield of class, and a forward line that still believes in miracles; the clock? It’s merely a stopwatch for history to applaud.