Luka Modric Out for the Rest of the Season With Milan and Tight to Make It to the World Cup With Croatia

The AC Milan player got injured and is out for the rest of the season, and he is a big question mark for the 2026 World Cup for his national team

The injury and the surgery

On Sunday, in the goalless draw between AC Milan and Juventus, Luka Modrić suffered a severe head-to-head collision with Manuel Locatelli, which resulted in a fractured cheekbone. He was substituted in the 81st minute by Ardon Jashari. The Croatian midfield icon underwent surgery on Monday at the La Madonnina clinic in Milan and will miss the remainder of the season with the Rossoneri. The club confirmed the news in an official statement.

“The procedure was a complete success,” stated AC Milan, explaining that it was “a complex, multi-fragmentary fracture of the left zygomatic bone.” The surgery was performed by Dr. Luca Autelitano, assisted by club doctors Stefano Mazzoni and Andrea Bulgheroni.

Despite the obvious pain following the collision, Modrić remained on the bench until the end of the match without receiving immediate attention. The estimated recovery time is between six and eight weeks

Concerns from Croatia

In Croatia, the outlook is different. According to Sportske Novosti, they expect the captain to be able to play in the World Cup wearing a protective mask. A source quoted by AFP stated that he will arrive in time for the opening match against England on June 17. The national team's doctors are in constant contact with the player, while coach Zlatko Dalic has expressed his “confidence that he will lead us in another great competition this summer.”

At the age of 40, Modrić is preparing for his fifth World Cup, having played in 2006, 2014, 2018 (when he finished runner-up with his national team), and 2022 (when Croatia finished third).

What is the outlook for AC Milan?

In Serie A, Massimiliano Allegri's AC Milan sits in third place, 12 points behind the leader, with Luciano Spalletti's Inter Milan in fourth, 15 points behind, and Cesc Fàbregas' Como in fifth.

Modrić's injury is a major blow for AC Milan, but in Croatia, hope remains alive: They are confident that their star player will once again be the driving force behind a national team that dreams of another historic performance