Modrić played more matches than anyone last season, greatly exceeding the recommended limit
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić, even at an age considered advanced for a professional footballer, has no intention of hanging up his boots. This summer, he swapped one football giant, Real Madrid, for another—AC Milan. As it turns out, the Ballon d'Or winner is putting himself through a grueling workload.
Details: According to a FIFPro study, Modrić played more matches than any other player last season—76 in total: 66 appearances for Real Madrid and 10 for the Croatian national team. In doing so, the Croatian star far surpassed the players' union's recommended season limit of 55 matches.
Taking into account international and friendly fixtures, 10 players logged 69 or more matches last season. Among this elite group were, for example, Kerem Aktürkoğlu of Benfica and Désiré Doué of PSG.
Reminder: In mid-September, UEFA and FIFPro issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to maintain a balance between club competitions and international fixtures.
