Professor Luka Modrić spielte nach 15 Jahren in der Europa League und unterzeichnete den Sieg von Milan

Luka Modrić made his return to the Europa League after nearly 15 years during AC Milan's 4-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg in the second round of the competition. The Croatian captain entered the match in the 61st minute, replacing Adrian Rabiot, as Milan already led 3-0. Italian media praised Modrić’s performance, highlighting his composure and tactical influence on the field. The match saw AC Milan secure a dominant win with goals from Alpha Diallo Cissé, who scored a hat-trick, and Gonçalo Ramos. Cissé opened the scoring in the 15th minute, followed by another goal in the 32nd minute. He completed his hat-trick in the 49th minute after an assist from Rabiot, before Ramos added the fourth goal in the 72nd minute. Milan had to play the final minutes with ten men after Filippo Terracciano received a red card in the 83rd minute. Modrić’s previous appearance in the Europa League was on November 30, 2011, while playing for Tottenham against PAOK. That match ended in a 2-1 defeat for Tottenham, with Modrić scoring the lone goal from a penalty and playing the entire game. Since then, he has won six UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid before joining Milan this summer. Italian media highlighted Modrić’s impact on the match, noting how his presence brought calmness to Milan and neutralized any hopes of a comeback by Salzburg. Eurosport Italy gave him a score of 6.5, emphasizing his reaction from the crowd upon entering the pitch and his accurate long pass to Omi Hutchinson. La Repubblica also awarded him 6.5, stating he played for half an hour to keep the team in rhythm and satisfy fans who traveled to Salzburg just to see him. SportMediaset described Modrić’s performance as involving "adoration of the ball and a bit of football academy," while Tuttosport gave him a slightly lower rating of 6 but still noted a recognizable Modrić move. Goal.com (Italy) awarded him 6.5, pointing out that Milan gained complete confidence in passing the ball with Modrić on the field. Sky Sport Italia and Corriere della Sera both gave him a stable 6.0, describing his performance as "economical and intelligent football." Analysts emphasized Modrić’s role as a composed professor-like figure on the field, keeping possession and relieving teammates during lulls in the game’s pace. SportMediaset drew parallels with coach Ruben Amorim’s visionary approach, suggesting that bringing in Modrić and Pulisic in the final half-hour was a luxurious training session and perfect tactical management ahead of a tough league derby against Atalanta. Modrić’s contribution became evident in the final moments of the match when Milan was down to ten men. His experience and ability to retain possession, with an impressive 95% accuracy in passes, prevented any late problems for the Italian side. As Italy celebrates Cissé’s debut and the new energy under Amorim’s leadership, media unanimously concluded that Modrić demonstrated how even with half-effort, top-class football intelligence can routinely close European matches.