Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published on Thursday, 01 January 2026 17:15 / Updated on Thursday, 01 January 2026 17:16
In a year-end interview with Italian media, Luka Modric spoke about his first few months at Milan and the impact Serie A has had on him. Likewise, the Croatian also spoke about the coaches he had in his career and recounted an event that has Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in full view.
Luka Modric also spoke about Carlo Ancelotti, the coach he considers “number one”, but also about his current coach at AC Milan, Massimiliano Allegri.
Luka Modric revealed an incident between Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo: “I saw him make him cry in the dressing room because once he didn't follow the opposing defender”
“Mourinho is special. As a coach and as a person. He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid, without Mourinho I would never have arrived. I'm sorry I only had him for one season. Out of all of them, he was the toughest. I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the dressing room, a player who gives everything on the pitch, because once he didn't track the opposing defender. Mourinho is very direct with the players, but he's honest. He treated Sergio Ramos and the last-comer the same: if he had something to say to you, he said it to your face,” Luka Modric said, according to abola.pt.
Even so, he picks Carlo Ancelotti as the best: “He is number one. It's hard to find words. For his way of being, not just for his qualities on the bench. We talked many times about Milan and Milan when I was in Madrid. And for him, this place was unique. I remember when I met him. I was alone in the city. He called me and said: 'Come, let's have dinner together'. We talked for hours, about everything. Football, family, life. Usually coaches don't give players such confidence. He does.”
Now in Milan, Modric is coached by Massimiliano Allegri, who “has an incredible personality“: . “He's a bit like Ancelotti: he's sensitive, funny and likes to make jokes. But on the pitch, as a coach, he's fantastic. He knows football like few others. I didn't know him that well, but I'm happy he's my coach today.”
Life always surprises us, things happen that we never thought possible. I was convinced that I would end my career at Real Madrid, but here it is… I always thought that if I ever had another team, it would be Milan. I'm here to win. The season is long. In football, we have to think about each match individually. If we start making plans months in advance, we lose direction
–Luka Modric
