L. Modrić gave an interview to Marca in which he discussed his feelings about leaving Real Madrid, his current life at AC Milan, and public focus on his age. He also shared his experience working with Mourinho and said Madrid will always be his home, hoping to return there in the future. This article is the third part of the interview.

Read more:

L. Modrić: Leaving Real Madrid wasn't easy, but looking back, I'm still proud, satisfied, and happy

L. Modrić: AC Milan views me as an important player. I want to keep competing and give everything for the team

You've said that what people say about your age doesn't affect you, yet they still say "L. Modrić is 40 years old now." Does that bother you? Do you get tired of hearing it?

It's not that it makes me angry or bothered, but I do get tired of hearing it. Very tired. Because it didn't just start two years ago. This has been going on since the 2014 World Cup, when I was only 33.

Back then people were saying: "Let's see how long he lasts. He's 33 now, now he's 34. He's already past his peak..."

But then I won two more Champions League titles, finished third with Croatia in the World Cup again, reached the Nations League final, and won many other trophies. After that, I felt... I don't like talking about myself, but I think in some periods I was actually playing the best football of my career.

So I think people shouldn't focus on age. They shouldn't focus on a passport or ID card. They should only look at what you do on the pitch.

It doesn't matter if you're 18, 30, 40, or 50 years old. If you can prove every day on the pitch that you can still compete, I think that's what people should look at: whether you can still play or not.

Age is just a number for me, but people are obsessed with it. It's as if the moment you get older, you should be discarded. But that's not how it is. It doesn't affect me, and it doesn't make me angry, but hearing this every day is genuinely annoying.

However, it does motivate me to prove that things aren't as they say, and to show that even at this age, you can still do these things.

Luka, people often talk about how physically prepared Cristiano Ronaldo is, but it seems no one talks about your physical training. Yet in matches, we often see you playing the most minutes and running the most. Luka, what do you do outside the pitch to maintain such physical condition? Perhaps because you don't publicize it, but your physical abilities are just as impressive.

Yes, I feel I'm in very good physical shape now. Many people might say it's genetics, which may have some truth to it, but of course it's not just genetics.

If you don't work hard, if you can't give 100% every day, including maintaining that commitment during every break, it's very difficult to maintain this level for this long. It's almost impossible. It's a combination of all these factors.

But as I've said, without training, without commitment every single day—even during breaks—I don't have a week where I'm inactive. I can't even remember the last time I didn't train throughout an entire week. Maybe when I went sailing, because you can't do anything on a boat (laughs). But other than that, I train every day—playing padel, tennis, basketball, or running. These have become part of me.

Without these things, you simply can't do it. But I think my love for sports, and especially my love for football, also plays a crucial role. Some people might disagree or not understand, or might disagree in some ways. But I think the love and passion for football that I still have right now is really important.

I still have these things in me. I still want to compete. I want to prove I can compete with younger players. I think these are the reasons I've been able to maintain this level for this long. As for why people talk more about some players than others, I can't really comment on that.

The small boy who started playing football in Zadar, Croatia—did he ever imagine he would have a career like this?

Naturally, I was very ambitious, but if I told you I imagined all of this, I'd be lying. No, not at all. I've always said that if someone had given me a piece of paper back then and told me to write down everything I wanted to achieve in my life and career, I absolutely couldn't have written down these achievements.

I wouldn't have even dared to write all of this. My only dream back then was to play for Croatia and make my debut for the national team.

Thank God I've had an incredible career, and it's still going. I'm grateful to God, and I'm grateful to those who have been by my side, supported me, and pushed me forward from day one. But if you ask me if I ever imagined all of this, no. Not even in my wildest dreams.

So what is L. Modrić like away from Milanello, and what is he like away from Valdebebas?

Just an ordinary person, really. I'm a family man. I try to spend time with my family and my children, doing normal things. Nothing special. I also spend time with friends.

I enjoy playing padel, and I also like playing tennis and basketball. When there's a chance, I play. I just try to do normal things. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary.

Are most of your friends in football or outside football?

Both. I have friends in football and friends outside football. I still have some friends I grew up with, and I've kept those friendships to this day, which I'm very proud of. They're my closest friends, and we've been through everything together.

At different points in life, we went our separate ways, but we've always stayed in touch, and I've always had their support. In that sense, I'm really proud.

However, I have friends both in and outside football.

In the last few years you played in Spain—not just the last year—you were almost applauded at every stadium you visited. Maybe at every stadium, really.

That was truly incredible. I've always said, and I said it when I left Real Madrid, that this is my greatest trophy. Not the titles themselves. Of course the titles matter, and we play to win titles, but my greatest trophy is the love that people have given me, especially the love from Real Madrid fans.

To feel loved like that is something everyone wishes for, and the love I've received is truly incredible. It's more important than any trophy, and it's not just from Real Madrid fans but also from fans of other teams.

I'm experiencing this now at AC Milan and with Croatia too. When you face opponents, when you play in other stadiums, the fans of other teams applaud you... It's truly overwhelming. It leaves you speechless. For me, this is the greatest achievement I could have accomplished.

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