THE "MARINA" RESTAURANT SECRET—LUKA MODRIC’S LIFE BEFORE GLOBAL FOOTBALL FAME REVEALED
Luka Modric discusses his secret to longevity at AC Milan and his humble beginnings in Zadar. Read about his 2026 World Cup plans.
Not many players can say they’ve done what Luka Modric has—and hardly anyone’s pulled it off for as long as he has. At 40, Modric looks like he’s having fun again, playing in Serie A with AC Milan after leaving Real Madrid last summer. Age doesn’t seem to bother him much.
Last season, he struggled to get into Real Madrid’s starting lineup, so he decided it was time for something new. Now, at San Siro, he’s back in rhythm. He’s started all 17 league matches for Milan this season, and his energy has helped push the team to the top of the table. He’s got one eye on the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and right now, he looks ready.
This week, Modric sat down with CdS for an interview. They asked him about his secret. MD quoted his answer:
“Love. Loving football, thinking about football, living for football. Alongside my family, football’s the most important thing I have. The secret is passion. Diet and training matter, but they’re not everything. To stay at the top, you need heart. I’m as happy training now as I was kicking a ball around as a kid.”
In Madrid, people always talked about how seriously Modric took care of his body—the guy’s a pro, no question. Off the pitch, though, he says he keeps things pretty simple.
“I love normality. A normal family, a normal life, just enjoying the little things. I don’t think of myself as special. Not once in my life have I felt above anyone else. If I hadn’t played football, I’d have wanted to be a waiter.”
That’s right—a waiter. Modric actually studied hospitality and trained at the Marina restaurant in Zadar during his first year. He served at wedding banquets, and he was good at it. Croatians drink a lot at weddings, he joked, and he was great at keeping the drinks flowing. Washing dishes, though—he could have done without that.
So, what about coaching? With all his experience, you’d think he might want to give management a shot. He says he’s open to it—maybe as a coach, maybe as a manager. He’s not sure yet. For now, he still feels he’s got more to give on the pitch.
One last thing: during the interview, Modric called Carlo Ancelotti the best manager he’s ever played for. He also had good things to say about Jose Mourinho and his youth coach, Tomo Basic.
LUCIANO SPALLETTI OFFICIALLY EXTENDS JUVENTUS TENURE UNTIL 2028 AFTER IMPRESSIVE INTERIM SPELL
Juventus coach Spalletti extends his contract until 2028. Get the latest on the Serie A top-four race and match news.
Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti just signed a new two-year deal with the club, capping off a promising six months at the helm.
He broke the news to his players first, right before Friday’s training session. Not long after, Juventus posted a video of Spalletti sharing the update. “I wanted you to hear it from me before anyone else,” he told the squad. “We’ve decided to extend my contract by another two years. I wanted to tell you before the news got out. Honestly, the road ahead looks tough, but I’m convinced we’ll tackle it together. With your character and your fight, we can turn every challenge into something bigger.”
Spalletti took charge back in October, stepping in after Juventus sacked Igor Tudor. Tudor’s departure came after three straight losses and a long, frustrating stretch without a win. At the time, Juventus handed Spalletti an eight-month contract. The word was, he'd get an automatic two-year extension if the team qualified for the Champions League.
Right now, Juventus sits just outside the Champions League spots, one point back from fourth-place Como, with seven games left in the season.
“When I joined seven months ago, the club gave me this short contract,” Spalletti explained. “The idea was simple: let’s give it some time, get to know each other, then decide at the end of the season if we want to keep going.”
Back then, Juventus sat in seventh place, fighting just to stay in Europe. In the Champions League, they were already scrambling to avoid elimination.
Things have improved since Spalletti took over. Juventus has picked up 17 wins, six losses, and eight draws in 31 matches. They managed to push through to the Champions League playoffs, though Galatasaray knocked them out.
Club CEO Damien Comolli praised Spalletti’s impact. “Since joining us, Luciano’s made a real difference on the pitch, around the club, and among our fans,” Comolli said. “He’s exactly the kind of leader we need. His ambitious football matches what we all expect from Juventus, and he stands for what our club’s all about. So, we want to keep going with him. We believe stability and continuity are key to reaching our goals.”
Juventus hasn’t lifted the Serie A trophy since 2020, when they wrapped up a run of nine straight titles.
Before arriving in Turin, Spalletti led Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023, then took charge of Italy’s national team. That stint didn’t go well; he lost his job last June after a shaky start in World Cup qualifying. Now, he’s got another shot to lead a powerhouse club.
NAPOLI LEAPFROG AC MILAN INTO SECOND PLACE WITH VITAL 1-0 SAN SIRO VICTORY
Napoli beat AC Milan 1-0 to move into second place. Discover how Politano and McTominay are chasing Inter for the title.
Napoli snatched a late 1-0 win over AC Milan at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, keeping their hopes for a second straight Serie A title very much alive. Scott McTominay played the entire match, and with Napoli sitting third before kickoff, their victory bumped them ahead of Milan into second place, just seven points behind Inter. That gap was a daunting 11 points a mere three weeks ago, but Napoli's five-game winning streak, combined with Inter dropping points, has changed the picture fast. With seven matches left, McTominay and the team aren’t giving up on defending their scudetto.
Early in the game, McTominay nearly had Napoli fans holding their breath when he tried a bicycle kick, a move that’s become one of his signatures. This time, though, he couldn't duplicate his Hampden magic from last November against Denmark. The ball skipped wide.
The game felt tense and looked to be heading for a draw until the 79th minute. That’s when Napoli broke through with a quick attack down the left. McTominay didn’t get the goal, but his movement from a Mathias Olivera cross caused chaos in the Milan box. Matteo Politano, coming on as a sub, pounced at the far post and put in a tidy left-footed finish.
Billy Gilmour, McTominay’s Scotland teammate, didn’t get on the pitch. He’d started in three of his last four Serie A appearances, but this time watched from the bench.
Napoli’s next game takes them away to Parma, who sit in 13th. Inter travelled to play Como later that same day. Talking about the title race, manager Antonio Conte said, “Scudetto? It's tough. Inter is really strong and is having an incredible season. We can’t slip up; we need them to make mistakes, and not just once. Honestly, we have to be realistic… Inter deserves to lead. Still, we’ve won the Supercoppa and sit second. We should be pretty happy. With all our injuries and problems, this season could easily have gone off the rails.”
Around the rest of Serie A, Lennon Miller, who didn’t see action for Scotland over the international break, came off the bench for Udinese in the 65th minute of their scoreless draw with Como. On Sunday, Lewis Ferguson saw red for the first time in Italy after picking up two yellows in thirty seconds late in Bologna’s 2-1 win at Cremonese. Che Adams found the net for Torino in their 1-0 victory over Pisa.
