At first glance, the comparison feels almost unfair. Christian Pulisic, Luka Modric, and Lamine Yamal represent three completely different points on soccer’s timeline: a player in his prime, a teenage phenomenon, and a veteran who has seemingly refused to age. Yet this season at Milan, one quietly revealing number links all three—and it tells a story that says as much about trust, leadership, and endurance as it does about tactics or talent.
However, Christian Pulisic trails Luka Modric in one key Milan stat this season, and remarkably, the Croatian icon also surpasses the teenage sensation Yamal in the same category. For a 40-year-old midfielder to sit at the top of such a metric in one of Europe’s most demanding leagues is more than a curiosity. It is a statement.
When Modric arrived at the San Siro on a free transfer after 13 trophy-laden years at Real Madrid, the reaction was mixed. Admiration, yes—but also questions. Could a 40-year-old truly be the heartbeat of a Serie A side chasing the Scudetto?
A few months into the season, the answer is unequivocal. Modric has become indispensable under Massimiliano Allegri. His calm authority, positional intelligence, and technical clarity have reshaped Milan’s midfield rhythm. There is a visible difference between the club with Modric and the Rossoneri without him.
Luka Modric of AC Milan
The numbers back it up. When the Croatian starts, Milan’s points-per-game average hovers around 2.50, and the Rossoneri have lost just once in the league—on the opening day against Cremonese. In contrast, the rare occasions when Allegri left him out of the starting XI ended in defeats, notably against Lazio in the Coppa Italia and Napoli in the Italian Super Cup.
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The hidden stat revealed
Midway through the season, Score90 published a list that quietly underlined Modric’s influence. Despite being 40, Luka Modric leads Milan in Serie A minutes, clocking 1,325 minutes across the first 15 league matches. He has completed the full 90 minutes in all but two games, resting for just 16 minutes on debut and nine minutes in a later win over Udinese. That figure places him above every other Milan player—and comfortably ahead of Christian Pulisic.
For Pulisic, the comparison is not an indictment, but context. The American forward has played 519 Serie A minutes, a number shaped largely by injury interruptions earlier in the campaign. And yet, despite the reduced game time, the American remains Milan’s top scorer, with nine goals in all competitions, including seven in the league. In other words, while the 40-year-old has been the club’s most-used player, Pulisic has been its most decisive in the final third.
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Surpassing even Lamine Yamal
Perhaps the most eye-catching comparison is not with Pulisic, but with Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona teenager, widely regarded as the most exciting young player in world soccer, has logged 1,172 minutes in La Liga this season. That is an extraordinary workload for an 18-year-old.
And yet, Modric—22 years older—has played even more. The juxtaposition is staggering. One player is at the dawn of his career, the other approaching its twilight. Still, it is the veteran who leads in endurance and availability.
