Luka Modric’s Milan Move Proves That A Slower Serie A Still Has Plenty Of Cachet | Jonathan Wilson

Luka Modric will move 40 successful September. He has played 930 games complete nan people of a profession and has won 7 convention titles and six Champions Leagues. He moreover collapsed nan Messi-Ronaldo duopoly to declare nan Ballon d’Or aft inspiring Croatia to nan World Cup last successful 2018.

He seldom lasts a afloat 90 minutes these days, didn’t commencement a crippled during nan Club World Cup and was spared nan indignity of coming connected for his Madrid farewell pinch nan semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain long since lost. He could person retired 5 years agone and still been 1 of nan astir respected players successful nan history of nan crippled but, his eyes connected adjacent summer’s World Cup, erstwhile his statement astatine Real Madrid expired Modric chose to subordinate Milan.

It’s not conscionable a important move for Modric. It besides confirms Serie A arsenic nan undisputed location of nan (gifted) elder citizen. Next season, Kevin De Bruyne, astatine 34, will beryllium lining up for Napoli aft his move from Manchester City, while nan 37-year-old Francesco Acerbi and nan 36-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan are still astatine Inter and nan 34-year-old Marten de Roon continues to anchor Atalanta’s midfield pinch Juan Cuadrado, astatine 37, connected nan flank. The mean Serie A subordinate is 14 months older than nan mean of Europe’s apical 31 leagues.

Football, increasingly, is simply a young man’s game. There is simply a wealthiness of grounds that nan strength of nan modern pressing intends players scope their peaks earlier. Over nan past decade nan number of players aged 23 and nether who person played much than 900 Premier League minutes has accrued by 32%. At nan aforesaid time, each Ballon d’Or victor since Kaká successful 2007 is still playing.

That is astir apt nan consequence of 2 factors. Physical conditioning has ne'er been truthful good. Footballers unrecorded healthier lives. Their diets are much intimately monitored and knowing of nutrition and betterment is amended than ever before. There person ne'er been less bad tackles; and moreover if that use is offset by nan gruelling quality of today’s pressing game, modern sports medicine intends surgery legs and cruciate ruptures are nary longer nan career-ending injuries they erstwhile would person been.

At nan aforesaid time, location is now a penumbra of leagues extracurricular nan elite that request prima players and tin spend to salary them, while offering an situation erstwhile nan shot is of a reasonable level but little demanding than in, say, nan Premier League. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo use from nan salaries and vulnerability of nan United States and Saudi Arabia, while MLS and nan Saudi Pro League use from their celebrity. They are acold from nan first 2 leagues that person offered a mutually beneficial late-career payday, but they are possibly amended established, much visible and much charismatic than ever before.

Luka Modric played his past crippled for Real Madrid astatine nan Club World Cup. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Fifa/Getty Images

Which brings america to Serie A that, while still ranking acold higher than MLS aliases nan Saudi Pro League, has intelligibly fallen a agelong measurement from its 1980s and 90s heyday. It is simply a title replete pinch stars, but they are stars a fewer years beyond their peak. While each convention would astir apt for illustration to beryllium financially dominant, location is nary awesome harm successful that – aliases astatine slightest location shouldn’t be. As football’s economics go progressively stratified, each convention has had to find its niche.

Sweden – almost contempt itself, fixed nan clubs would almost surely ballot for video adjunct referees were they not mandated by their members not to – has go celebrated for its “authenticity”, pinch a lively ultra civilization and a retro vibe. Germany is nan location of thrusting young coaches pinch iPads and caller pressing models. Spain has nan clásico and France has PSG. Italy has to look nan reality that it is nary longer hegemonic.

There are nary Italian clubs among nan apical 10 wealthiest. Although Juventus and Inter person mislaid successful 2 Champions League finals since, nary Serie A broadside has won it since nan second successful 2010.

Serie A has go a convention wherever nan gait is simply a small slower, wherever veterans tin beryllium effective – and location is simply a charm successful that. Just arsenic location is thing comforting – from nan constituent of position of nan casual assemblage if not nan administrators – successful nan measurement truthful galore of nan champion players successful snooker are nan aforesaid arsenic they were a decade aliases 2 ago, truthful Serie A is progressively becoming a showcase for nan familiar, from Romelu Lukaku to Scott McTominay, from Stefan de Vrij to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Kevin De Bruyne is nan newest prima successful Naples. Photograph: ANSA/EPA

Inter, Milan, Juve and Napoli still person a cachet. It’s easy to understand why De Bruyne, erstwhile Manchester City had decided they did not wish to connection him a caller deal, preferred to subordinate Napoli than to scrap connected successful nan hurly-burly of nan Premier League for an aspirant mid-table side. Or why Modric has gone location alternatively than flogging himself astir nan US. Not everything has to beryllium done astatine a ferocious tempo. Not everything moreover has to beryllium nan best.

Since Juventus’s years of domination came to an end, location person been 3 champions successful 5 seasons and six sides finishing successful nan apical three, including Napoli and Lazio, some of whom had won nan convention only doubly earlier that spell, and Atalanta, who person ne'er won Serie A. That suggests a patient level of title and a pleasing operation of expansive aged names and teams elevated by sensible finance and/or inspirational management. In a world that wasn’t obsessed by growth, week-to-week intrigue would beryllium much than enough.

But modern shot is simply a world obsessed by growth, acknowledgment to nan wide engagement of backstage equity firms, galore of them American. Eight Serie A teams are majority-owned by US companies. A celebrated convention blessed pinch seasoned stars is not enough, which is why Milan’s location crippled against Como adjacent play could beryllium played successful Perth, Australia.

Perhaps it’s nan changeless thrust for much than inspired progress, but it often feels nan beauty of what already exists tin beryllium missed; and nan imaginable of Modric playing for Milan, producing different play of those passes pinch nan extracurricular of his correct foot, is worthy celebrating.