How Luka Modrić defies age: An insight from his trainer

Luka Modrić after a great match against Poland

Luka Modrić’s performance against Poland on Sunday, just a few hours before he turned 39, had people again questioning how the little maestro does it. 

He not only scored a stunning free kick but also played the full 90 minutes, showcasing his exceptional stamina and influence across the pitch.

His ability to maintain such high levels of performance as he nears 40 has left many in awe and sparked questions about the secret behind his enduring success.

A key figure behind his prolonged success is professor of kinesiology, Vlatko Vučetić, who has been guiding Modrić’s fitness regimen since before the 2014 World Cup.

Professor Vučetić told Sportske novosti that the secret to Modrić’s success lies in consistency.

He works with Modrić on a daily basis, designing tailored programmes aimed at maintaining muscle endurance, flexibility, and agility.

“Luka follows the plans I send him every morning,” Vučetić explains, highlighting that their work involves using resistance bands to promote muscle elasticity, essential for athletes who need agility, like footballers and tennis players.

Modrić dedicates 30 to 45 minutes daily to Vučetić’s exercises, followed by his club’s training and recovery programmes.

Altogether, Modrić invests more than five hours a day into his physical preparation, a regimen that Vučetić compares to that of elite athletes such as LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The level of dedication is staggering, with Modrić completing an average of 350 to 360 individual training sessions each year. Vučetić attributes Modrić’s success to his exceptional discipline, noting that after the age of 30, the human body naturally begins to lose muscle mass, making consistent and high-intensity training critical for maintaining peak performance.

When asked how Modrić sustains such energy at his age, Vučetić stresses that Modrić not only trains daily but uses every spare moment to focus on prevention and development. Whether with Real Madrid or the Croatian national team, Modrić follows Vučetić’s guidance to the letter, making training a lifestyle rather than just a routine.

Vučetić summarises Modrić’s longevity with eight key components that define an athlete’s success: health and lifestyle, genetics, motor skills, knowledge of movement, energy capacity, character, cognitive abilities, and lastly, socio-economic factors, such as support from family and access to top-tier resources.

For Modrić, success has been a combination of talent, unrelenting work ethic, and an unwavering commitment to daily improvement—factors that, according to Vučetić, place him among the greatest athletes in the world.

As Vučetić humbly puts it: “I’m just one small piece in the puzzle of Luka’s incredible career.”