Luka Modric was injured just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup.
Image: dpa
Operation after cheekbone fracture: Luka Modric (M).
Image: dpa
Modric was injured in a collision against Juventus Turin.
Image: dpa
Luka Modric was injured just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup.
Image: dpa
Operation after cheekbone fracture: Luka Modric (M).
Image: dpa
Modric was injured in a collision against Juventus Turin.
Image: dpa
Luka Modrić has broken his cheekbone after a collision in Serie A. The Milan professional now needs surgery - just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup.
27.04.2026, 17:56
dpa
After a violent collision in a Serie A match, veteran midfielder Luka Modrić has suffered a fractured cheekbone. The 40-year-old Croatian will undergo surgery in the coming hours, Italian media quoted from a Rossoneri statement. Modric collided with Manuel Locatelli of Juventus Turin on Sunday evening and injured himself in the process.
Following the incident, Modrić was substituted in the 80th minute. Investigations have now revealed a fracture of the left cheekbone, which will require surgery.
Modrić has been playing for Milan since last summer, signing a one-year contract with an option to extend until mid-2027. The six-time Champions League winner from Croatia previously played for Real Madrid.
Will Modric play with a face mask?
The sports newspaper "Gazzetta dello Sport" reported that the use of a conventional face mask is conceivable given the nature of the injury. However, it is still too early to make any predictions.
In Modrić's home country, the recovery process is likely to be closely monitored in view of the World Cup, which begins on June 11. Croatia will face England, Panama and Ghana in the preliminary round at the finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The Croats were runners-up in the 2018 World Cup and third in the 2022 World Cup.
