Luka Modric, currently playing for AC Milan at age 40, has identified Jose Mourinho as the most uncompromising manager of his career, recounting a locker room incident where the Portuguese coach’s blunt criticism left even Cristiano Ronaldo in tears.
Speaking with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Croatian legend detailed how Mourinho’s relentless pursuit of tactical discipline spared no one—not even the game’s most prolific stars—during their shared tenure at Real Madrid.
Modric explained that the friction often stemmed from Mourinho’s directness and his refusal to tolerate lapses in work rate, recalling:
“I saw him [Jose Mourinho] make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room, a man who gives his all on the pitch, because for once he didn’t chase the opposing full-back.”
While Modric highlighted the friction of the Mourinho era, he contrasted it with the deep personal bond he shares with his “favourite” manager and current Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti, whom he praised for a rare level of trust, noting, “Usually, coaches don’t trust their players. He does.”