Luka Modrić (Croatian pronunciation: [lûːka mǒːdritɕ]; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team.[3] Modrić plays mainly as a central midfielder but can also play as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder, usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker.[4] Modrić is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Born in Zadar, Modrić was signed by Dinamo Zagreb in 2002 after showing promise with his hometown club’s youth team. He continued his development in Zagreb before spells on loan to Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić. He made his debut for Dinamo in 2005 and won three consecutive league titles and domestic cups with them, being named the Prva HNL Player of the Year in 2007. In 2008, he moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, where he led the Spurs to their first UEFA Champions League appearance in almost 50 years, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2010–11 tournament.[12][13]
After the 2011–12 season, he moved to Real Madrid for a fee of £30 million,[14] where he became a key contributor under coach Carlo Ancelotti and helped the team to win La Décima, being elected to the squad of the season. In 2016 and 2017, he won his second and third Champions Leagues with the squad and election to the squad of the season on both, as well as receiving the La Liga Award for the “Best Midfielder” in 2016 for the second time, and UEFA Club Football Award for the “Best Midfielder” in 2017.
Modrić made his debut for Croatia against Argentina in March 2006,[12] and he has since participated in every major tournament that Croatia have qualified for, including the 2006 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Italy. At the 2008 Euros, he was elected to the Team of the Tournament, becoming only the second Croatian to ever achieve this honor.[15] In 2015, he became the first Croatian player ever to be included in the FIFA World XI,[16] in which he was included once again in 2016 and 2017,[17][18] as well in the UEFA Team of the Year in 2016 and 2017.[19] He has been named the Croatian Footballer of the Year six times, tied with Davor Šuker for most wins of all-time.
Luka Modrić was born on 9 September 1985 and was raised in the hamlet of Modrići[22] near Zaton Obrovački, a village close to Zadar in SR Croatia, then a republic within Yugoslavia.[23][24][25] He is the oldest child of aeromechanic Stipe and textile worker Radojka.[22][26][27] His childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence; in 1991 when the war escalated, his family were forced to flee the area.[23] His father joined the Croatian Army.[23] Modrić’s grandfather Luka and six other elderly civilians were executed by Croatian Serb rebels in December 1991 in the village of Jesenice.[23][25][28][12]
Modrić became a refugee and lived with his family in the Hotel Kolovare for seven years, later moved to the Hotel Iž, in Zadar.[23][29][30] In those years thousands of grenades fell on the city and football was a way to escape the reality.[25] He has said he was mostly unaware of the war because he befriended many other children and their parents did not let it affect their childhoods.[27] In these difficult circumstances, Modrić began playing football, mostly at the hotel parking lot.[25] In 1992, he simultaneously entered the primary school and a sporting academy, the latter paid for with the little money the family had, sometimes helped by Modrić’s uncle.[23][29][27] Supported by his family, he participated in representative camps and trained in NK Zadar.[23][27] He was under tutelage of coach Domagoj Bašić and the head of the youth academy Tomislav Bašić.[23] Tomislav, considered by Modrić as his “sporting father”,[12][30] said Modrić’s father made him wooden shin guards because they had little money,[23] Modrić, however, denied those claims.[25] Due to being considered too young and light-weight he was not signed by Hajduk from Split, the most representative team in the region of Dalmatia.[23][27][31] After displaying some talent, including at youth tournament in Italy,[12] Tomislav Bašić arranged Modrić’s move to Dinamo Zagreb when was 16-year-old in late 2001.[23][25][32]
After a season with Dinamo Zagreb’s youth side, Modrić was loaned in 2003 to Zrinjski Mostar in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[23][12] During this period he established his versatile style of play and became the Bosnian and Herzegovinian League Player of the Year while still 18 years old.[33] Modrić later said, “someone who can play in the Bosnian league can play anywhere”, referring to its physical nature.[33] The following year, he was loaned out to Croatian side Inter Zaprešić. He spent one season there, helping the team to achieve second position in the Croatian First Football League,[34][12] and a place in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup, now Europa League preliminary round. He also won the Croatian Football Hope of the Year award in 2004.[33] He returned to Dinamo Zagreb in 2005.
In the 2005–06 season, Modrić signed a ten-year contract, his first long-term contract, with Dinamo Zagreb,[33] and with the contract earnings he bought a flat in Zadar for his family to be no longer refugees.[25][12] He secured a place in Dinamo’s first team, contributing seven goals in 31 matches to help win the league.[35] In the 2006–07 season, Dinamo again won the league with Modrić making a similar contribution,[35] being main assist for Eduardo da Silva,[33] which was acknowledged with the Prva HNL Player of the Year award.[2] The following season, he led Dinamo’s attempt to qualify for the UEFA Cup 2007–08. In the final play-off stage, Modrić converted a penalty in the second and away fixture against AFC Ajax; the game finished 1–1 after regular time. Dinamo won the game and play-off with a score of 3–2 after extra time with two goals from teammate Mario Mandžukić.[36] However, Dinamo Zagreb failed to advance beyond the group stage. At his last home game with the club at Maksimir Stadium, Modrić was given a standing ovation and fans held up supportive banners.[37][38] He finished his four-year tenure at Dinamo with a tally of over 31 goals and 29 assists in four league seasons,[39][12] contributing most notably in the 2007–08 season when Dinamo won the second Croatian Cup and became champions by a 28-point margin.[40] Modrić was courted by Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea, but he decided to wait.
Modrić agreed transfer terms with Tottenham Hotspur on 26 April 2008. He was the first of many summer signings for coach Juande Ramos and was also the Premier League’s first summer transfer.[42] After signing a six-year contract, Tottenham confirmed the fee paid was £16.5 million, equalling the club’s record fee set by Darren Bent’s move in 2007.[43] Modrić made his competitive Premier League debut on 16 August in a match that ended in a 2–1 defeat by Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in Spurs’ first match of the 2008–09 season.[44]
Modrić had a slow start at Tottenham; he suffered from a knee injury early in his career there and was labelled as a light-weight by sections of the media,[32][45] and Arsène Wenger.[46] This coincided with his poor form, leading to concerns both for himself and Croatia manager Slaven Bilić.[47] Modrić spent his early days at a position of number 10, before being shifted to the left wing to play alongside Wilson Palacios.[46] Spurs teammate Tom Huddlestone later said, “his versatility was probably a blessing and a curse, he was that good that he had to play out of position for a bit”.[46]
After the appointment of manager Harry Redknapp, Modrić was given a more familiar role as a central- or left-sided midfielder, allowing him to have more influence on the team and use his footballing talent more productively, for example in a 4–4 draw with arch-rivals Arsenal on 29 October.[48] Since this performance, his form improved considerably, coinciding with his club’s improved performance in the league. Redknapp recognised Modrić’s value to his side, planning to shape his new team around the Croatian playmaker.[49] Modrić scored his first competitive goal at Tottenham in a 2–2 draw against Spartak Moscow during the UEFA Cup group stages on 18 December 2008.[50] He scored his first Premier League goals against Newcastle United in an away defeat on 21 December, a home win in the third round of the FA Cup against Wigan on 2 January 2009, and in an away defeat against Manchester United on 25 April 2009.[51]
Using Modrić in his former position from Dinamo Zagreb days made him more effective with inspirational performances against Stoke City,[52] Hull City,[53] and most notably on 21 March when he scored the only goal in a win against Chelsea
On 27 August 2012, Real Madrid announced[citation needed] they had agreed a deal with Tottenham for a fee in the region of £30 million.[14] Modrić signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club.[14][86] Two days later, he made his Real Madrid debut against Barcelona in the second leg final of the 2012 Supercopa de España at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, replacing Mesut Özil in the 83rd minute. Madrid won the game, giving Modrić his first trophy with the club 36 hours after his signing was announced.[87] Despite his positive debut, Modrić initially struggled to settle into the team under manager José Mourinho because of his lack of pre-season training, which he missed as a result of his ongoing transfer negotiations.[32] The presence of veteran midfielder Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira in defensive midfield, and Özil in offensive midfield, usually kept Modrić out of the starting lineup, limiting him to substitute appearances and mostly playing out-of-position for his first few months at the club. He played his first UEFA Champions League game for Real Madrid in a group match against Manchester City on 18 September, which Madrid won 3–2. On 3 November, Modrić scored his first goal for Real Madrid in the last minute of their 4–0 victory over Real Zaragoza in La Liga.[88] On 17 November, Modrić assisted a Karim Benzema goal, which was eventually ruled an own goal by Jon Aurtenetxe Borde, with a 50 m (55 yd) cross-field pass. It was the first goal in a 5–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.[89] His most notable game that year was on 4 December, when he assisted for the first two goals of Cristiano Ronaldo and José Callejón with cross-field passes in a 4–1 victory over Ajax in the group stage of the Champions League.[90][91][92]
Modrić playing for Real Madrid against Sevilla in 2013.
Modrić started in Real Madrid’s home game against their league rivals Barcelona on 2 March 2013; from a corner kick he assisted Sergio Ramos to score the winning goal in the 82nd minute, giving Real a victory in El Clásico. On 5 March, Modrić came on as a second-half substitute during the decisive Champions League knockout leg against ten-man Manchester United at Old Trafford. With Madrid behind by a goal, Modrić equalised with a long-range shot from 25 yd (23 m) out and played a key role in the rest of the game, which Real Madrid won 2–1, advancing them to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate.[93][94][95] This game is often seen as the turning point in Modrić’s career in Real Madrid.[32] On 16 March, he replicated this performance against Real Mallorca, giving Real Madrid the lead with a long range volley from 30 yd (27 m); Real Madrid won the game 5–2.[96] Modrić played as a starter in both Champions League semi-final games against Borussia Dortmund. In the first leg on 24 April, he played in the attacking midfield position where he did not influence the game and the team lost 4–1. On 30 April, in the second leg 2–0 victory, Modrić played as the deep-lying playmaker, providing passes for the attackers and creating several opportunities; he was among the best-rated players that night.[97][98][99] From March 2013, Modrić’s form and influence in the midfield continued to improve, distinguishing himself as a player with most passes completed in his team. On 8 May, he assisted from the corner for the first goal and scored the fourth goal in a 6–2 victory over Málaga.[100]
2013–14 season
With the arrival of new manager Carlo Ancelotti, Modrić became one of the most-frequent starters in the team, being partnered in midfield with Alonso to provide a balance of defence and attack.[101][102] He was consistently the team’s most efficient passer, averaging 90% accuracy in La Liga, and also having the most ball recoveries among the squad.[32][46][101] He scored his first goal of the season in the last Champions League group game against Copenhagen, making it his fifth goal for the club, all five of which were scored from the outside the box.[103] Modrić scored his first goal of the Spanish league season in a 3–0 away win against Getafe, which marked his sixth goal outside of the box.[104] Modrić was on the pitch when Real Madrid won the 2013–14 Copa del Rey, defeating Barcelona 2–1 in the final.[105]
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Modrić intercepted the ball and assisted Cristiano Ronaldo for the third goal in Real Madrid’s 3–0 home victory against Borussia Dortmund. The goal was ultimately decisive because Real went on to lose 2–0 in the second leg, but progressed with a marginal aggregate score of 3–2. In his 100th game for the club,[106] Modrić assisted for the first goal in the second leg 4–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, helping Real Madrid reach the final for the first time in 12 years.[107] He was included in UEFA’s Team of the Week for both legs of the semi-final.[108][109] On 24 May, in the final, Modrić again assisted from a corner for teammate Sergio Ramos, who scored a 93rd minute equalizer against local rivals Atlético Madrid. Real won 4–1 in extra time, marking the club’s tenth Champions League title, locally known as la Décima (“the tenth”).[110] He was included in the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season[111] and received the LFP award for the “Best Midfielder” of the Spanish first league of that season.
