Luka Modrić

Modrić in 2021

Personal information

Full name

Luka Modrić^[1]

Date of birth

9 September 1985 (age 39)^[2]

Place of birth

Zadar, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia

Height

1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)^[3]

Position(s)

Midfielder

Team information

Current team

Real Madrid

Number

10

Youth career

1996–2000

Zadar

2000–2003

Dinamo Zagreb

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2003–2008

Dinamo Zagreb

94

(26)

2003–2004

→ Zrinjski Mostar (loan)

25

(8)

2004–2005

→ Inter Zaprešić (loan)

18

(4)

2008–2012

Tottenham Hotspur

127

(13)

2012–

Real Madrid

389

(30)

International career^‡

2001

Croatia U15

2

(0)

2001

Croatia U17

2

(0)

2003

Croatia U18

7

(0)

2003–2004

Croatia U19

11

(1)

2004–2005

Croatia U21

15

(2)

2006–

Croatia

186

(27)

Medal record

Men's football

Representing Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up	2018 Russia
	2022 Qatar
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up	2023 Netherlands

Signature

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:31, 20 April 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:28, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

Luka Modrić (pronounced [lûːka mǒːdritɕ];^[4]^[5] born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains both La Liga club Real Madrid and the Croatia national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time,^[6] and as the greatest Croatian footballer ever.^[7] He primarily plays as a central midfielder but can also play as an attacking midfielder.

Modrić began his professional career with Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in 2003 before he went on loan spells to Bosnian-Herzegovian side Zrinjski Mostar and Croatian side Inter Zaprešić. He made his debut for Dinamo in 2005 and his great performances earned him a move to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. He led Spurs to UEFA Champions League qualification in 2010, the club’s first qualification in almost 50 years. In the summer of 2012, Modrić joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee. In his second season, he won the 2013–14 Champions League title and was named in the squad of the season. After Zinedine Zidane took over Madrid in 2016, Modrić was a key member of Madrid’s three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015–16 to 2017–18, and was named into the squad of the season each time. In total, he has won 28 major trophies at Madrid, including six UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, and two Copa del Rey titles, making him the most decorated footballer in the club's history.^[8]

Modrić has won numerous individual awards, including the Ballon d'Or in 2018, making him the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since 2007, the Best FIFA Men's Player, and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award in 2018. He has also been named in the FIFPRO World 11 six times and in the UEFA Team of the Year three times. In 2019, he was awarded the Golden Foot award for career results and personality.

Modrić made his international debut for Croatia against Argentina in March 2006, and scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Italy. Modrić has anchored Croatia's "second Golden Generation", participating in every major tournament Croatia has qualified for, including every UEFA Euro from 2008 to 2024 as well as every FIFA World Cup from 2006 to 2022. At Euro 2008, he was named in the Team of the Tournament. Modrić led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. In March 2021, he became the country's most capped player. At the 2022 World Cup, he led the team to a third-place finish, winning the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third best player. He has also been named Croatian Footballer of the Year a record thirteen times between 2007 and 2024.

Early life

[edit]

Luka Modrić was born on 9 September 1985 in Zadar and was raised in the hamlet of Modrići, which is a part of Zaton Obrovački,^[9]^[10] a village situated on the southern slopes of the mountain Velebit, north of the city of Zadar in SR Croatia, then a republic within SFR Yugoslavia.^[11]^[12]^[13] He is the oldest child of Stipe Modrić from Modrići and Radojka Dopuđ from Kruševo near Obrovac, both of whom initially worked in a knitwear factory.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17] Modrić mostly spent his early years in the stone house where usually lived his paternal grandfather after whom he was named,^[9]^[18] located on the road above the hamlet of Modrići (this "upper house" was not owned by the family),^[19]^[20]^[21] and was shepherding goats as a five-year-old.^[22]^[23]^[24]

However, his childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence—in 1991, when the war escalated, his family were forced to flee the area.^[11] Modrić's grandfather Luka was executed by Serb rebels who were part of the police of SAO Krajina in December 1991 near his house in Modrići,^[11]^[13]^[25]^[26] and after the family fled, the house was burned to the ground.^[27]^[28] Modrić became a refugee and lived with his family in the Hotel Kolovare for seven years; he later moved to the Hotel Iž, both in Zadar.^[11]^[29]^[30] His father joined the Croatian Army as an aeromechanic.^[11]^[31] In those years, thousands of bombs fell on the city and football was a way to escape the reality of war.^[13] He recalls it as a tough time for his family and something which shaped him as a person.^[32]^[33]^[34] He also said he was mostly unaware of the war because he befriended many other children and their parents did not let it affect their childhood.^[16]

In these difficult circumstances, Modrić began playing football, mostly at the hotel parking lot.^[13] 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.^[11]^[29]^[16] As a boy he was inspired to play football by Zvonimir Boban and Francesco Totti.^[35]

Club career

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Supported by his family, Modrić participated in representative camps and trained in NK Zadar.^[11]^[16] He was under the tutelage of coach Domagoj Bašić and the head of the youth academy, Tomislav Bašić.^[11] Tomislav Bašić, considered by Modrić as his "sporting father",^[26]^[30] said Modrić's father made him wooden shin guards because they had little money.^[11]^[32]^[34] However, Modrić later denied the story.^[13] Due to being considered too young and light, he was not signed by Croatian powerhouse Hajduk Split, the most representative football club in the region of Dalmatia.^[11]^[16]^[36] After displaying some talent, including at a youth tournament in Italy,^[26] Tomislav Bašić arranged Modrić's move to Dinamo Zagreb when Modrić was a 16-year-old in late 2001.^[11]^[13]^[37] After a season with Dinamo Zagreb's youth side, Modrić was loaned in 2003 to Zrinjski Mostar in the Bosnian Premier League.^[11]^[26] During this period, he established his versatile style of play and became the Bosnian Premier League Player of the Year at only the age of 18.^[38] Modrić later said, "Someone who can play in the Bosnian Premier League can play anywhere," referring to its physical nature.^[38] The following year, he was loaned to Croatian side Inter Zaprešić. He spent one season there, helping the team to achieve second position in the Prva HNL^[26]^[39] and a place in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup. He also won the Croatian Football Hope of the Year award in 2004.^[38] He returned to Dinamo Zagreb in 2005.^[38]

Dinamo Zagreb

[edit]

In the 2005–06 season, Modrić signed a ten-year contract (his first long-term contract) with Dinamo Zagreb.^[38] With the contract's earnings, he bought a flat in Zadar for his family.^[13]^[26] He secured a place in Dinamo's first team, contributing 7 goals in 31 matches to help win the league.^[40] In the 2006–07 season, Dinamo again won the league, with Modrić making a similar contribution.^[40] He was the main provider for striker Eduardo,^[38] which helped Modrić win the Prva HNL Player of the Year award.^[3] The following season, Modrić as a team captain,^[41] led Dinamo's attempt to qualify for the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. In the final play-off stage, Modrić converted a penalty in the second and away fixture against Ajax; the match finished 1–1 after regular time. Dinamo won the match and play-off with a score of 3–2 after extra time with two goals from teammate Mario Mandžukić.^[42] However, Dinamo Zagreb failed to advance beyond the group stage. In his last home match with the club at Maksimir Stadium, Modrić was given a standing ovation and fans held up supportive banners.^[43]^[44] He finished his four-year tenure at Dinamo with a tally of over 31 goals and 29 assists in four league seasons,^[26]^[45] contributing most notably in the 2007–08 season when Dinamo won the second Croatian Cup and became champions by a 28-point margin.^[46] Modrić was courted by Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea, but opted to wait leaving the club.^[26]^[47]^[48]

Tottenham Hotspur

[edit]

2008–10: Struggle and success in England

[edit]

Modrić lining up for Tottenham Hotspur in August 2008

Modrić agreed to transfer terms with Tottenham Hotspur on 26 April 2008. He was the first of many summer signings for manager Juande Ramos, and was also the Premier League's first summer transfer.^[49] Club chairman Daniel Levy promptly flew to Zagreb when Manchester City and Newcastle United became interested,^[50]^[51] and after signing a six-year contract, Tottenham confirmed the transfer fee paid was £16.5 million, equalling the club's record fee set by Darren Bent's move in 2007.^[52] He got the number 14 jersey, later recalling that he wore it in honour of Johan Cruyff.^[53] Modrić made his competitive Premier League debut on 16 August in a 2–1 defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in Spurs' first match of the 2008–09 season.^[54]

Modrić had a slow start at Tottenham. He suffered from a knee injury early in his tenure and was labelled as a light-weight for the Premier League by sections of the media,^[37]^[33] as well as Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.^[55] Reflecting on that, Modrić said that such "critics push you forward to show people they are wrong. Maybe I look lightweight but I am a really strong person mentally and physically, and I never had any problems with my size".^[37] This coincided with his poor form, leading to concerns both for himself and Croatia national team head coach Slaven Bilić.^[55] Modrić spent his early days at the number 10 position, before being shifted to the left wing to play alongside Wilson Palacios.^[55] Spurs teammate Tom Huddlestone later said, "[H]is versatility was probably a blessing and a curse, he was that good that he had to play out of position for a bit."^[55]

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.^[56] Redknapp recognised Modrić's value to his side and planned to shape his new team around the Croatian playmaker. He 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.^[57] 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 Athletic on 2 January 2009, and in an away defeat against Manchester United on 25 April 2009.^[58] Using Modrić in his former position from his Dinamo days made him more effective with performances against Stoke City,^[59] Hull City,^[60] and most notably on 21 March when he scored the only goal in a win against Chelsea.^[61]

Before the 2009–10 season, Redknapp said of Modrić, "[He's] a hell of a player and a manager's dream, so I am told. He trains like a demon and never complains, will work with and without the ball on the field and can beat a defender with a trick or with a pass. He could get into any team in the top four".^[62] On 29 August 2009, during Tottenham's 2–1 win over Birmingham City, Modrić was taken off injured with a suspected calf injury.^[63] The following day, it was confirmed Modrić had sustained a fracture to his right fibula and was expected to be out for six weeks.^[64] He returned on 28 December in the London derby against West Ham United, which Spurs won 2–0 with an 11th-minute goal scored by Modrić using the leg he had broken.^[65] He again scored in a home win against Everton on 28 February 2010,^[66] and in an away defeat against Burnley on 9 May.^[67] On 30 May 2010, Modrić signed a new six-year contract that ran until 2016. Upon signing, he said, "Tottenham Hotspur gave me my chance in the Premier League and I want to go on to achieve great success here with them. Yes, there have been enquiries from other big clubs, but I have no interest in going anywhere. Last season's top-four finish was an indication of where we are as a club and I feel I can continue to improve and go on to achieve everything I want to at Spurs."^[68]

2010–12: Final seasons in England

[edit]

On 11 September 2010, Modrić scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season in a 1–1 away draw at West Bromwich Albion.^[69] On 28 November, in a home match against Liverpool, Modrić scored a goal that was later credited as an own goal by Martin Škrtel. After a draw against Manchester United at White Hart Lane in January 2011, Redknapp praised Modrić, saying, "He was unbelievable. Magnificent. He's an amazing footballer, the little man takes the ball in the tightest areas with people around him, wriggling out of situations. He could play in any team in the world."^[70] Modrić also scored in Tottenham's 3–2 victory over Stoke City on 9 April,^[71] and converted a penalty at Anfield on 15 May in a 2–0 victory over Liverpool.^[72] Modrić helped Tottenham reach their first involvement in the UEFA Champions League. In the first match, against Inter Milan at the San Siro on 20 October, he exited the match early due to injury; Spurs lost 4–3, despite the tremendous efforts of Gareth Bale.^[73] On the return match at home, on 2 November, Modrić was given too much space to move and dictate the tempo of the match. He created and assisted for the first goal by Rafael van der Vaart in a 3–1 victory.^[74]^[75] In the next match, against Werder Bremen, Modrić scored the second goal.^[76] After a scoreless draw against Milan,^[77] Spurs were eliminated from the competition in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid.^[78]

Modrić played 32 Premier League matches in the 2010–11 season, scoring three goals, recording two assists and making the highest average number of passes per match for Spurs with 62.5 and an accuracy rate of 87.4%.^[79] At the end of the season, Modrić was voted the Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year. Then-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he would have chosen Modrić as his Player of the Year for that season.^[80]

"I spent four great years there with a lot of emotions, with a lot of love from the club and the fans. I enjoyed every moment with Tottenham. But in one moment you feel you need to take a step forward, to go to a higher level. I think it was the right time for me to go, but I will always be thankful to Tottenham for everything they did for me. I became a better player there and they pushed me to this level where I am at the moment."

—Luka Modrić reflecting on the negotiations with Chelsea and the move to Real Madrid in February 2014.^[37]

In mid-2011, Modrić was heavily pursued by Tottenham's London rivals Chelsea, who made a first bid of £22 million, which they increased to £27 million, both of which were rejected by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.^[81]^[82] After the failed bids, Modrić announced he would welcome a move across London and that he had a "gentleman's agreement" with Levy the club would entertain offers from a "big club".^[83] Speculation continued throughout the summer transfer window, culminating in Modrić refusing to play in Tottenham's opening match of the 2011–12 season against Manchester United, which ended in a 3–0 loss.^[84] Modrić said his "head was not in the right place" as he continued to force a move to Chelsea.^[85] On the final day of the transfer window, Chelsea made an offer of £40 million that was again rejected.^[86]

After failing to secure a transfer, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp told Modrić to focus on his playing and named him as a starter.^[87] On 18 September, he scored his first goal of the season for Tottenham with a shot from 25 yd (23 m) in a 4–0 home win against Liverpool.^[88] On 14 January 2012, Modrić scored the only goal in a home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.^[89] On 31 January in a 3–1 win against Wigan Athletic, he assisted for the first goal with a crossfield pass and scored the second from 20 yd (18 m).^[90] For the third time that season, he was included in "Team of the Week".^[91] Modrić scored his last goal for Tottenham on 2 May in a 1–4 away win against Bolton Wanderers with a powerful volley from 25 yd (23 m).^[92]

Real Madrid

[edit]

2012–13: Becoming a starting eleven player in Real Madrid

[edit]

On 27 August 2012, Real Madrid announced they had agreed on a deal with Tottenham for an approximate £30 million transfer fee.^[93] Modrić signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club.^[93]^[94] 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 match, giving Modrić his first trophy with the club 36 hours after his signing was announced.^[95] Despite his positive debut, Modrić at first 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.^[37] The presence of veteran midfielders Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira in defensive midfield, and Özil in offensive midfield, usually kept Modrić out of the starting line-up, limiting him to substitute appearances. He mostly played out-of-position for his first few months at the club. He played his first UEFA Champions League match for Real Madrid in the group stage 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.^[96] His most notable match 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.^[97]^[98]^[99] At the end of the year he was voted as the worst signing of the season by Spanish newspaper Marca.^[100]

Modrić started in Real Madrid's home match against 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 match, which Real Madrid won 2–1, advancing them to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate.^[101]^[102]^[103] This match is often seen as the turning point in Modrić's career in Real Madrid.^[37] On 16 March, he replicated this performance against Mallorca, giving Real Madrid the lead with a long-range volley from 30 yd (27 m); Real Madrid won the match 5–2.^[104] Modrić played as a starter in both Champions League semi-final matches against Borussia Dortmund. In the first leg on 24 April, he played in the attacking midfield position where he did not influence the match and the team lost 4–1. On 30 April, in the second leg 2–0 victory, Modrić played as the deep-lying playmaker, making passes to the attackers and creating several chances; he was among the best-rated players that night.^[105]^[106]^[107] 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.^[108]

2013–15: Best midfielder in Spain and La Décima

[edit]

"He's the head of midfield in a complicated environment. Every day in Madrid pressure is coming at you from all sides. Modrić not only withstands the pressure but has grown among it to be Madrid's best player, with [Cristiano] Ronaldo."

—Predrag Mijatović praises Modrić's rising performance and significance for the team in January 2014.^[109]

With the arrival of new manager Carlo Ancelotti, Modrić became one of the most frequent starters in the team, being partnered in midfield with Xabi Alonso to provide a balance of defence and attack.^[110]^[111] 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.^[37]^[55]^[110] He scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season in the last Champions League group match against Copenhagen, making it his fifth goal for the club, all five of which were scored from the outside the penalty area.^[112] Modrić scored his first goal of the Liga season in a 3–0 away win against Getafe, his sixth goal outside the penalty area.^[113] Modrić was on the pitch when Real Madrid won the 2013–14 Copa del Rey after defeating Barcelona 2–1 in the final.^[114]

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 appearance for the club,^[115] 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.^[116] He was included in UEFA's Team of the Week for both legs of the semi-final.^[117]^[118] On 24 May in the final, Modrić again assisted from a corner for teammate Sergio Ramos, who scored a 93rd-minute equaliser 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 (lit. 'the Tenth').^[119] He was included in the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season^[120] and received the LFP award for the "Best Midfielder" of the Spanish first division for that season.^[121]

In August 2014, Modrić signed a new contract to stay at Real Madrid until 2018.^[122] With the departure of Alonso he was partnered with newly arrived Toni Kroos.^[123] Real Madrid began the 2014–15 season by winning the UEFA Super Cup over Sevilla^[124] Modrić assisted twice for Bale, first against Real Sociedad in La Liga,^[125] and second against Basel in the Champions League.^[126]^[127] In the 2–0 away win against Villarreal, Modrić scored his seventh goal from outside of the box.^[128]

In late November, Modrić sustained a thigh injury during an international match against Italy, because of which he did not play for three months.^[129] He returned in early March 2015, starting in seven matches and proving his form.^[130] On 21 April, in the 3–1 home win against Málaga, he strained ligaments in his right knee, because of which he did not play until May.^[131]^[132]^[133] With his injury, Real Madrid's 22-match winning run in the season came to an end. His absence and the lack of a quality substitute were seen as the main cause of Real Madrid's failure to win matches in La Liga and the Champions League.^[134] Ancelotti said, "Modrić has missed most of the year and this has hurt us."^[135] Modrić's influence was recognised and he was selected by professional players in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.^[136]

2015–17: Among the world's best players and La Undécima and Duodécima

[edit]

For the 2015–16 season, Carlo Ancelotti was replaced by Rafael Benítez under whom Modrić continued to be a key midfield player.^[137]^[138] He sustained a muscular groin injury during an international match against Bulgaria in October, initially suggesting an absence of two-to-three weeks.^[139] However, by 20 October, he had recovered in time for the match against Paris Saint-Germain.^[140]

With the arrival of new manager Zinedine Zidane in January 2016,^[141] the relationship between them was noted in the media, with Modrić described as "master of the game",^[137]^[142] and the crucial "connector" of the defence and attack.^[143] It was seen in the first three matches, wins against Deportivo La Coruña and Sporting Gijón and a draw against Real Betis, in which Modrić was praised for creating chances, his positioning and overall performance and influence.^[137]^[143]^[144] On 7 February, Modrić scored a winning goal from outside the box in a 1–2 away win against Granada.^[145] Modrić was a regular in the starting line-up when the team won the 2015–16 Champions League in the final against Atlético.^[146] He was included in both Champions League,^[147] and La Liga's team of the season.^[148] For the second time, he also received the LFP award for the "Best Midfielder" of the Spanish first league.^[149] He was for the second time included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.^[150]

On 18 October 2016, Modrić signed a new contract with Real Madrid, keeping him at the club until 2020.^[151] Due to injury of a left knee sustained in mid-September, he missed eight matches, returning early November.^[152] On 18 December, he won the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid, receiving the Silver Ball for his performances during the tournament.^[153] In January 2017, for the first time was included in the UEFA Team of the Year (2016).^[154] On 12 March 2017, in a 2–1 win over Real Betis, Modrić played his 200th match for Real Madrid.^[155]

Modrić was a regular starter when Real Madrid won the 2016–17 La Liga,^[156]^[157] as well as the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, where he provided the assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal in the final against Juventus.^[158] Modrić was included in Champions League team of the season^[159] and became the first Croatian to win the Champions League three times.^[160] He also received the UEFA Club Football award for Best Midfielder of the Champions League season.^[161] In the competition for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, he came fourth,^[162] while for 2017 Ballon d'Or, fifth.^[163] For the third time, he was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.^[164]

2017–18: Ballon d'Or and third consecutive Champions League title

[edit]

With the departure of James Rodríguez to Bayern Munich, Modrić inherited the team's coveted number 10 jersey for the new 2017–18 season, replacing his previous number 19 jersey.^[165] In December, he won the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid and received the Golden Ball award as the best player of the competition for his performance.^[166] His first goal of the season came in a 7–1 win over Deportivo de La Coruña on 21 January 2018.^[167] In the same month was for the second time included in the UEFA Team of the Year (2017).^[168] Modrić was a regular starter when Real Madrid won the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, starting in the final victory against Liverpool which saw Madrid win their third consecutive title.^[169] For his performances throughout the campaign, Modrić was included in Champions League team of the season for the third consecutive time.^[170] He later received the UEFA Club Football Award for Best Midfielder of the Champions League season for the second consecutive time.^[171]

Due to his club, and national team performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he also received the Golden Ball,^[172] in August and September Modrić won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award and The Best FIFA Men's Player Award,^[173]^[174] while in December, he added the Ballon d'Or to his personal tally,^[175] marking the first time since 2007 that the award was not won by Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.^[175]^[176]^[177] Furthermore, besides becoming the first Croatian player to win these awards,^[178] Modrić was the first player to win both the World Cup Golden Ball and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award in the same year since Ronaldo in 1998,^[179] and the World Cup Golden Ball and the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award after Romário in 1994.^[180] Additionally, he is the first player to win the awards from the former Yugoslavia territory, the first footballer from Eastern Europe to win a Ballon d'Or after Andriy Shevchenko in 2004,^[181]^[182] and the tenth player from Real Madrid to capture the trophy.^[183] Furthermore, winning the trophy triggered a clause in his contract, ensuring his stay at the club until 2021.^[184] He was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI for the fourth time,^[185] and won the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award.^[186]

After receiving the FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award, Modrić stated it "shows that we all can become the best with hard work, dedication, and belief, all dreams can come true".^[187] Modrić dedicated the Ballon d'Or to "all the players who probably deserved to win it and didn't" in the past decade, including Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Wesley Sneijder among others.^[175]

2018–21: Two-time champion of Spain

[edit]

The arrival of new manager Julen Lopetegui in August 2018 saw Modrić given a steady return to the first team as a substitute due to his lack of pre-season training after the 2018 World Cup.^[188]^[189] This included a substitute appearance in his team's 2–4 loss after extra time against Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup.^[190] His first start of the season came on 1 September in a 4–1 home win against Leganés, in which he assisted his side's third goal, scored by Karim Benzema.^[191] His 100th appearance in the UEFA club competition came on 19 September in a 3–0 home win against Roma,^[22] in which he assisted the second goal, scored by Gareth Bale.^[192] On 22 December, Modrić won his third FIFA Club World Cup, scoring the first goal and assisting for the third in the final against Al Ain.^[193] On 13 and 19 January 2019, Modrić for the first time scored in two consecutive league games for Real Madrid, in a 1–2 away win against Real Betis and 2–0 home win against Sevilla.^[194]^[195] In the same month was included in the UEFA Team of the Year (2018) for the third time in his career.^[196] From 27 February to 5 March, Modrić went through what he described as "the most difficult week of his football life,"^[197] with Real Madrid losing to Barcelona twice and Ajax and crashing out of Copa del Rey, title race and the Champions League, respectively.^[198]^[199]^[200] Despite having had an underwhelming season,^[201] for the fifth consecutive time he was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.^[202]

On 27 August 2019 was the seventh anniversary of Modrić's signing with the club.^[203] Although raising doubts due to age of 34 and decision to continue playing with the national team which makes him prone to injuries,^[204] Modrić stated that wants to "recapture his best form this season".^[201] His first goal of the season came on 5 October in a 4–2 home victory against Granada.^[205] On 12 November was awarded with a Golden Foot award.^[206] On 23 November he made two assists and scored a goal in a 3–1 home victory against Real Sociedad.^[207] On 8 January 2020, Modrić with trivela scored his fifth goal of the season and 100th career goal in a 3–1 victory against Valencia in the semi-finals of 2019–20 Supercopa de España.^[208] On 12 January he successfully converted a penalty in a shootout as Real Madrid beat Atlético 4–1 on penalties in the final.^[209] Following the continuation of La Liga after a three-month suspension due to COVID-19 pandemic, Modrić was praised for being one of Real Madrid's best players despite his age, resulting in numerous media outlets wondering about prolongation of his contract with the club.^[210] On 16 July, he assisted Benzema's opening goal in a 2–1 victory over Villarreal, as Real Madrid secured the league title.^[211]^[212]

On 21 October 2020, he scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a Champions League 3–2 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk.^[213] The goal made him the fourth player in the history of the club to score in the competition aged 35 or more, alongside Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Francisco Gento.^[214] It was named the Goal of the Week by UEFA.^[215] Three days later, he came off the bench to score with trivela his first ever Clásico goal, as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3–1.^[216]^[217] On 25 May 2021, he extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2022.^[218]^[219]

2021–present: Fourth La Liga, sixth Champions League, second Copa del Rey title and captaincy

[edit]

On 24 October 2021 of 2021–22 season, Modrić played his 400th game for Real Madrid in a 2–1 Clásico victory.^[220] On 30 October, Modrić captained Real Madrid for the first time and assisted for the winning goal, after Marcelo had given him the armband upon being substituted off in the 2–1 victory over Elche.^[221]^[222] On 7 December 2021, he played his 100th Champions League game and was named Man of the Match in a 2–0 victory over Inter Milan.^[223] On 16 January 2022, he scored the first goal in the 2022 Supercopa de España Final and was named Man of the Match, as Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2–0.^[224] The goal made him the oldest goalscorer in the history of the competition.^[225] On 5 March, Modrić assisted and scored from outside of the box in a 4–1 victory over Real Socidedad.^[226] On 6 and 12 April, Modrić assisted in both legs of Champions League quarter-finals 5–4 aggregate victory against Chelsea. Praised for attacking and defensive performances in both games,^[227]^[228]^[229] because of a long-range trivela assist for Rodrygo in the crucial moment of the second leg was named Man of the Match as well as voted Player of the Week by UEFA.^[230]^[231] His assist to Rodrygo has been called the "pass of the decade" by Ally McCoist,^[232] and as "absolutely perfect, and it was just gorgeous to watch" by Thierry Henry.^[233] He was a regular starter on 30 April when Real Madrid won their 35th and his 3rd Spanish title,^[234] on 4 May when Real Madrid won in extra time in the second leg against Manchester City, and on 28 May when he won his 5th title in the final of Champions League.^[235]^[236] For the sixth time in his career, he was included in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season.^[237] On 8 June 2022, he renewed his contract until 2023.^[238]

On 20 August 2022, Modrić landed his first goal and assist of the season in a 4–1 away victory over Celta Vigo in a La Liga fixture.^[239] On 6 September he scored in his first Champions League game of the season in a 3–0 away victory against Celtic, becoming the eighth Real Madrid player with 100 appearances in the competition.^[240]^[241] On 11 September, he became the third Real Madrid player after Puskás and Francisco Buyo to play 100 games while over 35 years of age.^[242]^[243] In February 2023, Modrić was included for the sixth time in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.^[244] On 6 May, he played as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 win over Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final, to achieve his second trophy in that tournament.^[245] In June, he extended his contract until 2024.^[246]

During the 2023–24 season, with the departure of Benzema, Modrić became vice-captain of the team,^[247] but also started to receive less playing time in the starting eleven due to change in formation and competition with younger players like Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Dani Ceballos.^[248]^[249]^[250] On 28 October, Modrić came on as a second-half substitute and made his 500th appearance for Real Madrid in all competitions in a 2–1 away win against Barcelona, to which he contributed with an assist to the last-minute winning goal by Bellingham.^[251] On 27 November, in a 3–0 away win against Cádiz, Modrić set the record for most club appearances after 35 years old, with 161 appearances, breaking the previous record he held with Paco Buyo.^[252] On 30 April 2024, Modrić came on as a late substitute in the first match of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich and, at the age of 38 years and 234 days, broke the record for the oldest Real Madrid player to make an appearance in the tournament, beating Puskás by five days.^[253] A few days later, on 4 May, he became the oldest player to feature in La Liga for Real Madrid, at the age of 38 years and 238 days, breaking another record of Puskás, in a 3–0 win against Cádiz.^[254] Furthermore, he clinched his fourth La Liga title with Real Madrid following that victory, thus matching Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Nacho's record as the club's most decorated player with 25 trophies.^[255] He extended his record with his 26th trophy in the Champions League final, following a 2–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund, same as for Nacho.^[256] He also became the first player to win six finals in the competition, along with Dani Carvajal.^[257]

On 17 July 2024, Modrić extended his contract until 2025 and became captain of the team following the departure of Nacho.^[258]^[259] A month later, on 14 August, he achieved his fifth Super Cup trophy following a 2–0 victory over Atalanta, becoming the lone most decorated player in the club's history with 27 titles.^[260] On 19 October, he became the oldest player to feature in a competitive match for Real Madrid in a 2–1 away victory over Celta Vigo, aged 39 years and 40 days, surpassing previous record of Puskás in 1966.^[261]^[262] Later that year, on 18 December, he clinched his record-extending 28th title with the club following a 3–0 victory over Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.^[263]

On 3 January 2025, he scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season during a 2–1 away victory over Valencia, in which he became the oldest player to score for Real Madrid in all competitions, aged 39 years and 116 days, surpassing Ferenc Puskás's record set in 1966.^[264]^[265] Additionally, he made his 561st appearance for the club, joining the top ten on Real Madrid's all-time appearances list, equaling the records of both Pirri and Míchel.^[264] On 23 February, he was named Man of the Match and scored a half-volley goal from 25 meters during a 2–0 away win over Girona.^[266]^[267]^[268]

International career

[edit]

Modrić began his international career at youth level, playing for the Croatian under-15, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 teams.^[38] He debuted in March 2001 for the under-15 team coached by Martin Novoselac, but nevertheless his talent and psychological maturity, he did not become a regular starter and leading player until physically strengthened and debuted for under-18. Novoselac considers him as a model for all young players because is a result of a gradual and continuous work and effort, as well as talent.^[269] Modrić made his full international debut for Croatia on 1 March 2006 in a friendly match against Argentina in Basel, which Croatia won 3–2.^[38]

2006–2008: First major tournaments

[edit]

Modrić made two appearances at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals as a substitute in the group fixtures against Japan^[270] and Australia.^[271] With the appointment of new manager Slaven Bilić, Modrić earned greater recognition at international level; he scored his first goal in Croatia's 2–0 friendly win over world champions Italy on 16 August 2006 in Livorno.^[272]

Modrić's performances ensured a regular place in the international side and he gave a successful showing in Croatia's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, which included home and away victories against England.^[273]^[274] As a young midfielder, much was expected of Modrić; he was often dubbed "the Croatian Cruyff".^[48]^[275] Modrić scored Croatia's first goal of Euro 2008, converting a penalty in the fourth minute of their 1–0 victory against hosts Austria on 8 June 2008 and becoming the team's youngest ever goalscorer at the European Championships (aged 22 years and 273 days).^[276]^[277] It was also the fastest penalty ever awarded and scored in the European Championships history.^[278] He continued to impress at the tournament and was named UEFA Man of the Match in Croatia's next match when they defeated one of the pre-tournament favourites and eventual finalists Germany.^[279] In the quarter-final against Turkey, Modrić took advantage of a mistake by veteran Turkish goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber, and crossed to teammate Ivan Klasnić for the first goal of the match with one minute of extra time remaining, but Semih Şentürk almost immediately equalised for Turkey. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Modrić's kick was off-target and he failed to score the first penalty and Turkey won the shootout 3–1.^[280] At the end of the competition, Modrić was included in the UEFA Team of the Tournament, becoming only the second Croatian to achieve this honour after Davor Šuker.^[281]

2008–2016: Subsequent struggles

[edit]

In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Modrić scored three goals, against Kazakhstan,^[282] Andorra,^[283] and Ukraine;^[284] matching Ivica Olić, Ivan Rakitić and Eduardo. The team failed to qualify finishing one point behind second-placed Ukraine. After appearing in all of their UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches and scoring a goal against Israel,^[285] Modrić started in all three of Croatia group stage matches against the Republic of Ireland, Italy and Spain, but the team failed to progress. His most notable performance was against Spain. The most memorable moment of the match came when Modrić picked the ball on the halfway line skipping Spain's midfield trio, rushing down on the right to reach the penalty area where he evaded a defender and with a trivela crossed from 18 yd (16 m) to Ivan Rakitić, but Iker Casillas saved this attempt.^[286]^[287] Because Croatia did not advance from the group stage, Modrić was not included in the Team of the Tournament, although The Daily Telegraph included him in the best 11 until the semi-finals,^[288] and his play was well received by critics.^[289]^[290]

After the playoffs, Modrić with the Croatian team qualified for the 2014 World Cup. They entered Group A with hosts Brazil, Mexico and Cameroon. Croatia played the opening match against Brazil, which they lost 3–1,^[291] and Modrić sustained a minor foot injury.^[292]^[293] In the second match, Croatia won 4–0 against Cameroon,^[294] but did not progress to the knockout stage after losing 3–1 to Mexico,^[295] despite the great expectations from the Croatian press and public.^[296]

In the Euro 2016 qualifying rounds, Modrić scored his first goals for Croatia in three years, the first against Malta on his 29th birthday with a long-range shot,^[297] then a penalty against Azerbaijan.^[298] On 3 March 2015, Modrić captained Croatia for the first time, in an away draw against Azerbaijan.^[299] In the tournament proper, Modrić scored the match-winning goal in Croatia's opening group stage match against Turkey, a volley from 25 metres (28 yards).^[300] In so doing, he became the first Croatian to score at the finals of two separate European Championships, having previously scored against Austria in 2008.^[301] He was named Man of the Match.^[300] Modrić was forced to miss the crucial fixture against Spain on 21 June because of a minor muscle injury.^[302]^[303] However, Croatia won and topped the group,^[304] but lost to Portugal 0–1 in extra-time in the round of 16.^[305]

2016–2018: Golden Ball of the 2018 World Cup

[edit]

For Croatia's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, Modrić became the new team captain, following Darijo Srna's retirement.^[306] Croatia started the campaign well; however, following 1–0 defeats to Iceland^[307] and Turkey^[308] and a 1–1 draw with Finland (in which Modrić made his 100th appearance for the national team),^[309]^[310] Croatia seriously compromised their qualification for the tournament.^[311]^[312] This caused Modrić to publicly state his lack of confidence in coach Ante Čačić.^[313]^[314]^[315] Čačić was soon replaced by Zlatko Dalić ahead of Croatia's final qualifier against Ukraine away,^[316] which Croatia won 2–0 and won a place in the play-offs.^[317] Modrić scored a penalty in the 4–1 victory over Greece in the second qualifying round,^[318] enabling his team to qualify for the World Cup.

Croatia were placed in Group D alongside Argentina, Iceland and Nigeria. During the tournament, Modrić—along with Ivan Rakitić and Mario Mandžukić—were referred to as Croatia's second "Golden Generation".^[319]^[320] In Croatia's opening win against Nigeria, Modrić once again successfully executed a penalty kick and was named Man of the Match.^[321]^[322] He also scored in Croatia's subsequent 3–0 win over Argentina with a long-range shot from 25 yards (23 metres),^[323] also being named Man of the Match.^[324]^[325] After also featuring in the final group stage match, against Iceland, his performances in the first round of the tournament saw him ranked by FourFourTwo, The Daily Telegraph and ESPN as the best player of the group stage.^[326]^[327]^[328]

In the round of 16 against Denmark on 1 July, with the score tied at 1–1, Modrić created a goalscoring opportunity for Ante Rebić in the second half of extra-time, who was brought down in the penalty area; Modrić proceeded to take the penalty, but his strike was saved by Kasper Schmeichel. However, Modrić managed to score his spot-kick during the ensuing penalty shoot-out and Croatia advanced to the next round following a 3–2 victory on penalties.^[329]^[330]^[331] In the quarter-finals against hosts Russia on 7 July, Modrić provided an assist in extra-time for Domagoj Vida from a corner kick, and once again scored in the victorious penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw; he was named Man of the Match for the third time in the tournament.^[332]^[333] In the semi-final against England on 11 July, Croatia advanced to the World Cup final for the first time in their history following a 2–1 victory in extra time.^[334] It was reported two days before the final match that Modrić ran the most miles out of any player and was third by created chances, as well had most dribbles per match and completed passes in the opponent's half in his team.^[335] Although Croatia were beaten 4–2 by France in the final on 15 July,^[336] Modrić was awarded the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament,^[172] and was included in the Team of the Tournament.^[337]^[338] After the squad's huge welcome in Zagreb,^[339] Modrić and his teammates Danijel Subašić, Šime Vrsaljko and Dominik Livaković were welcomed by tens of thousands of people in their hometown of Zadar.^[340]

Modrić took part in all four matches in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League as Croatia finished at the bottom of Group A4 following historical 6–0 away defeat to Spain in September and a 2–1 defeat to England at the Wembley Stadium in November 2018.^[341]^[342]

2019–2022: Bronze Ball of the 2022 World Cup

[edit]

During the Euro 2020 qualifying rounds, Modrić scored two goals; a penalty in the away 1–1 draw with Azerbaijan and a solo-effort in the home 3–0 victory over Hungary as Croatia topped the group and qualified for the tournament.^[343]^[344] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed for a year.^[345] On 24 March 2021, Modrić made his 134th appearance for the national team in a 1–0 2022 World Cup qualifying defeat to Slovenia, equalling Darijo Srna as the most capped player in the history of the team.^[346] Three days later, in a 1–0 World Cup qualifying victory over Cyprus, he surpassed Srna's record.^[347]^[348]

Modrić was selected to the final squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 on 17 May.^[349] Despite Croatia's poor showings in their first two group stage games, Modrić was named the Man of the Match in the second one, a 1–1 draw with the Czech Republic on 18 June.^[350] Four days later, in the 3–1 victory over Scotland, with a trivela he scored Croatia's second goal and provided Ivan Perišić with an assist for the third goal as Croatia progressed to the round of 16.^[351] Modrić's goal made him Croatia's oldest ever goalscorer at the European Championships (aged 35 years and 286 days), while simultaneously holding the record for the youngest goalscorer that he set in 2008.^[277]

During the 2022 World Cup qualifying, Modrić scored three times and assisted twice in seven appearances.^[352] On 13 June 2022, he scored a penalty in a 1–0 away win over France in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A, to be Croatia's first ever win against the latter.^[353] On 25 September, he scored opening goal in the last group's game and 3–1 away victory against Austria,^[354] helping the team advance to the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals.^[355] On 9 November, Modrić was selected to Croatia's final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.^[356] In the first and third group stage games against Morocco and Belgium, he was named the Man of the Match.^[357] He became the first player to play in both the European Championship and the World Cup in three different decades.^[358] In the round of 16 and quarter-finals, Croatia advanced on penalties against Japan and Brazil, with Modrić scoring in the shoot-out against Brazil,^[359]^[360] and captaining Croatia to a second consecutive World Cup semi-final where they lost 3–0 to Argentina. In the third place play-off,^[361] Croatia prevailed 2–1 over Morocco,^[362]^[363] as Modrić won the Bronze Ball.^[364]

2023: Euro 2024 qualifying and Nations League finals

[edit]

On 25 March 2023, in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Wales, Modrić became the oldest ever player to play a game for Croatia―aged 37 years, 6 months and 16 days―surpassing Dražen Ladić's record set in 1999.^[365]

On 14 June 2023, Modrić was widely praised for his performance as he led Croatia to victory over Netherlands (4–2, a.e.t.) at the De Kuip in Rotterdam, in the semi-finals of the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals.^[366] In the match, Modrić won a penalty being brought down by Cody Gakpo, which was converted by Andrej Kramarić. As the game went to extra time, he assisted Bruno Petković for the winner and closed the win scoring a penalty himself. Modrić was subsequently named Man of the match.^[367]^[368]^[369]^[370] Modrić finished second place as Croatia eventually lost to Spain 5–4 on penalties in the final, one of which he scored, following a 0–0 draw after extra time.^[371]

2024: Euro 2024

[edit]

On 20 May 2024, Modrić was included in the final squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.^[372] He became one of only three players to feature in five European Championships.^[373] In the last group stage match against Italy, he had his penalty saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but scored a goal a minute later, becoming the oldest goalscorer at the European competition and overpassing Ivica Vastić for 32 days.^[374] However, he was awarded player of the match, despite a stoppage-time equalizer from Mattia Zaccagni that resulted in a 1–1 draw, which eliminated his team from the tournament.^[375]

Player profile

[edit]

Style of play

[edit]

"Not only is he a very hard worker, he has a good brain and he provided some calmness and composure to the midfield. His passing was neat and his contribution was outstanding. He was not only winning the ball, he was passing well. We thought that he was very influential. He did not just work hard, he made the other people play well around him".

–Gérard Houllier, UEFA Technical Team^[279]

A diminutive and technically gifted midfielder, Modrić is typically deployed as a creative playmaker and sets the tempo of the match by controlling possession from the middle of the pitch. He has been widely applauded by many footballing pundits, managers, and fellow players for his swift passing and long range shots, both often in the style of the trivela technique, as well as his composure and ability to evade tackles under pressure.^[376]^[377]^[55]^[378]^[379]^[380] He is also noted for his tactical intelligence and versatility in both attack and defence, as well as his vision, interpretation of space, and work rate.^[381] A former attacking midfielder, Modrić is considered a veteran of the "pre-assist" or build-up play, often creating space and time for his teammates to shoot or deliver goal-bound passes to other players.^[382]^[383]^[384]^[385] He is also effective at taking set pieces, particularly corners or wide free kicks.^[386]

Modrić has been integral to the success of both Real Madrid and the Croatia national team, having won numerous individual honours for his contributions to club and country.^[135]^[387] His playstyle has earned him several nicknames as dubbed by the media and fandom, including "the midfield maestro", "the magician", "the puppet master", among others.^[388]^[382]^[389]^[390]^[391]^[392]

Position

[edit]

Modrić's complex game has brought him consistent success in the clubs for which he has played. Initially a trequartista or attacking midfielder at Dinamo Zagreb and in his early career at Tottenham, in the 2010–11 season he flourished in a central midfield role as a deep-lying playmaker (regista) who conducts the attack and creates chances for teammates.^[393] Afterwards, Modrić acknowledged the role that Harry Redknapp played in shaping of deep-lying his style, saying that dropping back enabled him "to read the game better" and show his full "creativity".^[394] Although a central midfielder, Modrić is also a hard-working player who has been seen to adopt a defensive midfield role in addition to playmaking, tracking back to win the ball from the opposition and prepare for a counter-attack, making him one of the most versatile players in the world, capable of playing in several midfield positions.^[395]^[396] According to Jonathan Wilson, in a 4–2–3–1 system Modrić is a third type of a holding midfielder, being "neither entirely destructive or creative", but a "carrier" who – courtesy of his dribbling ability and attacking drive – is "capable of making late runs or carrying the ball at his feet", but in his case "with a hint of regista".^[397]^[398]^[399] As such, his role has also been likened to that of a mezzala, in Italian football jargon, namely an offensive–minded box-to-box or central midfielder.^[385]

The switch to a more deep-lying position reduced his number of assists and goals, as well as his shot per game count (1.2), although his game was no longer based on being a goal threat; despite this, he had the second-highest count of key passes per game (2.06) in the team, as well as a very high pass accuracy rate (87%), with the highest passes per game count (62.5) in the team, the most long balls per game (5.6), the most successful dribbles (2.2), interceptions (2.5), and the highest tackle (1.9) count per game among others, high statistics which placed him amongst the top midfielders of the Premier League.^[393]^[400] By the 2011–12 season statistically he was among the top-rated central and all-round midfielders across the top five leagues, alongside players like Xabi Alonso, Andrea Pirlo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xavi.^[401]^[402]

Upon Modrić's arrival to Real Madrid, his midfield position was described as numbers six (defensive), eight (central) or ten (attacking), depending on the tactics,^[403] and his role was described as the second deep-lying pivot alongside Xabi Alonso in the 2012–13 season, a classic deep-lying playmaker whose creativity was needed to dictate his team's play and unlock the opposing defence.^[404]^[405] In the first half of the 2013–14 season, during which he formed an effective central midfield partnership with Alonso and Ángel Di María, Modrić made more tackles (56) than any other Real Madrid player in La Liga with an average number of 2.86 tackles per match, as well as making the most completed passes (878) in the opposition half of the pitch among Real Madrid players, with the highest passing accuracy in La Liga (90%) (also the highest of any midfielder in Europe's top five leagues who have made five or more assists during the season).^[37] In the 2014–15 season, with the arrival of Toni Kroos, Real Madrid no longer had an effective and natural ball-winner alongside their playmakers in midfield, while the team possessed many attackers. Therefore, in addition to producing the highest count of passes (60.7–64.7) and key passes per match (0.8–1.2) within the team, both Modrić and Kroos had more defensive responsibility to set the rhythm of the team's gameplay in midfield and orchestrate counterattacks.^[123]^[406] Modrić's average passing accuracy during the season was between 91.6 and 92%, while his highest completion rate in a single match occurred in October against Barcelona when he completed all 42 attempted passes.^[407] For all of 2014, Modrić's dribble attempts (75) at a success rate of 76% were second in Europe's top five leagues.^[408] During the 2015–16 season, although he placed only 12th in terms of chances created, almost all players above him were either forwards or attacking midfielders with no defensive responsibilities.^[383]

Reception

[edit]

Modrić is widely regarded as one of the best and most well-rounded and effective midfielders of all time.^[409]^[410]^[411]^[412]^[6] According to Jonathan Wilson, what sets Modrić apart from traditional playmakers is his simultaneous focus on defensive and attacking duties.^[413]^[414] Due to his footballing intelligence, skill and fairplay he was compared to Paul Scholes,^[415]^[416] Xavi, Andrés Iniesta,^[417] and Andrea Pirlo.^[418]^[419]^[420] In his youth, he had also been compared to Johan Cruyff,^[48]^[275] while his main influences were compatriot Zvonimir Boban and Italian playmaker Francesco Totti.^[35]

He has been praised for being an essential part of his team's wins, especially in the most important tournaments. For example, his performance against PSG in leg two of the round of 16 in the UCL in 2022 was called one of the "most imperious midfielder performances".^[421] He was praised for his touch, playmaking skills, passing, defense and vision, with his efforts being essential to Real Madrid's win.^[421] Another match in which he gained praise, was in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where Modrić provided another standout performance to help Croatia beat favorites Brazil in the quarterfinals.^[422]^[423]

He has been consistently praised by some of the sport's most experienced managers, including Johan Cruyff,^[424] Alex Ferguson,^[415] Pep Guardiola,^[425] and Sven-Göran Eriksson among others.^[426] From those who managed him, José Mourinho said he wanted Modrić in Real Madrid because of his influence on the game, tactical level and because he has "that artistic sense".^[403] Carlo Ancelotti praised Modrić's technique and versatility making him "one of the best midfielders in the world right now, because he can play in more than one position".^[427]^[428] Zinedine Zidane included him in his best XI currently playing the game,^[429] and in 2016 predicted that Modrić would win Ballon d'Or.^[53] Slaven Bilić said Modrić "is a player who makes others better, they all benefit from him being in the team. He's not selfish, he's playing for the team ... he's a complete player; good in defence, good in offence—it looks like he was born with the ball at his feet".^[55]

Modrić is unanimously considered the greatest Croatian footballer of all time by his fellow countrymen, including people like Robert Prosinečki and Davor Šuker.^[50]^[430]^[431]^[432] Predrag Mijatović considered him as the best footballer in the history of the Balkans,^[433] while Andrés Iniesta, Andriy Shevchenko, Rio Ferdinand, Jan Oblak, and others called him one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game.^[434]^[435]^[436]^[437]

It is considered that his international recognition helped in nation branding of Croatia, place branding of Zadar and further recognition of Croatia national football team under his captaincy.^[438]^[439]

Investments

[edit]

Aside from playing football, Modrić became an investor and minority co-owner of Welsh football club Swansea City, having joined the club's ownership group in April 2025.^[440]^[441]

Personal life

[edit]

Modrić married Vanja Bosnić in May 2010 in the Croatian capital Zagreb in a private ceremony after four years of dating,^[442] and a year later in the Catholic Church.^[443] They have three children.^[444]^[445]^[446]^[447] Modrić is a cousin of Australian footballer Mark Viduka,^[448] and the godfather of Mateo Kovačić's son Ivan.^[449] Modrić generally maintains a low profile outside of football.^[37]^[450]

In late 2019, Modrić released his autobiography Moja igra (My Game), co-written by prominent Croatian-Italian sports journalist Robert Matteoni.^[451]^[452] Particular emphasis in autobiography was placed on Modrić's childhood, growing up in war conditions and development of a football career, with fundamental topics being football, family and friends.^[453]

Produced by Fulwell 73, FIFA released Captains in 2022, an eight-part sports docuseries following six national team captains in their respective 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.^[454] Modrić, representing Croatia, starred in the first season alongside five other international footballers. It was released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+.^[455]

Legal issues

[edit]

In March 2018, in an embezzlement and tax evasion trial against the former Dinamo Zagreb executive, Zdravko Mamić, Modrić was called as a witness.^[456] Throughout the mid-late 2000s, Modrić signed multiple contracts with Mamić to play at Dinamo Zagreb.^[457]^[458] Modrić annexed most of his Tottenham transfer fee to Mamić because he was the broker of the move and gave Modrić financial backing early on in his career.^[459]^[460] Despite stating in 2017 that he signed the annexe clause of the contract ten years earlier, in his testimony he stated that he signed it in 2004, the year of his first contract. Modrić was charged with perjury for stating that he annexed his fee at an earlier date than he allegedly had.^[456] Facing the judge, he said, "I came here to state my defence and tell the truth, like every time so far. My conscience is clear".^[458]^[461] The Croatian Football Federation stood behind Modrić,^[458] but a part of the Croatian public, frustrated with the corruption in Croatian football, perceived the alleged perjury as a defence of Mamić and became critical of Modrić.^[462]^[463]^[464] Some international news outlets praised him for dealing with the stress of his legal situation while performing with the Croatian team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.^[465] In October and December 2018, the perjury charge was rejected by the Croatian courts.^[466]^[467]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]

As of match played 26 April 2025^[468]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup^[a]		League cup^[b]		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Dinamo Zagreb	2003–04	Prva HNL	0	0	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	2004–05	Prva HNL	7	0	1	0	—		—		—		8	0
	2005–06	Prva HNL	32	7	1	0	—		—		—		33	7
	2006–07	Prva HNL	30	6	7	1	—		6^[c]	0	1^[d]	1	44	8
	2007–08	Prva HNL	25	13	8	1	—		12^[e]	3	—		45	17
	Total		94	26	17	2	—		18	3	1	1	130	32
Zrinjski Mostar (loan)	2003–04	Bosnian Premier League	25	8	—		—		—		—		25	8
Inter Zaprešić (loan)	2004–05	Prva HNL	18	4	—		—		—		—		18	4
Tottenham Hotspur	2008–09	Premier League	34	3	2	1	4	0	4^[f]	1	—		44	5
	2009–10	Premier League	25	3	7	0	0	0	—		—		32	3
	2010–11	Premier League	32	3	2	0	0	0	9^[g]	1	—		43	4
	2011–12	Premier League	36	4	3	0	0	0	2^[h]	1	—		41	5
	Total		127	13	14	1	4	0	15	3	—		160	17
Real Madrid	2012–13	La Liga	33	3	8	0	—		11^[g]	1	1^[i]	0	53	4
	2013–14	La Liga	34	1	6	0	—		11^[g]	1	—		51	2
	2014–15	La Liga	16	1	0	0	—		6^[g]	0	3^[j]	0	25	1
	2015–16	La Liga	32	2	0	0	—		12^[g]	1	—		44	3
	2016–17	La Liga	25	1	2	0	—		11^[g]	0	3^[k]	0	41	1
	2017–18	La Liga	26	1	2	0	—		11^[g]	1	4^[l]	0	43	2
	2018–19	La Liga	34	3	3	0	—		6^[g]	0	3^[m]	1	46	4
	2019–20	La Liga	31	3	1	0	—		6^[g]	1	2^[i]	1	40	5
	2020–21	La Liga	35	5	0	0	—		12^[g]	1	1^[i]	0	48	6
	2021–22	La Liga	28	2	2	0	—		13^[g]	0	2^[i]	1	45	3
	2022–23	La Liga	33	4	4	0	—		10^[g]	2	5^[n]	0	52	6
	2023–24	La Liga	32	2	1	0	—		11^[g]	0	2^[i]	0	46	2
	2024–25	La Liga	30	2	5	2	—		14^[g]	0	3^[o]	0	52	4
	Total		389	30	34	2	—		134	8	29	3	586	43
Career total			653	81	65	5	4	0	167	14	30	4	919	104

^ Includes Croatian Cup, FA Cup, Copa del Rey
^ Includes Football League Cup
^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Cup
^ Appearance in Croatian Super Cup
^ Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Cup
^ Appearances in UEFA Cup
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
^ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup
^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
^ One appearance in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup
^ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
^ One appearance in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup

International

[edit]

As of match played 23 March 2025^[40]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Croatia	2006	12	2
	2007	10	1
	2008	11	3
	2009	3	1
	2010	8	0
	2011	9	1
	2012	9	0
	2013	10	0
	2014	11	2
	2015	4	0
	2016	8	1
	2017	8	1
	2018	15	2
	2019	9	2
	2020	6	0
	2021	13	4
	2022	16	3
	2023	10	1
	2024	12	3
	2025	2	0
Total		186	27

As of match played 23 March 2025

Croatia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Modrić goal.^[468]

List of international goals scored by Luka Modrić
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 August 2006	Stadio Armando Picchi, Livorno, Italy	8	Italy	2–0	2–0	Friendly
2	7 October 2006	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	10	Andorra	7–0	7–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3	7 February 2007	Stadion Kantrida, Rijeka, Croatia	13	Norway	2–0	2–1	Friendly
4	8 June 2008	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	27	Austria	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008
5	6 September 2008	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	30	Kazakhstan	2–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	15 October 2008	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	33	Andorra	3–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	6 June 2009	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	35	Ukraine	2–2	2–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	6 September 2011	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	49	Israel	1–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
9	9 September 2014	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	80	Malta	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
10	13 October 2014	Stadion Gradski vrt, Osijek, Croatia	82	Azerbaijan	5–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
11	12 June 2016	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	91	Turkey	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2016
12	9 November 2017	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	102	Greece	1–0	4–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	16 June 2018	Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad, Russia	107	Nigeria	2–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup
14	21 June 2018	Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia	108	Argentina	2–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup
15	9 September 2019	Bakcell Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan	124	Azerbaijan	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
16	10 October 2019	Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia	125	Hungary	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
17	30 March 2021	Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia	136	Malta	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
18	22 June 2021	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	141	Scotland	2–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2020
19	11 October 2021	Stadion Gradski vrt, Osijek, Croatia	144	Slovakia	2–2	2–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
20	11 November 2021	National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	145	Malta	4–1	7–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
21	29 March 2022	Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar	148	Bulgaria	1–1	2–1	Friendly
22	13 June 2022	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	152	France	1–0	1–0	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
23	25 September 2022	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	154	Austria	1–0	3–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
24	14 June 2023	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	165	Netherlands	4–2	4–2 (a.e.t.)	2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
25	8 June 2024	Estádio Nacional, Oeiras, Portugal	175	Portugal	1–0	2–1	Friendly
26	24 June 2024	Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany	178	Italy	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2024
27	8 September 2024	Opus Arena, Osijek, Croatia	180	Poland	1–0	1–0	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A

Honours

[edit]

Dinamo Zagreb^[3]

Real Madrid^[3]

La Liga: 2016–17, 2019–20,^[469] 2021–22,^[470] 2023–24^[471]
Copa del Rey: 2013–14, 2022–23^[472]
Supercopa de España: 2012, 2017, 2020,^[473] 2022,^[474] 2024^[475]
UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22,^[476] 2023–24^[477]
UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022,^[478] 2024^[479]
FIFA Club World Cup: 2014,^[480] 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022^[481]
FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024^[482]

Croatia

FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018;^[336] third place: 2022^[362]
UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2022–23

Individual

Bosnian Premier League Player of the Year: 2003
Best Croatian U-21 player: 2004^[483]
Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2004
Croatian Footballer of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021,^[484] 2022,^[485] 2023,^[486] 2024^[487]
HNL's Footballer of the Year: 2007
Prva HNL Player of the Year: 2007
SN Yellow Shirt Award: 2007–08
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2008
Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year: 2010–11
IFFHS World Team of the Decade: 2011–2020^[488]
IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade: 2011–2020^[489]
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2013–14,^[120] 2015–16,^[147] 2016–17,^[159] 2017–18,^[170] 2020–21^[490]
UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2021–22^[237]
La Liga's Best Midfielder: 2013–14,^[491] 2015–16^[149]
Football Oscar for Best Croatian Player: 2013,^[492] 2014,^[493] 2015,^[494] 2016,^[495] 2017,^[496] 2018,^[497] 2019,^[498] 2020,^[499] 2021,^[500] 2022,^[501] 2023^[502]
FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2015,^[136] 2016,^[150] 2017,^[164] 2018,^[185] 2019^[202] 2022^[244]
La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16,^[148] 2021–22,^[503] 2022–23^[504]
UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16^[505]
FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2016^[153]
ESPN Midfielder of the Year: 2016,^[506] 2017,^[507] 2018^[508]
UEFA Team of the Year: 2016,^[154] 2017,^[168] 2018^[196]
UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season: 2016–17,^[161] 2017–18^[171]
IFFHS Men's World Team: 2017,^[509] 2018,^[510] 2022^[511]
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2017^[166]
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2018^[172]
FIFA World Cup Fantasy Team: 2018^[338]
FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2018^[337]
UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award: 2017–18^[173]
The Best FIFA Men's Player: 2018^[174]
IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 2018^[186]
Goal 50: 2017–18^[512]
Ballon d'Or: 2018^[175]
World Soccer Player of the Year: 2018^[513]
The Guardian Best Footballer in the World: 2018^[514]
AIPS Athlete of the Year: 2018^[515]
Dongqiudi Player of the Year: 2018^[516]
HNS Trophy for Best Croatian Player: 2018^[517]
HOO Sportsman of the Year: 2018^[518]
SN Sportsman of the Year: 2018,^[519] 2022^[520]
Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport – Yearly Award: 2018^[521]
Honorary citizen of the city of Zadar (2018)^[522]^[523] and Zadar County (2019)^[524]
City of Zadar Award: 2018^[523]
Golden Foot: 2019^[206]
Real Madrid Player of the Season: 2020–21^[525]
ESM Team of the Year: 2021–22^[526]
Marca Leyenda Award: 2022^[527]
FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball: 2022^[364]
FIFA World Series ACUD Cup: 2024 Best Player^[528]

Orders

Order of Duke Branimir: 2018^[529]
Charter of the Republic of Croatia: 2024^[530]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Croatia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 290. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Player Profile". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
^ "Lȗka". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018. Lȗka
^ "mȍdar". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018. Módrić
^ ^a ^b
- Tweedale, Alistair (17 September 2014). "Modest Modric Madrid's Superstar in the Shadows". WhoScored.Com. Retrieved 16 June 2018. "It is fair to say with Xavi's decline Modric is now ahead of him in the pecking order, and he, Kroos, Cesc Fàbregas and Andrea Pirlo are now arguably the best technical central midfielders on the planet at present, and some might even say that Modric is, or could soon be, leading the pack."
- Maw, James (2 December 2014). "'Ice cold' Luka Modric now Real Madrid's second most important Galactico. FourFourTwo. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- Balseiro, Jesús (29 May 2016). "Madrid season player review". Diario AS. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- Marcotti, Gabriele (14 November 2016). "Real Madrid star Luka Modric is ranked as the best central midfielder". ESPN FC. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Bidwell, Nick (11 March 2017). "Europe's best midfielder? Luka Modric biography". World Soccer. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Ronay, Barney (12 May 2017). "All hail Luka Modric, the maestro who makes Real Madrid's superstars tick". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Madu, Zito (3 June 2017). "Luka Modrić was the most important player in Real Madrid's run to back-to-back Champions League titles". SB Nation. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Kalvapalle, Rahul (4 June 2017). "Magisterial Modric leaves Juventus chasing shadows". Marca. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- Burton, Chris. (6 October 2017). "Luka Modric one of the best midfielder ever". Goal.com. Retrieved 16 June 2018. "Croatian playmaker Modric is yet to earn similar acclaim, amid a Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi duopoly of top individual awards, but his undoubted quality is not lost on those in Madrid and around the world."
- Sherman, Justin. (19 October 2017) "The making of Luka Modric from war-torn Croatia to the world's best midfielder". The Football Times. Retrieved 16 June 2018
- Buskulic, Ante; Tironi, Hrvoje Tironi. (18 November 2017). "How Luka Modric went from rejected youth player to the best midfielder in the world". Goal.com. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Cartlidge, David. (15 December 2017). "FourFourTwo's 100 Best Football Players in the World 2017: No.6, Luka Modric". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- Brown, Euan (22 June 2018). "Luka Modric: It's time to give him a seat at the elite table". UK Blasting News. Retrieved 1 July 2018. "It's about time [Luka Modric] was recognised as one of the game's all-time greats".
- Nakrani, Sachin. (30 June 2018). "Luka Modric: the unassuming genius driving Croatia’s tilt at the World Cup". The Observer. Retrieved 1 July 2018
- Lea, Greg (13 June 2019). "Ranked! The 15 best central midfielders in the world". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- N/A (26 July 2019). "Ranked! The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years: full list" (#19). FourFourTwo. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- 90min Staff (20 January 2020). "Luka Modric: The Most Dominant Midfielder of His Generation". 90min.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- HS, Shreyas (12 February 2021). "10 greatest midfielders of all time". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- Doyle, Mark; Garganese, Carlo (13 November 2021). "Modric, Xavi, Pirlo and the top 20 central midfielders in history". Goal.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- Mackenzie, Alasdair (8 April 2022). "Ranked! The 100 best players of the 21st Century" (#14). FourFourTwo. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- White, Mark (2022-present). "Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time" (#29). FourFourTwo. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- N/A (23 July 2024). "Ranking the top 25 men's soccer players of the 21st century" (#5). ESPN. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- N/A (9 December 2024). "The 50 Greatest Soccer Players of All Time" (#49). Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
^
- Grim, David (22 November 2011). "The 10 Most Important Croatian Soccer Players of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- Moallim, Mohamed (29 December 2017). "Luka Modric is the best Croatian player in history". Squawka. Retrieved 1 July 2018. "There is no way of looking at this in which he (Modric) doesn't deserve the title as the best [Croatian] in history".
- Douglas, Steve (29 June 2018). "Modric the best Croatian player ever". The Fresno Bee. "Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic says teammate Luka Modric plays football "from a different planet" and is the best to have ever played for their national team".
- Associated Press (29 June 2018). "Modric From 'Different Planet', Says Rakitic". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2018. "The technically gifted Prosinecki has long been seen as Croatia's all-time best player, but even he has recently said Modric surpasses him... "If Robert Prosinecki said that, it has to be true because nobody knows about football more than Prosinecki. And I would agree with him completely," Rakitic said. "Not only that Luka is the best player ever, but he is a great person, a leader and we are following him".
- Delač, Hrvoje (11 July 2018). "The Real Madrid legend talks to Modrić every day: He is the best in the history of the Balkans"" (in Croatian). Večernji list. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- (13 July 2018). "Didulica hails Luka Modric as Croatia's greatest player: "He's like your little kid brother"". Diario AS. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- Cvijanović, Marko (24 August 2018). "Šuker: Luka Modrić is the greatest Croatian footballer of all time!" (in Croatian). Zadarski list. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- Pranggon, Hassan Mehedi (13 December 2022) "Luka Modrić: In a legendary league of his own". SB Nation. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- Hancock, Tom (14 August 2024). "The best Croatian players ever" (#1). FourFourTwo. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
^ Thomas, Mark (19 December 2024). "Luka Modrić Leads Real Madrid to Intercontinental Glory, Secures Record 28th Trophy". The Dubrovnik Times. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
^ ^a ^b Azpitarte & Puertas 2016, p. 20.
^ Čop 2014, p. 15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "Kako je stvaran Luka Modrić" [Development of Luka Modrić] (in Croatian). Nogometni-magazin. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
^ Orlić, Alen (26 May 2014). "Filmska Priča Put od Zatona Obrovačkog do europskog trona... Modrić je dokaz da je sve moguće" [Film story path from Zaton Obrovački to the European throne... Modrić is proof that anything is possible] (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Holiga, Aleksandar (4 October 2012). "Real Madrid's Luka Modric: from Balkan warzone to the Bernabéu". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ Azpitarte & Puertas 2016, p. 17, 20, 22.
^ "Otac Luke Modrića serviser zrakoplova HRZ-a" [Father of Luka Modrić service aircraft of the Croatian Air Force] (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. 14 August 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Sinovčić, Dean (14 August 2006). "Nogometna zvijezda iz obitelji prognanika" [Football star from family of exiles]. Nacional (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
^ Radoš, Ivica (9 March 2013). "Luka Modrić, odrastanje i karijera" [Luka Modrić, rising up and career]. Večernji list (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^ Čop 2014, p. 16.
^ Modrić & Matteoni 2020, p. 5–6:Kvartirić, Croatia. A small stone house by the side of the road, the last one before the rocky slopes of the Velebit mountains. Six and a half kilometres from my parents' home in Zaton Obrovački. This house was the centre of my little world until 1991, when we had to run away. This is where my father's parents lived: Grandpa Luka and Grandma Jela. My grandfather was a road mender, who maintained the old state road that connected Dalmatia and Lika, the coast and the mountains of Croatia. My grandmother was a housekeeper, a hardworking and modest woman. The house they lived in was owned by the road maintenance company, but back then I knew it only as my grandparents' home. We called it the 'upper house'. I never met my other grandfather, Petar, my mothers's father. He died before I was born. His wife, Grandma Manda, still lives in Obrovac. My parents worked at Trio Clothes Factory in Obrovac, four kilometres from our house. That's where they met.
^ Lowe, Sid (9 September 2020). "Luka Modric: 'Things that aren't nice happen in war but I don't have hate'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
^ Z., N. (26 January 2020). "Luka Modrić: "To bi moral biti najsrečnejši trenutek v moji karieri, a ni bil."". Metropolitan (in Slovenian). Ljubljana, Slovenia. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b Elvir Islamović (18 September 2018). "How brilliant is Madrid and Croatia's Luka Modrić?". UEFA. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018. Ahead of the 2018 World Cup final, video footage emerged of the five-year-old Modrić shepherding goats in Croatia's Velebit mountains.
^ Hugo Cerezo (24 September 2018). "Luka Modric: Miracle of the shepherd boy who rose to the top of the world". Marca. Spain. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
^ Mark Taylor (14 July 2018). "Incredible Footage Emerges Of Croatia Star Luka Modric As A Six Year Old Herding Goats With A Stick". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
^ Ivana Jakelić, Frane Šarić (30 June 2014). "Bivše milicajce u Srbiji će ispitati i o likvidaciji djeda Luke Modrića" [Former policemen in Serbia will be examined for the liquidation of grandfather of the Luka Modrić] (in Croatian). Večernji list. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Justin Sherman (9 October 2017). "The making of Luka Modrić from war-torn Croatia to the world's best midfielder". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Azpitarte & Puertas 2016, p. 21–22.
^ Karlo Ledinski (3 June 2017). "Četnici su Luki Modriću ubili djeda i zapalili kuću" [Chetniks killed grandfather of Luka Modrić and burned his house] (in Croatian). Večernji list. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Modrić će nositi broj 19, donosimo biografiju dječaka iz Obrovca" [Modrić will wear number 19, we bring the biography of a boy from Obrovac] (in Croatian). Portal Boboska. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
^ ^a ^b Cerezo, Hugo (9 July 2017). "Luka Modric's Beverly Hills". Marca. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ Azpitarte & Puertas 2016, p. 22.
^ ^a ^b Nathanson, Patrick (6 November 2008). "Luka Modric's return to Dinamo Zagreb with Tottenham revives tough childhood memories". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b Smith, Alan (19 December 2008). "Luka Modric puts war years behind him at Spurs". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
^ ^a ^b Castro, Juan (29 June 2012). "The boy with the wooden shin pads". Marca. Spain. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b Redondo, Alba (27 August 2012). "Modric: "I'm ready to play against Barcelona"". Marca. Spain. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
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^ "Modrić named Cinco Estrellas Mahou Player of the Season". Real Madrid CF. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
^ Rainbow, Jamie (13 June 2022). ESM Team of the Season – 2021–22. Retrieved 21 June 2022. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ "'I'll end my career at Real' – Modric wins Marca Legend Award". Eurosport. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
^ "Instagram".
^ "News: President Decorates Croatian National Football Team Players and Coaching Staff". Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2018. the Order of Prince Branimir with Ribbon was awarded to Mr. Luka Modrić...
^ "Milanović odlikovao Vatrene: Srcu odvažnost, u misli domovina". sport.hrt.hr (in Croatian). Croatian Radio Television (HRT).

Further reading

[edit]

Biography

Čop, Goran (2014). Luka Modrić: životna i sportska biografija (in Croatian). Profil knjiga. ISBN 9789533133263.
Azpitarte, Vicente; Puertas, José Manuel (2016). Luka Modric: El hijo de la guerra (in Spanish). Al Poste Ediciones. ISBN 978-84-15726-61-6.

Autobiography

Modrić, Luka; Matteoni, Robert (2019). Moja igra: autobiografija (in Croatian). Corto Literary. ISBN 978-953-48750-0-1.
Modrić, Luka; Matteoni, Robert (2020). Luka Modric: Official Autobiography. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472977946.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luka Modrić.

Profile at Real Madrid CF
Luka Modrić – La Liga profile
Luka Modrić at Soccerway
Luka Modrić at BDFutbol
Luka Modrić – UEFA competition record (archive)
Luka Modrić – FIFA competition record (archived)
Luka Modrić at Soccerbase
Luka Modrić at National-Football-Teams.com
Luka Modrić at the Croatian Football Federation
Luka Modrić at Premier League

v t e Real Madrid CF – current squad
1 Courtois 2 Carvajal 3 Militão 4 Alaba 5 Bellingham 6 Camavinga 7 Vinícius Jr. 8 Valverde 9 Mbappé 10 Modrić (c) 11 Rodrygo 13 Lunin 14 Tchouaméni 15 Güler 16 Endrick 17 Vázquez 18 Vallejo 19 Ceballos 20 García 21 Brahim 22 Rüdiger 23 Mendy 35 Asencio Head coach: Ancelotti

Croatia squads

v t e Croatia squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Pletikosa 2 Srna 3 Šimunić 4 R. Kovač 5 Tudor 6 Vranješ 7 Šimić 8 Babić 9 Pršo 10 N. Kovač (c) 11 Tokić 12 Didulica 13 Tomas 14 Modrić 15 I. Leko 16 J. Leko 17 Klasnić 18 Olić 19 N. Kranjčar 20 Šerić 21 Balaban 22 Bošnjak 23 Butina Coach: Z. Kranjčar

v t e Croatia squad – UEFA Euro 2008
1 Pletikosa 2 Šimić 3 Šimunić 4 R. Kovač 5 Ćorluka 6 Vejić 7 Rakitić 8 Vukojević 9 Kalinić 10 N. Kovač (c) 11 Srna 12 Galinović 13 Pokrivač 14 Modrić 15 Knežević 16 Leko 17 Klasnić 18 Olić 19 Kranjčar 20 Budan 21 Petrić 22 Pranjić 23 Runje Coach: Bilić

v t e Croatia squad – UEFA Euro 2012
1 Pletikosa 2 Strinić 3 Šimunić 4 Buljat 5 Ćorluka 6 Pranjić 7 Rakitić 8 Vukojević 9 Jelavić 10 Modrić 11 Srna (c) 12 Kelava 13 Schildenfeld 14 Badelj 15 Vrsaljko 16 Dujmović 17 Mandžukić 18 Kalinić 19 Kranjčar 20 Perišić 21 Vida 22 Eduardo 23 Subašić Coach: Bilić

v t e Croatia squad – 2014 FIFA World Cup
1 Pletikosa 2 Vrsaljko 3 Pranjić 4 Perišić 5 Ćorluka 6 Lovren 7 Rakitić 8 Vukojević 9 Jelavić 10 Modrić 11 Srna (c) 12 Zelenika 13 Schildenfeld 14 Brozović 15 Badelj 16 Rebić 17 Mandžukić 18 Olić 19 Sammir 20 Kovačić 21 Vida 22 Eduardo 23 Subašić Coach: Kovač

v t e Croatia squad – UEFA Euro 2016
1 Vargić 2 Vrsaljko 3 Strinić 4 Perišić 5 Ćorluka 6 Jedvaj 7 Rakitić 8 Kovačić 9 Kramarić 10 Modrić 11 Srna (c) 12 L. Kalinić 13 Schildenfeld 14 Brozović 15 Ćorić 16 N. Kalinić 17 Mandžukić 18 Rog 19 Badelj 20 Pjaca 21 Vida 22 Čop 23 Subašić Coach: Čačić

v t e Croatia squad – 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up
1 Livaković 2 Vrsaljko 3 Strinić 4 Perišić 5 Ćorluka 6 Lovren 7 Rakitić 8 Kovačić 9 Kramarić 10 Modrić (c) 11 Brozović 12 L. Kalinić 13 Jedvaj 14 Bradarić 15 Ćaleta-Car 16 N. Kalinić 17 Mandžukić 18 Rebić 19 Badelj 20 Pjaca 21 Vida 22 Pivarić 23 Subašić Coach: Dalić

v t e Croatia squad – UEFA Euro 2020
1 Livaković 2 Vrsaljko 3 Barišić 4 Perišić 5 Ćaleta-Car 6 Lovren 7 Brekalo 8 Kovačić 9 Kramarić 10 Modrić (c) 11 Brozović 12 Kalinić 13 Vlašić 14 Budimir 15 Pašalić 16 Škorić 17 Rebić 18 Oršić 19 Badelj 20 Petković 21 Vida 22 Juranović 23 Sluga 24 Bradarić 25 Gvardiol 26 Ivanušec Coach: Dalić

v t e Croatia squad – 2022 FIFA World Cup third place
1 Livaković 2 Stanišić 3 Barišić 4 Perišić 5 Erlić 6 Lovren 7 Majer 8 Kovačić 9 Kramarić 10 Modrić (c) 11 Brozović 12 Grbić 13 Vlašić 14 Livaja 15 Pašalić 16 Petković 17 Budimir 18 Oršić 19 Sosa 20 Gvardiol 21 Vida 22 Juranović 23 Ivušić 24 Šutalo 25 Sučić 26 Jakić Coach: Dalić

v t e Croatia squad – UEFA Euro 2024
1 Livaković 2 Stanišić 3 Pongračić 4 Gvardiol 5 Erlić 6 Šutalo 7 Majer 8 Kovačić 9 Kramarić 10 Modrić (c) 11 Brozović 12 Labrović 13 Vlašić 14 Perišić 15 Mario Pašalić 16 Budimir 17 Petković 18 Ivanušec 19 Sosa 20 Pjaca 21 Vida 22 Juranović 23 Ivušić 24 Marco Pašalić 25 Sučić 26 Baturina Coach: Dalić

Awards

2018 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament

Statistical Team

Goalkeeper	Thibaut Courtois
Defenders	Raphaël Varane Andreas Granqvist Thiago Silva Yerry Mina
Midfielders	Luka Modrić Denis Cheryshev Philippe Coutinho
Forwards	Eden Hazard Harry Kane Antoine Griezmann

Fans' Team

Goalkeeper	Thibaut Courtois
Defenders	Raphaël Varane Diego Godín Thiago Silva Marcelo
Midfielders	Luka Modrić Kevin De Bruyne Philippe Coutinho
Forwards	Cristiano Ronaldo Harry Kane Kylian Mbappé

v t e UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament
Goalkeepers	Gianluigi Buffon Iker Casillas Edwin van der Sar
Defenders	José Bosingwa Philipp Lahm Carlos Marchena Pepe Carles Puyol Yuri Zhirkov
Midfielders	Hamit Altıntop Michael Ballack Cesc Fàbregas Andrés Iniesta Luka Modrić Lukas Podolski Marcos Senna Wesley Sneijder Xavi Konstantin Zyryanov
Forwards	Andrey Arshavin Roman Pavlyuchenko Fernando Torres David Villa

2015 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

Goalkeeper	Manuel Neuer
Defenders	Dani Alves Marcelo Sergio Ramos Thiago Silva
Midfielders	Andrés Iniesta Luka Modrić Paul Pogba
Forwards	Lionel Messi Neymar Cristiano Ronaldo

2016 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

Goalkeeper	Manuel Neuer
Defenders	Dani Alves Marcelo Gerard Piqué Sergio Ramos
Midfielders	Andrés Iniesta Toni Kroos Luka Modrić
Forwards	Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo Luis Suárez

2017 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

Goalkeeper	Gianluigi Buffon
Defenders	Dani Alves Leonardo Bonucci Marcelo Sergio Ramos
Midfielders	Andrés Iniesta Toni Kroos Luka Modrić
Forwards	Lionel Messi Neymar Cristiano Ronaldo

2018 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

Goalkeeper	David De Gea
Defenders	Dani Alves Marcelo Sergio Ramos Raphaël Varane
Midfielders	Eden Hazard N'Golo Kanté Luka Modrić
Forwards	Kylian Mbappé Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo

2019 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

Goalkeeper	Alisson
Defenders	Matthijs de Ligt Marcelo Sergio Ramos Virgil van Dijk
Midfielders	Frenkie de Jong Eden Hazard Luka Modrić
Forwards	Kylian Mbappé Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo

2022 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

Goalkeeper	Thibaut Courtois
Defenders	João Cancelo Achraf Hakimi Virgil van Dijk
Midfielders	Casemiro Kevin De Bruyne Luka Modrić
Forwards	Karim Benzema Erling Haaland Kylian Mbappé Lionel Messi

v t e Ballon d'Or
France Football magazine award
Ballon d'Or (1956–2009)	1956: Matthews 1957: Di Stéfano 1958: Kopa 1959: Di Stéfano 1960: Suárez 1961: Sívori 1962: Masopust 1963: Yashin 1964: Law 1965: Eusébio 1966: Charlton 1967: Albert 1968: Best 1969: Rivera 1970: Müller 1971: Cruyff 1972: Beckenbauer 1973: Cruyff 1974: Cruyff 1975: Blokhin 1976: Beckenbauer 1977: Simonsen 1978: Keegan 1979: Keegan 1980: Rummenigge 1981: Rummenigge 1982: Rossi 1983: Platini 1984: Platini 1985: Platini 1986: Belanov 1987: Gullit 1988: van Basten 1989: van Basten 1990: Matthäus 1991: Papin 1992: van Basten 1993: Baggio 1994: Stoichkov 1995: Weah 1996: Sammer 1997: Ronaldo 1998: Zidane 1999: Rivaldo 2000: Figo 2001: Owen 2002: Ronaldo 2003: Nedvěd 2004: Shevchenko 2005: Ronaldinho 2006: Cannavaro 2007: Kaká 2008: C. Ronaldo 2009: Messi
FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015)	2010: Messi 2011: Messi 2012: Messi 2013: C. Ronaldo 2014: C. Ronaldo 2015: Messi
Ballon d'Or (2016–present)	2016: C. Ronaldo 2017: C. Ronaldo 2018: Modrić 2019: Messi 2020: not awarded 2021: Messi 2022: Benzema 2023: Messi 2024: Rodri
Ballon d'Or additional awards (Ballon d'Or Féminin, Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, Gerd Müller Trophy, Sócrates Award, Super Ballon d'Or, Ballon d'Or Dream Team) Related awards (French Player of the Year, FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015), FIFA World Player of the Year (1991–2009), The Best FIFA Men's Player)

v t e The Best FIFA Men's Player
FIFA World Player of the Year	1991: Matthäus 1992: Van Basten 1993: Baggio 1994: Romário 1995: Weah 1996: Ronaldo 1997: Ronaldo 1998: Zidane 1999: Rivaldo 2000: Zidane 2001: Figo 2002: Ronaldo 2003: Zidane 2004: Ronaldinho 2005: Ronaldinho 2006: Cannavaro 2007: Kaká 2008: C. Ronaldo 2009: Messi
FIFA Ballon d'Or	2010: Messi 2011: Messi 2012: Messi 2013: C. Ronaldo 2014: C. Ronaldo 2015: Messi
The Best FIFA Men's Player	2016: C. Ronaldo 2017: C. Ronaldo 2018: Modrić 2019: Messi 2020: Lewandowski 2021: Lewandowski 2022: Messi 2023: Messi 2024: Vinícius
See also: Ballon d'Or

v t e UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award
UEFA Best Player in Europe	2010–11: Messi 2011–12: Iniesta 2012–13: Ribéry 2013–14: Ronaldo 2014–15: Messi 2015–16: Ronaldo
UEFA Men's Player of the Year	2016–17: Ronaldo 2017–18: Modrić 2018–19: Van Dijk 2019–20: Lewandowski 2020–21: Jorginho 2021–22: Benzema 2022–23: Haaland

Croatian Footballer of the Year

1991: Boban
1992: Šuker
1993: Bokšić
1994: Šuker
1995: Šuker
1996: Šuker
1997: Prosinečki / Šuker
1998: Šuker
1999: Boban
2000: Bjelica
2001: Tudor
2002: Pletikosa
2003: Pršo
2004: Pršo
2005: Pršo
2006: Eduardo
2007: Modrić
2008: Modrić
2009: Olić
2010: Olić
2011: Modrić
2012: Mandžukić
2013: Mandžukić
2014: Modrić
2015: Rakitić
2016: Modrić
2017: Modrić
2018: Modrić
2019: Modrić
2020: Modrić
2021: Modrić
2022: Modrić
2023: Modrić
2024: Modrić

v t e Croatian Football Hope of the Year
1995: Šimić 1996: Vučko 1997: Marić 1998: Vranješ 1999: Šokota 2000: Lovrek 2001: Olić 2002: Kranjčar 2003: Ljubojević 2004: Modrić 2005: Benko 2006: Rukavina 2007: Kalinić 2008: Tomasov 2009: Badelj 2010: Vrsaljko 2011: Kovačić 2012: Andrijašević 2013: Rebić 2014: Jedvaj 2015: Ćorić 2016: Benković 2017: Majer 2018–2023: not selected

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Player of the Year

1987: Mabbutt
1988: Waddle
1989: Thorstvedt
1990: Gascoigne
1991: Allen
1992: Lineker
1993: Anderton
1994: Klinsmann
1995: Sheringham
1996: Campbell
1997: Campbell
1998: Ginola
1999: Carr
2000: Carr
2001: Sullivan
2002: Davies
2003: Keane
2004: Defoe
2005: Award not given
2005–06: Keane
2006–07: Berbatov
2007–08: Keane
2008–09: Lennon
2009–10: Dawson
2010–11: Modrić
2011–12: Parker
2012–13: Bale
2013–14: Eriksen
2014–15: Kane
2015–16: Alderweireld
2016–17: Eriksen
2017–18: Vertonghen
2018–19: Son
2019–20: Son
2020–21: Kane
2021–22: Son
2022–23: Kane
2023–24: Van de Ven

v t e FIFA Club World Cup / FIFA Intercontinental Cup Golden Ball
FIFA Club World Cup	2000: Edílson 2005: Rogério Ceni 2006: Deco 2007: Kaká 2008: Rooney 2009: Messi 2010: Eto'o 2011: Messi 2012: Cássio 2013: Ribéry 2014: Ramos 2015: Suárez 2016: Ronaldo 2017: Modrić 2018: Bale 2019: Salah 2020: Lewandowski 2021: Thiago Silva 2022: Vinícius Jr. 2023: Rodri
FIFA Intercontinental Cup	2024: Vinícius Jr.

v t e Golden Foot
2003: Baggio 2004: Nedvěd 2005: Shevchenko 2006: Ronaldo 2007: Del Piero 2008: Roberto Carlos 2009: Ronaldinho 2010: Totti 2011: Giggs 2012: Ibrahimović 2013: Drogba 2014: Iniesta 2015: Eto'o 2016: Buffon 2017: Casillas 2018: Cavani 2019: Modrić 2020: C. Ronaldo 2021: Salah 2022: Lewandowski 2023: not awarded 2024: Martínez

v t e UEFA Men's Club Football Awards
Best Goalkeeper	1997–98: Schmeichel 1998–99: Kahn 1999–2000: Kahn 2000–01: Kahn 2001–02: Kahn 2002–03: Buffon 2003–04: Baía 2004–05: Čech 2005–06: Lehmann 2006–07: Čech 2007–08: Čech 2008–09: Van der Sar 2009–10: Júlio César 2010–16: Not awarded 2016–17: Buffon 2017–18: Navas 2018–19: Alisson 2019–20: Neuer 2020–21: Mendy
Best Defender	1997–98: Hierro 1998–99: Stam 1999–2000: Stam 2000–01: Ayala 2001–02: Roberto Carlos 2002–03: Roberto Carlos 2003–04: Carvalho 2004–05: Terry 2005–06: Puyol 2006–07: Maldini 2007–08: Terry 2008–09: Terry 2009–10: Maicon 2010–16: Not awarded 2016–17: Ramos 2017–18: Ramos 2018–19: Van Dijk 2019–20: Kimmich 2020–21: Dias
Best Midfielder	1997–98: Zidane 1998–99: Beckham 1999–2000: Mendieta 2000–01: Mendieta 2001–02: Ballack 2002–03: Nedvěd 2003–04: Deco 2004–05: Kaká 2005–06: Deco 2006–07: Seedorf 2007–08: Lampard 2008–09: Xavi 2009–10: Sneijder 2010–16: Not awarded 2016–17: Modrić 2017–18: Modrić 2018–19: De Jong 2019–20: De Bruyne 2020–21: Kanté
Best Forward	1997–98: Ronaldo 1998–99: Shevchenko 1999–2000: Raúl 2000–01: Raúl 2001–02: Raúl 2002–03: Van Nistelrooy 2003–04: Morientes 2004–05: Ronaldinho 2005–06: Eto'o 2006–07: Kaká 2007–08: C. Ronaldo 2008–09: Messi 2009–10: Milito 2010–16: Not awarded 2016–17: C. Ronaldo 2017–18: C. Ronaldo 2018–19: Messi 2019–20: Lewandowski 2020–21: Haaland

v t e La Liga Defensive Midfielder of the Year / Best Midfielder – LFP Awards
2009: Xavi 2010: Xavi 2011: Xavi 2012: Alonso 2013: Illarramendi 2014: Modrić 2015: Rodríguez 2016: Modrić 2017: Kroos 2018: Kroos 2019: Parejo 2020: Casemiro 2021: Casemiro

SN Yellow Shirt Award

1992: Vučević
1993: Vlaović
1994: Mladenović
1995: Špehar
1996: Cvitanović
1997: Cvitanović
1998: Bazina
1999: Mumlek
2000: Bošnjak
2001: Balaban
2002: Olić
2003: Olić
2004: Kranjčar
2005: Bartolović
2006: Eduardo
2007: Eduardo
2008: Modrić
2009: Mandžukić
2010: Ibričić
2011: Krstanović
2012: Sharbini
2013: Benko
2014: Čop
2015: Boban
2016: Sušić
2017: Andrijašević
2018: Héber
2019: Caktaš
2020: Čolak
2021: Miérez
2022: Livaja
2023: Livaja
2024: Miérez

v t e Prva HNL Player of the Year (Tportal)
2003: Kranjčar 2004: Erceg 2005: Eduardo 2006: Eduardo 2007: Modrić 2008: Mandžukić 2009: Zec 2010: Sammir 2011: Santini 2012: Sammir 2013: Benko 2014: Kramarić 2015: Tomasov 2016: Andrijašević 2017: Soudani 2018: Olmo 2019: Petković 2020: Ademi 2021: Livaja 2022: Livaja 2023: Petković

v t e IFFHS World's Man Team of the Decade 2011–2020
Goalkeeper	Manuel Neuer
Defenders	Philipp Lahm Sergio Ramos Virgil van Dijk Marcelo
Midfielders	Toni Kroos Andrés Iniesta Luka Modrić
Forwards	Lionel Messi Robert Lewandowski Cristiano Ronaldo

Croatian Sportsman of the Year by Sportske novosti daily

Yugoslav era
(1952–90)

Duje Bonačić / Petar Šegvić / Mate Trojanović / Velimir Valenta (1952)
Perica Vlašić (1953)
Žarko Dolinar (1954)
Bernard Vukas (1955)
Krešo Račić (1956)
Hrvoje Kačić (1957)
Joško Murat (1958)
Dujam Smoljanović (1959)
Željko Perušić (1960)
Boro Jovanović (1961)
Boro Jovanović / Nikola Pilić (1962)
Josip Gjergja (1963)
Nikola Pilić (1964)
Andro Depolo (1965)
Cvjetko Bilić (1966)
Nikola Pilić (1967)
Dragutin Šurbek (1968–69)
Petar Skansi (1970)
Mate Parlov (1971–73)
Luciano Sušanj (1974)
Antun Stipančić (1975)
Matija Ljubek (1976)
Joško Alebić (1977)
Milan Janić (1978)
Dragutin Šurbek (1979)
Krešimir Ćosić (1980)
Dragutin Šurbek (1981)
Matija Ljubek (1982)
Dragutin Šurbek (1983)
Vlado Lisjak (1984)
Dražen Petrović (1985–86)
Ivan Šabjan (1987)
Zoran Primorac (1988)
Toni Kukoč (1989–90)

Since independence
(1991–present)

Toni Kukoč (1991)
Goran Ivanišević (1992–94)
Željko Mavrović (1995)
Goran Ivanišević (1996)
Željko Mavrović (1997)
Davor Šuker (1998)
Gordan Kožulj (1999)
Nikolaj Pešalov (2000)
Goran Ivanišević (2001)
Ivica Kostelić (2002–03)
Duje Draganja (2004)
Ivan Ljubičić (2005–06)
Ivano Balić (2007)
Filip Ude (2008)
Ivica Kostelić (2009–11)
Giovanni Cernogoraz (2012)
Mario Mandžukić (2013)
Marin Čilić (2014)
Ivan Rakitić (2015)
Damir Martin (2016)
Tin Srbić (2017)
Luka Modrić (2018)
Tin Srbić (2019)
Domagoj Duvnjak (2020)
Tin Srbić (2021)
Luka Modrić (2022)
Tin Srbić (2023)
Miran Maričić (2024)

BTA Balkan Athlete of the Year

1973: Zlateva
1974: Parlov
1975: Comăneci
1976: Comăneci
1977: Petrova
1978: Srejović
1979: Rusev
1980: Comăneci
1981: Todorova
1982: Blagoev
1983: Georgieva
1984: Andonova
1985: Kostadinova
1986: Donkova
1987: Kostadinova
1988: Silivaș
1989: Ivan
1990: Seles
1991: Seles
1992: Patoulidou
1993: Ivanov
1994: Stoichkov
1995: Kostadinova
1996: Kostadinova
1997: Kostadinova
1998: Dafovska
1999: Szabo
2000: Kenteris
2001: Kenteris
2002: Markov
2003: Yovchev
2004: Grozdeva
2005: Drăgulescu
2006: Stambolova
2007: Neykova
2008: Tomescu
2009: Spanoulis
2010: Zlateva
2011: Djokovic
2012: Djokovic
2013: Djokovic
2014: Djokovic
2015: Djokovic
2016: Perković
2017: Dimitrov
2018: Modrić
2019: Djokovic
2020: Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021: Djokovic
2022: Popovici
2023: Djokovic