Football lovers will be pleased to find out all the best and greatest moments of one of their favorite footballers, Luca Modrić, included in one article. Here, we will tell you more about his career, historic achievements, most notable rewards, and matches. So, if he is one of your favorite players, this article will be very useful and engaging.
Early Beginnings: The Rise of a Football Legend
Luca Modrić is a Croatian football player who is currently the captain of two teams, La Liga Real Madrid Club and the Croatian National Team. He is one of the best midfielders in football history. His professional football career began in 2003 when he started playing for Dinamo Zagreb.
Next, Modrić was quite active and had several fortunate turns in his career. For instance, in 2005, Luca was already a member of the Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, and in 2008, he led them into the UEFA Champions League qualification in 2010. And it was their first attempt in 50 years. Besides, Modrić has won several valuable individual trophies, which also mark him as one of the most promising players in football history.
In 2012, he joined Real Madrid. His transfer fee from Tottenham was about 30 million pounds. He made his debut in the 2012 Supercopa de España. His team won that match, and Modrić received his first trophy. By 2013, he already confirmed himself as the best midfielder in Spain. Next, we will start discussing the most successful matches.
Dominating at Real Madrid
Modrić has brought 27 trophies in 13 years of being together with the team. In total, he made about 550 appearances, which is quite a lot. Besides, Modrić is the oldest player staying in Real Madrid, who is currently 38 years old. However, his teammates say that he is playing as if he is 28. It confirms his high level of performance, which cannot surprise him.
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The Ballon d’Or Win: A Historic Achievement
The Ballon d’Or of 2018 was one of the most prestigious and valuable rewards Luca Modrić managed to win that season. It was a really historic event since Modrić was the first Croatian footballer to receive it. We will talk about his performance at the World Cup later in the article.
Breaking the Messi-Ronaldo Dominance
Only Messi and Ronaldo were awarded with Ballon d’Or for a long time, so in 2018 Luca Modrić managed to break this Messi-Ronaldo dominance as the best football player when he was presenting his Croatian team at the Euro 2018.
Recognizing Modrić’s Role Beyond Stats
Modrić is a five-time Champions League winner, so his legendary role in football is solid and unarguable. He is a super-talented player with top-tier skills and tenacity that is revealed at its maximum on the field. Modrić scored 38 goals and played 536 matches in his career. It is not the biggest number, but it really is achievements that matter the most. He managed to grab the most brilliant victories that delivered him the status of the best player.
The Importance of the 2018 Ballon d’Or for Midfielders
There are many opinions about the Ballon d’Or award and who should really receive it in 2018. However, we think that as a midfielder, Luca Modrić has made real progress, showing that he can show great results as a midfielder. Besides, there are several other interesting aspects we need to mention:
- Influence and consistency. Modrić is always at his best. He is showing a maximum result every game, so this consistency and persistence on the field really add points to his performance.
- International career rise. Modrić has shown his best during many international matches, such as the World Cup.
- Breaking of a stereotype. The reward Luca received showed that there were other footballers besides the goal-scoring forwards. He showed the significance of a playmaking role.
- Significant contribution to the Champions League. Luca Modrić played a significant role and was acting fast in crucial moments during that time, which made Real Madrid the champions.
These aspects only confirm the fact that Luca Modrić is worthy of the Ballon d’Or award due to the multiple goals he managed to achieve.
World Cup 2018: Leading Croatia to Glory
In 2018, Luca Modrić managed to leave a mark, leading his team to glory. The FIFA World Cup 2018 became a real success for the Croatian team. This championship is really the pinnacle of his career. So, in this part of the article, we will discuss the key moments in detail next.
Captaining the Underdogs
It may seem strange that Croatia reached the semifinals in the World Cup, but if we look at their tactics, we can see that it was exactly as always. The Croatia team can move quite fast on the field without the ball and do effective pressing. So, this strategy helped the team overcome their opponents and leave the underdog position, becoming more and more successful in that championship.
Iconic Performances in the Knockout Stages
It is certain that Modrić is the best midfielder that has ever played for his national team. One of the best was his performance in the knockout stage when his team played against the Argentinian team. Modrić earned a chance to play in the advance position, and he managed to assist and leave Messi without a ball for the second time. Whatever the World Cup results, Luca Modrić left his legacy of self-improvement and great performance on the field regardless of his age.
Winning the Golden Ball: Recognition of Leadership and Skill
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Luca Modrić is the first Croatian to have earned the Golden Ball or Ballon d’Or Reward. Besides, FIFA acknowledged him as the best player. While, as we mentioned, this reward was given to Messi and Ronaldo that year, Modrić broke that tendency. It became his crown achievement and earned him more respect and recognition.
The Golden Ball reward is quite unique in a way because the winner is decided among the journalists, team captains, and coaches. Therefore, this reward is considered as the most fair. Besides, it leveled up the prestige and recognition of Luca Modrić among other eminent players.
Longevity and Adaptability: Modrić in His 30s
As we already mentioned, Luca Modrić is a very consistent player. As his teammates say, his performance now is no different from younger players. He always shows great results on the field and plates at his maximum. However, what is interesting here is that nobody knows his secret.
According to his fitness trainer, Modrić’s secret of longevity is regeneration. He is always ready and spends only 85 percent of his energy. Besides, he has no injuries and doesn’t traumatize himself on the field during the game. Even if something starts bothering him, it only lasts for a couple of days.
Before every training, Modrić uses an elastic band to warm up. It makes the muscles more elastic as well and allows him to preserve the energy and adapt to any turn and sudden events and situations on the field. Also, he doesn’t forget about the recuperation after every match.
Off the Pitch: The Legacy of Luka Modrić
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Despite the fact that Modrić managed to dethrone Messi and Ronaldo with the football Ballon d’Or trophy, he also had many successful performances during his career. And if we dive into the depth of his football success, we can see that it was never easy for him.
However, with all his strength and efforts, he became the best young player at the age of 18. Later, he achieved a new level in his career when he became a Real Madrid player. He became an essential element of the team and helped them earn multiple trophies and rewards.
Even at the age of 37, he played a full 90 minutes in Qatar, showing impressive results. Then, he played against Japan, where the team had extra time, and he played 98 total minutes. Later, in the match with Brazil, he spent 120 minutes on the field, which was really breathtaking.
Conclusion
Luca Modrić is a phenomenon among footballers. There is hardly a match where he doesn’t play using all his skills and energy. At his age, he is still capable of achieving great results and assisting his teammates during important matches. According to his fitness coach, Luca Modrić can keep it up for at least three more years, which is surely impressive for a football player.
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