Luka Modrić

Luka Modrić was born in Zadar, Croatia in 1985, the son of a factory worker who was killed in the Croatian War of Independence when Luka was six.

Luka Modrić was born in Zadar, Croatia in 1985, the son of a factory worker killed during the Croatian War of Independence. He grew up near the front line and later lived in a hotel in Zadar with his family. He developed at Dinamo Zagreb before Tottenham Hotspur signed him in 2008. His four seasons at White Hart Lane established him as one of the Premier League's finest midfielders. Real Madrid paid £33 million in 2012 and he won five Champions Leagues (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022), four La Liga titles and two Club World Cups. In 2018 he won the Ballon d'Or — the first player not named Messi or Ronaldo to win it since Cannavaro in 2006 — after leading Croatia to the World Cup final and being named tournament best player. He also won UEFA Men's Player of the Year and FIFA Best Men's Player in 2018. He earned over 160 caps for Croatia and captained the country to the 2018 World Cup final — his greatest ever performance — and third place in 2022. His ability to dictate tempo, press without the ball and still find quality passes in tight spaces made him the finest central midfielder of his generation.

• Champions League 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024 (Real Madrid)
• La Liga 5x
• FIFA World Cup finalist 2018 (Croatia)
• Ballon d'Or 2018
• FIFA Best Player 2018