LukaModrić

Born in Zadar, Croatia, on 9 September 1985, Luka Modrić is one of the most successful players in football history. After his early experiences representing Zrinjski Mostar, Inter Zaprešić and Dinamo Zagreb, he began to make his mark on the European stage with a move to Tottenham. He spent four seasons in London, helping guide Spurs to a historic Champions League qualification, where he also came up against the AC Milan side he had supported since he was a child, and making a total of 160 appearances and scoring 17 goals across all competitions. In the summer of 2012, he joined Real Madrid, where he would go on to write history over the course of 13 seasons as a key figure in one of the club's most iconic eras.

His debut was an immediate success, coming in Madrid's victory over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. After the Mourinho era, it was under Carlo Ancelotti that Modrić truly became a pillar of the Blancos. As of June 2025, he is the player who has won the most trophies in the history of Real Madrid, an extraordinary record. Domestically, in addition to the six trophies he won with Dinamo Zagreb, including three consecutive league titles, he has claimed four La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, and five Spanish Super Cups. On the international stage, he is tied (along with Gento, Carvajal, Nacho, and Kroos) for the most UEFA Champions League titles, with six, and five UEFA Super Cups (like Maldini, Kroos, and Carvajal). He also has 5 Club World Cups and one Intercontinental Cup. He ends his time at Real with 591 appearances across all competitions, to which he adds 43 goals.

Equally legendary in representing his national team, Croatia, Modric debuted in a friendly against Argentina in March 2006. He has taken part in five consecutive European Championships (from 2008 to 2024, when, against Italy, he became the oldest player ever to score in a final stage match) and four World Cups in 2006, 2014, and 2018. It was in 2018 that he also reached the Final and was named the tournament's best player, and in 2022 he finished in third place. On 3 December 2018, he won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first player since 2007 to break the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.