Luka Modrić: Conductor of the Midfield

Luka Modrić (born September 9, 1985, Zadar, Yugoslavia [now Croatia]) is a Croatian football (soccer) player who is considered one of the greatest midfielders as well as one of the top Croatian footballers of all time. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Modrić captained his national team to the final and won the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 2018 while playing for Spanish club Real Madrid; since 2025 he has played for the Italian team AC Milan. Modrić was chosen as part of Croatia’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Early life

Modrić was born in the town of Zadar in Yugoslavia (now Croatia) in 1985 at a time when the country was beginning to break down, with individual states fighting for greater autonomy. When Croatia declared independence on June 25, 1991, the war that followed against Serbia displaced Modrić’s family. His grandfather, Luka Modrić, Sr., was killed by Serbian militia in December. The younger Modrić’s childhood home in the village of Jasenice was abandoned and remains so to this day, with signs warning visitors of land mines in the area.

Modrić spent a significant portion of his childhood living with his family as a refugee at the Hotel Kolovare, and later the Hotel Iz, in Zadar. In such conditions, sometimes with neither running water nor electricity, Modrić learned to play football in hotel parking lots. Playtime and school were often interrupted by sirens warning of artillery shelling. Modrić wrote about his childhood experiences of war in a story for a school assignment at age 10. The story would resurface after his 2018 FIFA World Cup exploits:

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Even though I am still little, I have experienced a lot of fear in my life. The fear of shelling is something I am slowly putting behind me. The chetniks killed my grandfather. I loved him so much. Everyone cried....I used to ask if those people who did this and who made us run away from our home can even be called people.

As a child Modrić idolized the Yugoslav (later Croatian) footballer Zvonimir Boban. But his own journey was not easy; at eight, he was rejected by the Croatian club Hajduk Split for being too skinny and too short. But he persevered; Croatia’s march to the 1998 World Cup semifinals inspired him.

Club career

Modrić was signed by Dinamo Zagreb, one of the biggest clubs in Croatia, at age 16. However, he played no games for them and was soon loaned to Zrinjski Mostar in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. He rose to prominence playing for Zrinjski and in 2003 was voted the player of the year in the country’s domestic league.

Modrić returned to Croatia the next season, playing for Inter Zapresic on loan and helping them to reach second place in the league. In 2005 he returned to Dinamo Zagreb, signing a 10-year contract. He would play for them for three seasons, scoring 32 goals in 118 appearances, and helping them win the Croatian Cup twice.

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Modrić was transferred to the English club Tottenham Hotspur FC in 2008 for a fee of £15.8 million ($31.8 million) and stayed there for four seasons, scoring 17 goals in 160 appearances. In 2012 he was signed by Real Madrid for a fee of about £30 million ($47 million).

Modrić would spend over a decade at Real Madrid, scoring 43 goals in 597 appearances and winning 28 trophies during his time with the club. These included six UEFA Champions League titles, five UEFA Super Cup trophies, six FIFA Club World Cup victories, four La Liga (domestic Spanish football league) titles, two Copa del Rey (Spanish knockout competition among clubs) cups, and five Spanish Super Cups (preseason competition played between the reigning winners and runners-up of La Liga and Copa del Rey). During this period, Modrić came to be regarded as one of the world’s best midfielders and was named the best FIFA men’s player and UEFA Best Player in Europe in 2018. He also won the Ballon d’Or (one of football’s most prestigious individual awards) in 2018. It was the only time from 2008 to 2021 that the award was presented to someone other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

In August 2025 Modrić moved to AC Milan on a free transfer, becoming, at the age of 39 years and 11 months, the oldest player to debut in the Serie A (domestic Italian league). He scored his first goal the next month in a 1–0 win against the Italian club Bologna.

International career and World Cups

Modrić started his international career playing with Croatian youth sides before making his senior debut in a 3–2 win over Argentina in March 2006. He made his first World Cup appearance at the 2006 tournament in a group stage match against Japan.

At the 2008 European Championship Modrić became Croatia’s youngest goal scorer in the tournament when he found the back of the net against Austria in the event’s opening match. He was also named to UEFA’s team of the tournament. Sixteen years later, Modrić became the oldest goal scorer in the tournament’s history when he scored against Italy in the 2024 edition.

Croatia failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and did not advance beyond the group stage in the 2012 European Championship and the 2014 World Cup. However, Modrić maintained his place on the national team and captained Croatia for the first time in a 2015 game against Azerbaijan.

At the 2018 World Cup Modrić captained Croatia and led the team to the final, beating Denmark, Russia, and England in the knockouts before suffering a heartbreaking 4–2 loss in the final to France. However, Modrić won the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup Modrić led Croatia to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual champions Argentina. They eventually finished third by defeating Morocco in the third-place playoff; Modrić was awarded the Bronze Ball for the tournament’s third best player.