Here are some facts you need to know about Luka Modric
Luka Modric is a Croatian mid-fielder born on 9 September 1985 in Zadar, Croatia. His father’s name is Stipe Modrić and mother is Radojka Dopuđ. He has two sisters – Diora Modric and Jasmina Modric.
Childhood
Luka Modrić’ mother worked as a textile worker, and his father was an aeromechanic. The family was so poor and he grew up amidst the Croatian War of Independence, which had taken its toll on his family’s financial situation.
Due to the poor financial conditions of his parents, he spent most of his childhood at his grandparents’ house. He worked as a goat-shepherd at the age of 5. His grandfather was later executed by Serbian rebels.
Their home was burned down, and as a result, the family was forced to flee the area. Later, his father joined the Croatian army.
Luka had been fascinated by football ever since he was a kid. Luka Modric was consistently considered weak. Even during the youth trial at the ‘Hajduk Split,’ he was rejected. However, his skills did not go unnoticed for a long time.
Luka Modric was signed by the team ‘Dinamo Zagreb,’ as he showed steady growth in his height and frame. He eventually signed a 10-year contract.
Career
In 2002, Luka Modric was 16 when he was signed by ‘Dinamo Zagreb’. Luka Modric was selected after he performed well for his hometown club ‘NK Zadar’s youth team.
He was loaned to ‘Zrinjski Mostar’ in 2003 and to ‘Inter Zaprešić’ in 2004. Modric scored 12 goals in the 40 matches he played for the teams he was loaned to. Due to his performance, he was all set to make his debut for Dinamo’ in 2005.
During his first regular season as a senior player for ‘Dinamo,’ Modric scored 7 goals in 31 matches and helped his team win the league. He helped his team secure two more league championships in the next two seasons.
In his second season with ‘Dinamo,’ he was honored with the ‘Prva HNL Player of the Year Award.’ In the four seasons that he played for ‘Dinamo,’ he scored 31 goals and 29 assists.
Modric also led his team to win the 2007 ‘Croatian Cup.’ In 2008, he was signed by the Tottenham Hotspur for a record fee of 16.5 million UK pounds. In his four seasons that he played for ‘Tottenham,’ he scored 13 goals in 127 appearances.
He also led Spurs to their first UEFA Champions League appearance in the past 50 years, in the 2010–2011 season, where the team ended up reaching the quarter-finals. In 2012, Luka moved to Real Madrid.
It turned out to be the most successful part of his career. His impeccable performance had him selected for the ‘Squad of the Season’ by the end of the 2013–2014 UCL season.
Luka also played a massive role in his team winning three consecutive UCL titles in the 2015–2016, the 2016–2017, and the 2017–2018 seasons. Luka Modric was also named as part of the ‘Squad of the Season’ in all three seasons.
He won the ‘La Liga’s Best Midfielder’ in 2016 and the ‘UEFA Club Award’ for the ‘Best Midfielder’ in both 2017 and 2018. Luka Modric also became the first Croatian footballer to be named to the ‘FIFA World XI’ teams in 2016 and 2018.
Modric was also named to the ‘UEFA Team of the Year’ in the same years. In 2018, he became the first Croatian player to win the ‘UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award.’ He received a ‘Ballon d’Or’ in 2019 for his incredible performance.
The 35 year old is a part of the Croatian national football team since 2006. Luka Modric led his national team to the finals of the 2018 ‘FIFA World Cup’ and received the ‘Golden Ball Award’ that is given to the best player of the tournament.
Awards & Achievements
- THE BEST FIFA MEN’S PLAYER (1X)
- 1X UEFA BEST PLAYER
- 1X BALLON D’OR
- 4X CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
- 2X LA LIGA
- 1X COPA DEL REY
- 3X SPANISH SUPER CUP
- 4X FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
- 3X CROATIAN LEAGUE
- 3X UEFA SUPERCUP
- 2X CROATIAN CUP
Personal Life
Luka Modric dated Vanja Bosnić for 4 years, before getting married to her in May 2010. The couple has three children – a son named Ivano and two daughters named Ema and Sofia.
