00:07At the 2026 World Cup, Luka Modric should join international football's exclusive 200-cap club.
00:16It is an incredible testament to the enduring talent and resilience that has made the 40-year-old one of
00:22the most significant figures in his country's history.
00:27Modric now applies his trade with AC Milan, but it was at Real Madrid that he helped define the 2010s,
00:34winning a record equaling six Champions League titles.
00:41He can bring to us what he brought to his teams throughout his whole career.
00:46He played for Real Madrid for 13 years and won countless trophies.
00:50In these two months, he has spent at AC Milan. With his professionalism, his humbleness and his technique, it's been
00:58a joy to watch him play, for everyone.
01:00It is sad that, unfortunately, there are very few players like Modric left in the world. One can count them
01:08on the fingers of one hand, or even less.
01:15Modric has been a regular for Croatia since as far back as 2006, starring as the country with a population
01:23of under four million, finished second at the 2018 World Cup and third four years later.
01:33As an individual, he was voted the best footballer on the planet, at the height of the Lionel Messi-Christian
01:39Ronaldo duopoly.
01:45It's a great honor, and I am very happy after receiving this great award. I've worked hard to be where
01:52I am today. This year has been fantastic. It wasn't just one of the best. It was the best of
02:00my life and my career.
02:02I have won a lot with my career. I have won a lot with Real Madrid. And with Croatia, I
02:07reached the World Cup final. And also, I won a lot of individual awards like this one. So, this year
02:14is just unforgettable. I will remember it forever.
02:24Born in 1985 in a hamlet near the coastal town of Zadar on the Adriatic coast, Modric was named after
02:32his grandfather, who looked after him on the family farm, while both his parents worked long hours at a knitting
02:38factory.
02:42By five, he was helping Lucas Sr. tent goats and sheep. But at six, at the height of the Croatian
02:48War of Independence, his grandfather was shot and killed by Serbian rebel forces, and the family home was torched.
02:58For the next seven years, Modric and his family lived in a refugee center in a hotel in the heart
03:04of Zadar.
03:07He would spend his days kicking a football in the old hotel car park, frequently running to safety as his
03:13town came under attack.
03:18Somehow, amongst the carnage, Modric's footballing ability continued to blossom.
03:28At 12, he trialed with Hajduk Split, but they rejected him because of his size.
03:36DĂșnamo Zagreb eventually took him aged 16, and after a year in the youth team his extraordinary professional career began.
03:46Modric went on to win a hat trick of titles with DĂșnamo and a pair of Croatian Cups for good
03:51measure.
03:52He left Croatia for the English Premier League, having just received the first of what would become an absurd 13
03:59Croatian Player of the Year awards.
04:03Tottenham Hotspur equalled their transfer record to bring Modric to London.
04:07But it looked a questionable decision, as the willowy schemer took time to adapt to the frenetic pace and physicality
04:14of English football.
04:16But at that he did, and his reputation grew during four years at White Hart Lane, especially as Spurs began
04:24to assert themselves in European competition, catching the eye of Real Madrid and the move that would define his career.
04:35At Real, Ronaldo's goal-scoring feats hogged the headlines, and Madridistas adored the leadership of Sergio Ramos.
04:44But it was Modric who knitted everything together and made the team tick.
04:51In his second season at the Bernabeu, he won the first of his half-dozen Champions League titles and was
04:58named the best midfielder in La Liga.
05:00His consistency and endurance since has seen him elevated to the status of legend at the biggest club in the
05:07world.
05:11As Modric's star ascended at club level, results with the national team skyrocketed.
05:17Dictating matches from the middle of the pitch, he was a perfect international captain.
05:24I think everybody in the world knows the value of Luka Modric.
05:29He's unbelievable. He's our captain, our leader, our best player.
05:35We are proud to have him in the team.
05:38And for me, it's an honour and privilege to play with him, to train with him, to work with him.
05:46His exploits in Russia earned him the World Cup golden ball, despite France prevailing in the final.
05:53He was later awarded the bronze ball in Qatar, behind Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
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05:59who
05:59You
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