00:00Luka!
00:02Luka!
00:04Luka!
00:06Luka showed us that it's easy to play.
00:11Believe me, it's really, really hard to play football.
00:15To play World Cup, it's even harder.
00:18And he plays like it's normal.
00:23It's like a dance for him.
00:26The individual star of Russia 2018 did not finish with a winner's medal.
00:31But Luka Modric demonstrated the range of passing and control of tempo
00:36that earned him the nickname the Puppet Master.
00:39Luka Modric carried Croatia almost single-handedly to the World Cup.
00:44The Croatian captain was a deserved winner of the competition's golden ball
00:48for his pivotal role, guiding his side all the way to the World Cup final.
00:55It came as no surprise when, soon afterwards,
00:58he ended Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's ten-year Ballon d'Or duopoly.
01:06It's a great honour, and I am very happy after receiving this great award.
01:12I've worked hard to be where I am today.
01:18This year has been fantastic.
01:22It wasn't just one of the best.
01:24It was the best of my life and my career.
01:29I have won a lot with Real Madrid.
01:31And with Croatia, I reached the World Cup final.
01:34And also, I won a lot of individual awards, like this one.
01:37So this year is just unforgettable.
01:40I will remember it forever.
01:47This was peak Messi and Ronaldo, which just goes to show how incredible Modric was at the World Cup and
01:53for Real Madrid.
01:54Four years later, Modric was at it again, winning the bronze ball for the tournament's third best player after leading
02:01Croatia to third place.
02:04For me, it's always the most important team, and I would change, of course, all my individual trophies for that
02:13trophy and World Cup champion.
02:16He is an unlikely superstar.
02:19Although a standout in Bosnia, then Croatia, he was an understated footballer, not the eye-catching creative force he would
02:26become.
02:28Modric was a star at Spurs.
02:30They didn't really know how to get the best out of him at first, often playing him off the left
02:34side.
02:35But they eventually moved him inside and started to see his true potential.
02:39But really, for the Premier League, he was too much of a craftsman and too subtle for English football in
02:44general.
02:45His profile grew at Tottenham Hotspur, then transformed following a 2012 move to Real Madrid.
02:52But not immediately for the better.
02:55During his first season in the Spanish capital, a marker newspaper poll saw fans single out Modric as La Liga's
03:03worst signing.
03:06Things quickly changed.
03:08I think he's been performing for the last ten years at his best level.
03:15And for him to take his team to the World Cup final is quite a big achievement.
03:20I like these kind of stories.
03:22And if he wins the Ballon d'Or, I think it will be everything but deserved.
03:29At Real, Ronaldo's goal-scoring feats hogged the headlines and Madridistas adored the leadership of Sergio Ramos.
03:37But it was Modric who knitted everything together and made the team tick as his side hoovered up multiple UEFA
03:43Champions League titles.
03:48I'm happier than ever. I've always enjoyed playing football. I love football. I love what I do. And especially now,
03:56because you never know for how much longer you can last at this high level.
04:01I'm doing everything in my power to keep myself here for a few more years. I make an effort because
04:08there's nothing better for me than being a Real Madrid player.
04:16Boasting the technique, tempo and temperament of the quintessential modern midfielder, Luka Modric has earned his place as one of
04:24the very best on football's greatest stage.
04:26performance level 7.
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