Luka Modrić
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Luka Modrić (Croatian pronunciation: [lûːka mǒːdritɕ]; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan and captains the Croatia national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and as the greatest Croatian player ever. Modrić began his professional career with Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in 2003 before he went on loan spells to Bosnian-Herzegovian side Zrinjski Mostar and Croatian side Inter Zaprešić. He made his debut for Dinamo in 2005 and his great performances earned him a move to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. He led Spurs to UEFA Champions League qualification in 2010, the club’s first qualification in almost 50 years. In the summer of 2012, Modrić joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee. In his second season, he won the 2013–14 Champions League title and was named in the squad of the season. After Zinedine Zidane took over Madrid in 2016, Modrić was a key member of Madrid’s three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015–16 to 2017–18, and was named into the squad of the season each time. In total, he won 28 major trophies at Madrid, including six UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, and two Copa del Rey titles, making him the most decorated footballer in the club's history. He left Real Madrid in July 2025, joining Serie A club AC Milan on a free transfer. Modrić has won numerous individual awards, including the Ballon d'Or in 2018, making him the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since 2007, the Best FIFA Men's Player, and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award in 2018. He has also been named in the FIFPRO World 11 six times and in the UEFA Team of the Year three times. In 2019, he was awarded the Golden Foot award for career results and personality. Modrić made his international debut for Croatia against Argentina in March 2006, and scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Italy. Modrić has anchored Croatia's "second Golden Generation", participating in every major tournament Croatia has qualified for, including every UEFA Euro from 2008 to 2024 as well as every FIFA World Cup from 2006 to 2022. At Euro 2008, he was named in the Team of the Tournament. Modrić led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. In March 2021, he became the country's most capped player. At the 2022 World Cup, he led the team to a third-place finish, winning the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third best player. He has also been named Croatian Footballer of the Year a record thirteen times between 2007 and 2024. In addition to that, he was named the BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year for 2018.