Luka Modric

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Modrić began his career with Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb from 2003 to 2008, intermittently on loan to Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić, winning six domestic trophies. He moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008, leading them to UEFA Champions League qualification in 2010, the club's first qualification in almost 50 years. Modrić joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee in 2012. He won the 2013–14 Champions League title and was named in the squad of the season. Modrić was a key member of the team's three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015–16 to 2017–18, named to the squad of the season each time. In total, he won 28 major trophies with the club, including six UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, and two Copa del Rey titles, making him Real Madrid's all-time most decorated footballer. He joined AC Milan in 2025 on a free transfer.

In Their Own Story

Since his international debut in 2006, Modrić has led the nation's 'second Golden Generation' of players. He has participated in every major tournament Croatia has qualified for, including every UEFA European Championship from 2008 to 2024, as well as the 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cup. At Euro 2008, he was named in the Team of the Tournament. Modrić led Croatia to a second and third-place finish at the 2018 and 2022 World Cup respectively, securing two World Cup medals. He individually won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player in 2018, later winning the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third-best player in 2022. Modrić similarly led the team to a silver medal in the 2023 UEFA Nations League.

Reader's Guide

Throughout his career, Modrić has won numerous individual awards, culminating in the Ballon d'Or in 2018, making him the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since 2007. He has been named Croatian Footballer of the Year a record fourteen times between 2007 and 2025. Modrić received the Best FIFA Men's Player Award, the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award in 2018. He has 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 for his personality and career legacy. Modrić's early life was shaped by the Croatian War of Independence. In 1991, his family were forced to flee the area, and his grandfather Luka was executed by Serb rebels. Modrić became a refugee and lived with his family in the Hotel Kolovare for seven years; he later moved to the Hotel Iž, both in Zadar. His father joined the Croatian Army as an aeromechanic. In those years, thousands of bombs fell on the city and football was a way to escape the reality of war. He recalls it as a tough time for his family and something which shaped him as a person. He said he was mostly unaware of the war because he befriended many other children and their parents did not let it affect their childhood. Modrić began playing football at the hotel parking lot. In 1992, he entered primary school and a sporting academy. As a boy he was inspired to play football by Zvonimir Boban and Francesco Totti. He trained at NK Zadar under coach Domagoj Bašić and youth academy head Tomislav Bašić, who considered Modrić his 'sporting father'. Due to being considered too young and light, he was not signed by Hajduk Split. After displaying talent at a youth tournament in Italy, Tomislav Bašić arranged Modrić's move to Dinamo Zagreb when Modrić was a 16-year-old in late 2001.

Did You Know?

• Modrić's grandfather Luka was executed by Serb rebels in December 1991 near his house in Modrići, and after the family fled, the house was burned to the ground.
• Modrić was the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or since 2007.
• He won the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the Bronze Ball as the third-best player at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
• Modrić has been named Croatian Footballer of the Year a record fourteen times between 2007 and 2025.
• He joined AC Milan in 2025 on a free transfer after winning 28 major trophies with Real Madrid.