On May 24th, Real Madrid finally achieved what they had been seeking for 12 years--the long awaited La Decima. This now makes them the only club to have reached double digits in terms of Champions League trophies, three ahead of Milan's seven. However, for anyone who viewed the match, billed as the "Madrid derby" due to the fact that it Carlo Ancelotti's men against city rivals Atletico, the 9-time winners nearly saw that 10th trophy slip from their grasp.
That is, until defender Sergio Ramos popped up with the equalizing goal in injury time, forcing the game into extra time and subsequently giving them a 4-1 victory over Diego Simeone's troops. However, while the focus was on the Spaniard, it is important to note that he would not have scored that vital goal had it not been for a well-placed corner kick from Croatian playmaker Luka Modric.
Born on September 9, 1985 in Zadar, Yugoslavia (now known as Croatia), the 28-year-old, like many of his fellow compatriots endured great hardship in his youth due to the outbreak of the Balkans conflict that claimed numerous lives, including his grandfather. However, he quickly found solace in football and after spending some time with his local city team, moved on to Croatian heavyweights Dinamo Zagreb in 2002, where he played for a year in their youth squad before being loaned out to Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar.
It was there that he really began to establish himself as a versatile midfielder and despite being just 18 years old, was named as the Player of the Year, and following another loan spell, this time with Inter Zapresic in his home country, returned to Dinamo where he spent three full seasons, clinching the league title three times.
However, while he was quite well-known to football followers in his native region, Modric really began to establish himself as a world-class talent during his time at Tottenham. It was here that despite not winning any silverware in the Premier League, he earned several personal accolades including Spurs Player of the Year and another Croatian Player of the Year award. And after a difficult settling-in period at current club Real Madrid, he became an established starter under Ancelotti in his sophomore season and has grown into a crucial member of the team as a result.
At international level, although he has not scored a goal since 2011, his performances both at EURO 2012 and during Croatia's World Cup Qualifiers have been vital to his team sealing a place among the 32 teams featuring in Brazil. And with key attacker Mario Mandzukic suspended for their first clash with hosts Brazil, Modric will be counted on to provide the necessary creativity to support whomever will be tasked with leading the line both during their first game and afterwards against Cameroon and Mexico.
Some interesting stats about Croatia's playmaker:
- Modric has won the Croatian Player of the Year prize three times (in 2007, 2008, and 2011). Additionally, he and teammate Ivica Olic are the only ones to have won both the Hope of the Year (for best young player) and the aforementioned senior prize.
- His 2008 nomination to the UEFA EURO team of the year made him the second Croatian to do so, after legendary striker Davor Suker's win in 1996.
- In winning the Champions League with Real Madrid this season, Modric became the seventh Croatian international to do so and the tenth to feature in a final.
