The phenomenon of Croatian football - Luka Modric: biography, achievements

Luka Modric is one of the greatest Croatian football players of our time. He equally well knows both the left and the right foot, thanks to which he is able to close any position in the center of the field. In his youth, he often played in the position of the left midfielder. Constantly shifting from the flank to the center of someone else's free kick, he likes to hit his trademark dense blow with his right foot, than he constantly finds goal-keeper rivals unawares. Not without reason, each of the coaches who trained him assured that they were not yet more versatile and mobile than the midfielder.

Personal life

Luca Modric, whose biography is full of interesting facts and great achievements, comes from the Croatian city of Zadar. On the light appeared September 9, 1985 in a military family. In those days, Yugoslavia was exhausted from endless wars, so soon after the birth the family had to move to Zaton. After the father's return from the front, Modric began his first steps in football. In the mid-1990s, there was a stalemate in Yugoslavia, so unemployment was flourishing, and sections and academies were paid. Despite all the difficulties, Father Luke managed to find money so that his son could train in favorable conditions. It is his footballer who owes his career.

Today, Luka Modric, whose height is only 172 cm, is one of the most expensive and sought-after midfielders of the planet. As for his family achievements, at 29 he has a beloved wife Vanya Bosnich and two children: Ivan and Emma.

The beginning of a professional career

At the age of 16, the Croatian signed his first real contract with the academy of Zagreb's Dynamo. For the youth squad spent a full season, after which the mentor of the main team decided to give the midfielder for an internship in the Bosnian club "Zrinjski", where Luke could receive the constant practice of playing in the Higher League. In rent Modric stayed one year. Having played 22 games, scored 8 goals and became one of the team's top scorers. At the end of the season, he was unanimously voted the best soccer player of the Bosnia Championship. In 2004, Luka Modric was given a leasehold to the Croatian "Inter". In this team, he also spent the full season, scoring 4 goals in 18 matches. Thanks to a successful and stable game, the Croatian middleweight got the opportunity to participate in the UEFA Cup, and the midfielder received the award as the main football hope of the country.

Only in 2005, Luke returned to his native "Dynamo", immediately extending the contract forward for 10 years. The first full season for Zagreb for the Croatian will be a failure. His club at the end of the season for the first time in its history will fly out of the Higher Division. However, the fall did not last long. From the next season, the mentor "Dynamo" legendary Branko Ivanovich moved Modric closer to the line of attack, and this unexpected move soon paid off. Thanks to the 4-2-3-1 scheme, Luka was able to fully realize his potential, and Zagreb began regularly to qualify for the Champions League.

The long-awaited move to England

In the spring of 2008, Luka Modric signed an absentee agreement with London's Tottenham, so immediately after the end of the season in Croatia, the first thing he did was go to medical examination in Foggy Albion. The amount of transfer midfielder was 16.5 million pounds, which became the most expensive purchase of the club at the time. Modric's debut match for the London team was a confrontation with the "Norwich". The game ended in an enchanting victory of "Tottenham", and the Croat played one full time. It is worth saying that the first season for the "spurs" Luke started on the position of the opornika, which significantly limited his attacking talents. With the arrival of the coach mentor Harry Redknapp the position of the Croatian in the club has improved significantly. From this moment, Modric got the opportunity to play on the playmaker's favorite position for him. The midfielder became the link between Roman Pavlyuchenko and Darren Bent. As a result of the season, Luke was recognized as the best midfielder of the Premier League.

In the following years, Modric was one of the main playmakers of the team, having received from the coach full freedom of action on the field. In just 4 seasons the Croat took part in 127 games, scoring 13 goals.

The dream became reality

From an early age, Luke was a dedicated fan of Madrid's "Real". That's why, after a generous offer, he agreed without hesitation to sign a 5-year contract with the royal club. For the transfer, Madrid had to pay 33 million pounds, but this money in the first year justified itself. His amazing game for the "Real" Modric won the title of the best midfielder team by the fans. And let the first matches of the 2012/13 season formed for the Croat not in the best way because of permanent injuries, later he became a real legend for the Royal Club and the most indispensable player of the center of the field. Today, his connection with Tony Kroos (since 2014), in fact, there are no equal.

Team play

Luka Modric has been the best footballer of Croatia for the past two years in a row, according to coaches, journalists and fans. It is no accident that for the eighth consecutive year he is the leader of the national team of his native country and its main ideologue.

Debuted for the national team in 2006 in a friendly against Argentina, which takes place in a neutral field in Basel. In total for 78 games for a national team has hammered in 8 balls.

In 2008 I was in the top three of the best midfielders of the European Championship. Representatives of FIFA participated in the voting.