Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Luka Modrić
How Luka Modrić built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Luka Modrić is a highly decorated Croatian professional footballer renowned as one of the greatest midfielders ever and the best Croatian player in history. He currently plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan and serves as the captain of the Croatia national team. His career boasts numerous titles and individual accolades, solidifying his place among football legends.
1994: Recognition After Romário
Due to his club, and national team performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he also received the Golden Ball, in August and September Modrić won The Best FIFA Men's Player Award. Modrić was the first player to win both the World Cup Golden Ball and the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award after Romário in 1994.
1998: Recognition Since 1998
Due to his club, and national team performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he also received the Golden Ball, in August and September Modrić won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award. Modrić was the first player to win both the World Cup Golden Ball and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award in the same year since Ronaldo in 1998.
March 2001: Debut for the under-15 team
In March 2001, Luka Modrić debuted for the Croatian under-15 team coached by Martin Novoselac.
2001: Move to Dinamo Zagreb
In late 2001, Tomislav Bašić arranged Luka Modrić's move to Dinamo Zagreb when Modrić was 16 years old.
2003: Professional Career Start
In 2003, Luka Modrić began his professional career with Dinamo Zagreb before loan spells to Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić.
2003: Loan to Zrinjski Mostar
In 2003, after a season with Dinamo Zagreb's youth side, Luka Modrić was loaned to Zrinjski Mostar in the Bosnian Premier League, becoming Bosnian Premier League Player of the Year.
2004: Eastern Europe Ballon d'Or Winner Since 2004
Due to his club, and national team performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he also received the Golden Ball, in December 2018, he added the Ballon d'Or to his personal tally. Modrić was the first footballer from Eastern Europe to win a Ballon d'Or after Andriy Shevchenko in 2004.
2004: Loan to Inter Zaprešić
In 2004, Luka Modrić was loaned to Inter Zaprešić, helping the team achieve second position in the Prva HNL and winning the Croatian Football Hope of the Year award.
2005: Dinamo Zagreb Debut
In 2005, Luka Modrić debuted for Dinamo Zagreb, showcasing performances that would later lead to his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
2005: Return to Dinamo Zagreb
In 2005, Luka Modrić returned to Dinamo Zagreb.
2005: Signs Ten-Year Contract
In the 2005–06 season, Luka Modrić signed a ten-year contract with Dinamo Zagreb and bought a flat in Zadar for his family. He contributed 7 goals in 31 matches to help win the league.
March 2006: International Debut
In March 2006, Luka Modrić made his international debut for Croatia against Argentina.
March 2006: Full international debut for Croatia
On 1 March 2006, Luka Modrić made his full international debut for Croatia in a friendly match against Argentina in Basel, which Croatia won 3–2.
August 2006: First goal for Croatia
On 16 August 2006, Luka Modrić scored his first goal in Croatia's 2–0 friendly win over world champions Italy in Livorno.
2006: Dinamo Zagreb Won the League
In the 2006–07 season, Dinamo again won the league, with Modrić making a similar contribution.
2007: Transfer Fee
In 2007, Luka Modrić agreed to transfer terms with Tottenham Hotspur and signed a six-year contract for £16.5 million, equalling the club's record fee set by Darren Bent's move in 2007.
2007: UEFA Cup Qualification Attempt
In the 2007–08 season, Luka Modrić as team captain, led Dinamo's attempt to qualify for the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. Modrić converted a penalty against Ajax.
April 2008: Agreed Transfer to Tottenham Hotspur
On 26 April 2008, Luka Modrić agreed to transfer terms with Tottenham Hotspur and signed a six-year contract for £16.5 million.
June 2008: Euro 2008
In June 2008, Luka Modrić scored Croatia's first goal of Euro 2008, converting a penalty in the fourth minute of their 1–0 victory against hosts Austria, becoming the team's youngest ever goalscorer at the European Championships. At the end of the competition, Modrić was included in the UEFA Team of the Tournament.
2008: Youngest Goalscorer Record
In 2008, Luka Modrić held the record for the youngest goalscorer that he set in 2008.
2008: Move to Tottenham Hotspur
In 2008, Luka Modrić moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
2008: Scoring at European Championships
Luka Modrić scored against Austria in 2008, achieving a milestone.
January 2009: FA Cup Goal Against Wigan Athletic
In January 2009, Luka Modrić scored in a home win in the third round of the FA Cup against Wigan Athletic.
April 2009: Goal Against Manchester United
In April 2009, Luka Modrić scored in an away defeat against Manchester United.
February 2010: Goal Against Everton
In February 2010, Luka Modrić scored in a home win against Everton.
May 2010: New Six-Year Contract
On 30 May 2010, Luka Modrić signed a new six-year contract with Tottenham that ran until 2016.
September 2010: Goal Against West Bromwich Albion
On 11 September 2010, Luka Modrić scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season in a 1–1 away draw at West Bromwich Albion.
2010: UEFA Champions League Qualification
In 2010, Luka Modrić led Spurs to UEFA Champions League qualification, which was the club’s first qualification in almost 50 years.
2010: Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year
In 2010, Modrić played 32 Premier League matches, achieving high passing stats and was voted the Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year. Sir Alex Ferguson also mentioned he would have chosen Modrić as his Player of the Year.
2010: World Cup Qualifiers Goals
In 2010, during the World Cup qualifiers, Luka Modrić scored three goals for Croatia against Kazakhstan, Andorra, and Ukraine, equaling the record held by Ivica Olić, Ivan Rakitić, and Eduardo. Despite his efforts, Croatia failed to qualify for the World Cup.
2010: Transition to Central Midfield Role
In the 2010–11 season, Luka Modrić transitioned from an attacking midfielder to a central midfield role, flourishing as a deep-lying playmaker. This adjustment allowed him to better read the game and fully utilize his creativity.
2011: Premier League Midfielder Rankings
By the 2011–12 season, Luka Modrić was statistically among the top-rated central and all-round midfielders across the top five leagues, alongside players like Xabi Alonso, Andrea Pirlo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xavi.
2011: Chelsea bids for Modrić
In 2011, Chelsea pursued Modrić with bids of £22 million and £27 million, both rejected by Tottenham. Modrić expressed his desire to move to Chelsea and refused to play in Tottenham's opening match, ultimately staying with Tottenham after Chelsea's £40 million offer was rejected on the transfer window's final day.
January 2012: Goal Against Wolverhampton Wanderers
On January 14, 2012, Modrić scored the only goal in a home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. On January 31, he assisted the first goal and scored the second in a 3-1 win against Wigan Athletic. He was also included in "Team of the Week" for the third time that season.
August 2012: Transfer to Real Madrid
On August 27, 2012, Real Madrid announced an agreement with Tottenham for Modrić's transfer for approximately £30 million. He signed a five-year contract. On August 29, he debuted against Barcelona in the Supercopa de España, winning his first trophy with the club. However, he initially struggled due to lack of pre-season training.
2012: UEFA Euro 2012 Participation
In 2012, Luka Modrić participated in all of Croatia's UEFA Euro qualifying matches, scoring a goal against Israel. He then started in all three of Croatia's group stage matches against the Republic of Ireland, Italy, and Spain. Despite a notable performance against Spain, Croatia did not advance from the group stage.
2012: Joins Real Madrid
In the summer of 2012, Luka Modrić joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee.
March 2013: Key Performances for Real Madrid
In March 2013, Modrić assisted Sergio Ramos in El Clásico, contributing to a Real Madrid victory. He also scored a crucial goal against Manchester United in the Champions League, marking a turning point in his Real Madrid career. Furthermore, he scored against Mallorca. From March 2013, Modrić's form improved, becoming the player with the most passes completed in his team.
2013: Key Player for Real Madrid
In 2013, with the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, Modrić became a frequent starter, showcasing passing accuracy and ball recoveries. He scored his first goal of the 2013-14 season in the Champions League against Copenhagen and won the 2013–14 Copa del Rey.
2013: Champions League Title
In his second season, 2013, Luka Modrić won the Champions League title and was named in the squad of the season.
2013: Tackles and Passes
In the first half of the 2013–14 season, Luka Modrić made more tackles (56) than any other Real Madrid player in La Liga with an average number of 2.86 tackles per match, as well as making the most completed passes (878) in the opposition half of the pitch among Real Madrid players.
August 2014: New Contract with Real Madrid
In August 2014, Modrić signed a new contract with Real Madrid, committing to stay until 2018. He partnered with Toni Kroos and assisted twice for Bale.
2014: 2014 World Cup
In 2014, Luka Modrić and the Croatian team qualified for the World Cup, entering Group A with Brazil, Mexico, and Cameroon. During the opening match against Brazil, which they lost 3–1, Modrić sustained a minor foot injury. Although Croatia won 4–0 against Cameroon in the second match, they did not progress to the knockout stage after losing 3–1 to Mexico.
2014: Passing Accuracy
In 2014, Luka Modrić had the highest passing accuracy in La Liga (90%), also the highest of any midfielder in Europe's top five leagues. For all of 2014, Modrić's dribble attempts (75) at a success rate of 76% were second in Europe's top five leagues.
March 2015: Return from Thigh Injury
In early March 2015, Modrić returned from a thigh injury sustained in late November, starting in seven matches and regaining his form. However, he later strained ligaments in his right knee in April, impacting Real Madrid's performance.
March 2015: First time as Croatia Captain
On 3 March 2015, Luka Modrić captained Croatia for the first time in an away draw against Azerbaijan.
2015: Defensive Responsibility
During the 2015–16 season, almost all players above him were either forwards or attacking midfielders with no defensive responsibilities.
2015: Champions League Titles
From 2015, Luka 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.
2015: Champions League and La Liga Team of the Season
In 2015, Modrić was a regular in the starting line-up when Real Madrid won the 2015–16 Champions League. He was included in both Champions League, and La Liga's team of the season. For the second time, he also received the LFP award for the "Best Midfielder" of the Spanish first league. He was for the second time included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.
2015: Key Midfield Player
In 2015, under Rafael Benítez, Modrić remained a key midfield player for Real Madrid. He sustained a groin injury during an international match in October but recovered in time for a match against Paris Saint-Germain.
January 2016: Relationship with Zinedine Zidane
In January 2016, with the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as manager, Modrić's importance grew, being described as the "master of the game". On February 7, he scored a winning goal against Granada.
October 2016: New Contract with Real Madrid
On October 18, 2016, Modrić signed a new contract with Real Madrid, committing to the club until 2020. He missed eight matches due to a left knee injury, returning in early November.
2016: Zidane Takes Over
In 2016, After Zinedine Zidane took over Madrid, Modrić was a key member of Madrid’s three consecutive Champions League titles.
2016: Real Madrid Won La Liga
In 2016, Modrić was a regular starter when Real Madrid won the 2016–17 La Liga, as well as the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, where he provided the assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal in the final against Juventus.
2016: Zidane predicts Modrić would win Ballon d'Or
In 2016, Zinedine Zidane included Luka Modrić in his best XI currently playing and predicted that Modrić would win the Ballon d'Or award.
2016: Euro 2016 Match-Winning Goal
In 2016, during the Euro 2016 tournament, Luka Modrić scored the match-winning goal in Croatia's opening group stage match against Turkey. He was named Man of the Match. A muscle injury forced Modrić to miss the crucial fixture against Spain. Croatia lost to Portugal 0–1 in extra-time in the round of 16.
2016: New Six-Year Contract
On 30 May 2010, Luka Modrić signed a new six-year contract with Tottenham that ran until 2016.
March 2017: 200th Match for Real Madrid
On March 12, 2017, Modrić played his 200th match for Real Madrid in a 2–1 win over Real Betis.
2017: Champions League Titles
From 2017, Luka 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.
2017: Modrić donates to autism association in Zadar
In 2017, Luka Modrić made a substantial donation to the autism association from Zadar.
2017: Inherited number 10 jersey
With the departure of James Rodríguez to Bayern Munich, Modrić inherited the team's coveted number 10 jersey for the new 2017–18 season, replacing his previous number 19 jersey.
August 2018: Lopetegui arrival and Modrić's return
In August 2018, with the arrival of new manager Julen Lopetegui, Luka Modrić was given a steady return to the first team as a substitute due to his lack of pre-season training after the 2018 World Cup.
2018: Croatia's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign
In 2018, Luka Modrić became the new team captain for Croatia's World Cup qualifying campaign following Darijo Srna's retirement. After a series of compromised qualifications, coach Ante Čačić was replaced by Zlatko Dalić. Modrić scored a penalty in the victory over Greece, securing Croatia's place in the World Cup.
2018: New Contract Until 2018
In August 2014, Modrić signed a new contract with Real Madrid until 2018.
January 2019: Scoring in consecutive league games
In January 2019, Luka Modrić scored in two consecutive league games for Real Madrid, first in a 1–2 away win against Real Betis and then in a 2–0 home win against Sevilla. Also in January 2019 he was included in the UEFA Team of the Year (2018) for the third time in his career.
March 2019: Modrić appears on Hrvatska pošta postage stamp
In March 2019, Luka Modrić was honored by appearing on a Hrvatska pošta postage stamp. Croatian universities published graduation theses researching how his recognition helped Croatia's nation branding and the national football team's recognition.
August 2019: Seventh anniversary of signing with Real Madrid
On 27 August 2019, it was the seventh anniversary of Luka Modrić's signing with Real Madrid. Modrić stated that he wanted to "recapture his best form this season".
January 2020: Scoring the 100th career goal
On 8 January 2020, Luka Modrić scored his fifth goal of the season and 100th career goal in a 3–1 victory against Valencia in the semi-finals of 2019–20 Supercopa de España. On 12 January 2020, he successfully converted a penalty in a shootout as Real Madrid beat Atlético 4–1 on penalties in the final.
October 2020: Scoring in Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk
On 21 October 2020, Luka Modrić scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a Champions League 3–2 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, becoming the fourth player to score in the competition aged 35 or more for the club. Three days later, in October 2020, he scored his first Clásico goal as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3–1.
2020: Euro 2020 Qualifying Goals
During the Euro 2020 qualifying rounds, Luka Modrić scored two goals as Croatia topped the group and qualified for the tournament, which was then postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: UEFA Euro 2020
In 2020, despite Croatia's poor showings in their first two group stage games, Luka Modrić was named the Man of the Match in the second one, a 1–1 draw with the Czech Republic on 18 June. Four days later, in the 3–1 victory over Scotland, with a trivela he scored Croatia's second goal and provided Ivan Perišić with an assist for the third goal as Croatia progressed to the round of 16.
2020: Modrić donated €100,000 for purchase of a mobile X-ray machine
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Luka Modrić donated €100,000 for the purchase of a mobile X-ray machine to a hospital in Zadar.
March 2021: Equalling and Surpassing Srna's Record
On 24 March 2021, Luka Modrić equalled Darijo Srna as the most capped player in Croatian national team history. Three days later, in a World Cup qualifying victory over Cyprus, he surpassed Srna's record.
May 2021: Contract Extension with Real Madrid
On 25 May 2021, Luka Modrić extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2022.
October 2021: 400th game for Real Madrid
On 24 October 2021, during the 2021–22 season, Luka Modrić played his 400th game for Real Madrid in a 2–1 Clásico victory.
December 2021: 100th Champions League game
On 7 December 2021, Luka Modrić played his 100th Champions League game and was named Man of the Match in a 2–0 victory over Inter Milan.
2021: Contract Ensuring Stay
In 2018, winning the trophy triggered a clause in Modrić's contract, ensuring his stay at the club until 2021.
January 2022: Supercopa de España Final
On 16 January 2022, Luka Modrić scored the first goal in the 2022 Supercopa de España Final and was named Man of the Match, as Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2–0. The goal made him the oldest goalscorer in the history of the competition.
June 2022: Contract renewed until 2023
On 8 June 2022, Luka Modrić renewed his contract with Real Madrid until 2023.
August 2022: First goal and assist of the season
On 20 August 2022, Luka Modrić landed his first goal and assist of the season in a 4–1 away victory over Celta Vigo in a La Liga fixture.
2022: Release of Captains Docuseries
In 2022, FIFA released Captains, an eight-part sports docuseries produced by Fulwell 73, following six national team captains in their respective 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. Luka Modrić, representing Croatia, starred in the first season. It was released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA+'s streaming platform.
2022: World Cup Qualifying Appearances
Throughout the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, Luka Modrić made seven appearances, scoring three goals and assisting twice.
June 2023: UEFA Nations League Semi-Final Victory
On 14 June 2023, Luka Modrić led Croatia to victory over the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, where he was named Man of the Match. Croatia eventually lost to Spain in the final.
2023: 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
In 2023, Luka Modrić helped the team advance to the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals.
April 2024: Oldest Real Madrid player in Champions League
On 30 April 2024, Luka Modrić became the oldest Real Madrid player to make an appearance in the Champions League, at the age of 38 years and 234 days.
July 2024: Contract extended until 2025 and becoming captain
On 17 July 2024, Luka Modrić extended his contract until 2025 and became captain of the team following the departure of Nacho.
January 2025: Scoring first goal of the season and joining top ten on all-time appearances
On 3 January 2025, Luka Modrić scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season during a 2–1 away victory over Valencia, and became the oldest player to score for Real Madrid in all competitions. Additionally, in January 2025, he made his 561st appearance for the club, joining the top ten on Real Madrid's all-time appearances list.
May 2025: Leaving Real Madrid after 13 years
On 22 May 2025, it was announced that Luka Modrić would leave Real Madrid after 13 years at the club, following the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. On 24 May 2025 he played his last home game with the club at the Santiago Bernabéu .
July 2025: Joins AC Milan
In July 2025, Luka Modrić left Real Madrid and joined Serie A club AC Milan on a free transfer.
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