#12 There’s proof that he’s Croatia’s finest
In the last decade, Modric has won Croatian Player of the Year on five occasions in 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2016 as well as having secured the Croatian Union’s ‘Football Oscar’ or best player of the year in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. This means that across the last ten years, Modric has failed to win an award recognising him as Croatia’s best talent in just three.
He has come a long way since winning the 2004 ‘Croatian Football Hope of the Year’ award and there are few players who’ve maintained such a high level of consistency across their respective careers.
#13 Croatia are unbeaten when Modric has scored
Modric has scored on eleven occasions for his nation and they’ve won ten of the eleven matches he’s scored in, drawing the other 2-2 with Ukraine. On top of that, Croatia have kept clean sheets in eight of the eleven games and have scored three or more goals in five of them.
Modric certainly makes a difference on match day and it shows that even after scoring a goal, he maintains complacency at the heart of midfield to help lead the side to victory.
#14 Upper Middle-Class Upbringing
Despite the turbulent political circumstances he was born into, Luka Modric’s family growing up were fairly affluent in comparison to others. His father Stipe Modric worked as an aeromechanic and joined the Croatian Army when the family were forced to flee the area, whilst his mother Rodojka worked as a textile worker.
Resultantly, his family were fairly well financially set-up by the time he grew into his teen years, despite false claims suggesting they wer so poor they could not afford shin pads for Luka.
On the contrary, in 1992, his family were able to play for Modric to enrol in a sporting academy. Had they not been able to fund this, who knows whether or not Modric would’ve been able to ascend the footballing hierarchy as he did.
