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What's the story?
Despite having been recognised as the best player of 2018, Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has maintained that no player in history can compare to the greatness of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
In case you didn't know...
Croatian star Modric capped off an incredible year with a maiden Ballon d'Or win at the French capital on Monday.
His exploits at the FIFA World Cup which led to Croatia's first ever finals was the highlight of his year, together with a third consecutive UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid which propelled him to the centre of the award season.
The Croatian has hit the award treble in 2018, having won the UEFA Best Player of the Year award, the Best FIFA Men's Player award and most recently, the Ballon d'Or.
The Ballon d'Or win was also special as it marked the end of the decade-long Messi-Ronaldo duopoly over the award.
The heart of the matter
Calciomercato has now reported that despite winning the Ballon d'Or, Modric keeps the five-time winners in high regard as he insists that nobody can compare to them.
In an interview with France Football (via Calciomercato), Modric said, "No one can be compared to them in history, they are the best of this sport, they are of another level. They have not finished yet. In history, my Ballon d'Or victory will always be recognized after theirs. I'm just a player from small Croatia."
The Los Blancos star also revealed that former Real boss Zinedine Zidane had told him that he would win the Golden Ball: "I needed to feel like a key player of the team, with him we played really good football. He told me that one day I would win the Golden Ball. The story of Zidane says these things, he gives you confidence, I admired him and respected him as a player."
What's next?
Real Madrid will next face Melilla in a Copa del Rey fixture tomorrow.
