He is a 38-year-old midfield maestro and a Ballon d'Or winner who broke Melo's monopoly. At the club, he won the Grand Slam of team and individual honours, but he couldn't help Croatia break to zero, even if they were so close to doing so.
He's Luka Modric.
With Croatia eliminated, we are also officially waving goodbye to the peak of the stadium magician's career. Today, let's walk into the story of Modric.
[Can a skinny child play professional football?] 】
Modric was born in 1985 in the Croatian town of Zadar, where his parents were workers in a nearby woollen factory. As the eldest in the family, Modric took on the responsibility of the eldest son at a young age, and the most common thing he did was to help his grandfather herd sheep.
In 1990, a journalist filmed a documentary about wolves in Croatia. At the time of the shooting, a five-year-old sheep herding child appeared in the camera. Yes, that's Modric who strayed into the camera.
Under the care of his grandfather and parents, Modric had a happy childhood. However, the sudden outbreak of the Yugoslav civil war turned Modric's life upside down. His grandfather died at the hands of extremists, and he and his parents became refugees. In those days, football became the only way for him and his friends to relieve stress, and whenever the air raid sirens subsided, the children would return to the potholed open space and start playing football again.
The experience of playing football on the ruins made Modric fall in love with football. In 1998, Croatia participated in the World Cup for the first time after independence, and achieved a good third place in the World Cup in France. After watching the whole thing on TV, Modric strengthened his determination to become a professional footballer.
However, his emaciated body became an obstacle to his dreams. Modric recalls: "When I was a child, a lot of people thought I was like a disabled person on a football field, and I was labelled as unsuccessful. ”
At the age of 8, he became a member of the first team for Dinamo Zagreb. For the next three years, he was loaned from club to side, sometimes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes to the lower leagues, until he returned to Dinamo Zagreb in 2005. Fortunately, after his return, Modric quickly established himself in the team. After two years of running-in, he scored 15 goals in 2007/08, a statistic that earned him a place in Croatia's squad for Euro 2008.
It was the performance at that European Championship that led Modric to receive an invitation from Tottenham Hotspur.
That year, he was 23 years old.
[From Tottenham to Real Madrid]
When he first arrived at Tottenham, there were many people in the club who looked down on Modric's small size and felt that he could not play in the Premier League at all. However, it turned out that Modric was not only able to establish himself at Tottenham, but also brought a different landscape to the Premier League.
On the field, he controlled the ball with his foot skills, showed his presence with his running ability, and his superb and consistent performance day after day finally silenced those who doubted him...... Instead, it was the praise of his teammates.
Lennon said, "Luka Modric, he's put us on a level where we can compete with other big teams, you can't get the ball from his feet. ”
In 2010, Tottenham returned to Champions League action after almost 50 years. The bigger stage allowed more people to see Modric's ability, and he also began to receive secret gifts from major giants. One night in the summer of 2012, Modric received a text message on his phone: "Hi Luca, I'll call you after training today." “
The text message was signed with one name: Jose Mourinho.
A few hours later, Mourinho called: "I want you to be in my squad next season, I like you very much, I am very sure: you will be a great player at Real Madrid. ”
That summer, Luka Modric took the biggest step of his career aboard the Galaxy.
In his first season at Real Madrid, Modric's performance was not good, and he was even named the worst signing of the year by the Spanish media.
Fortunately, in the knockout round of the Champions League in the 2012-13 season, substitute Luka Modric defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford with a world wave. "That goal gave me recognition in Spain," he said. It could even be said that that goal was a turning point in my career at Real Madrid. ”
Since that game, he's been playing more and more minutes and getting better and better. In the 2013-14 Champions League final, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid faced off at the top of Europe. In the 36th minute, Atletico Madrid took advantage of a corner kick opportunity to complete the goal, Casillas made a mistake in judging the attack, and Godin scored with a header. Real Madrid trailed until stoppage time, but at 92:48, Ramos received a corner kick from Luka Modric and leaped high to head the ball into the back of the net. This goal not only dragged the game into extra time, but also ultimately made the team's comeback.
This hard-won Champions League trophy is the first time that Modric has touched the highest honor.
From that moment on, Modric's mentality began to change.
The inferiority complex caused by being looked down upon from childhood to adulthood was diluted by the champions after him. Luka Modric finally looked at himself: "I'm a real top player".
The positive attitude was also brought to the national team by him. In the group stage of Euro 2016 against Turkey, Modric scored a beautiful volley to help Croatia get the crucial three points; In the 1/8 final against Portugal, Modric and his teammates dragged the opponent into extra time, but were killed in the 117th minute of the game.
Although it was a defeat that was difficult for Modric to accept, fans all over the world knew that Croatia were by no means underdogs.
In the 2018 World Cup, Modric made a comeback with his teammates. They overcame their opponents all the way to the final. Although he lost to France in the end, Modric said: "Reaching the World Cup final is already the greatest glory of my life. ”
Yes, even the craziest Croatian fans did not think that their home country would be able to reach the World Cup final. After the final, Croatian fans greeted the national team in almost the same way as they welcomed the hero. It was also that year that the Ballon d'Or judges decided to award the trophy to Luka Modric. The moment the Magic Flute lifted the Golden Ball, it not only made Croatian history, but also broke the ten-year monopoly of Messi and Ronaldo on this award.
However, Modric was 33 years old that year.
[The ageless magic flute, it has paid a lot]
In this field that is called a veteran after the age of 30, 33 years old is an age that falls off a cliff in minutes. However, none of this happened to Modric. In order to take care of his body, Modric only rests about 10 days a year, and spends most of his time focusing on training, focusing on injury prevention, and focusing on a healthy lifestyle. When asked in an interview about the secret of maintaining a high standard even after the age of 35, Modric replied: "I don't know how to answer, I can only say that I live for football 24 hours a day." ”
Yes, Modric has done a lot behind the scenes in order to have a longer career. Teammates say that the Magic Flute is not only strict with himself, but simply harsh. In May 2023, Real Madrid suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat to Manchester City, and Modric, who started the game, performed poorly, making many mistakes, and after the game, the staff heard Modric in the dressing room criticize themselves:
"Luka, you're playing like a disaster!"
No matter how rebellious the player is, it is difficult to resist the invasion of time.
As he got older, Real Madrid stockpiled young players in the midfield area and Luka Modric's appearances at the club began to decline, with the bench becoming a regular spot for him, sitting on the bench, waiting for Carlo Ancelotti to call, and then putting on the pitch and charging again.
Because in his heart, there is still a long-cherished wish that has not been fulfilled. He wants to wear the Croatian shirt again and fight for glory for the national team again.
Finally, he is in the squad for Euro 2024, the first player in Croatia's history to have played in all five European Championships.
In the first round of the group stage of the European Championship, Croatia played against Spain, 38-year-old Modric and 16-year-old Yamal competed together, and the age difference between the two was 21 years and 280 days, which was the largest age gap between the two players in the same game in the history of the European Championship.
Hearing about this particular record, Modric smiled and said, "Yes, I also feel old enough. ”
In the final round of the group stage, he scored a goal in the 54th minute to become the oldest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship. In the 80th minute, with three points of reluctance and seven points for fear of being substituted, he bit his shirt on the bench and watched for 18 minutes, and then waited for the opponent's 98-minute goal. In the 94th minute, in the 98th minute, two goalless goals from Albania and Italy almost sent away Croatia's golden generation in the most brutal way.
Kim Sang-kai, who served as the commentator of the match between Italy and Croatia, lamented the heroic twilight of the Magic Flute. 'Maybe his European Championship campaign is over, but he's still the best midfielder since Andrea Pirlo.
Commentator Cai Huiqiang empathized: "It is very rare for a player like the Magic Flute to be able to play the No. 6, No. 8 and No. 10 positions, and it will be a loss for football if he retires. For fans, Modric's departure should be a youthful farewell. ”
In Su Dong's eyes, in addition to age, the magic flute's hot heart for football is still passionate, as melodious as a rhapsody. "The original intention has never changed, what has changed is only the departure of the old friend, and he is left to support him alone."
In the final game of the group stage, Luka Modric won the Man of the Match. There was loss on his face, but more of a feeling of emotion. Obviously, he is reluctant to let his beloved football go, and the fans are reluctant to see him leave.
Because in world football, Modric is really pleasing to the eye.
He is dashing and humble, and can charm the mind in the midst of thousands of troops, and unexpectedly pluck the ball out of the crowd; can also fight hard in the bloody flames and smoke, and rush to the bottom line at the last minute to participate in the defense. In his 20-year career, he has danced with time and football, leaving countless smart and romantic moments on the green field.
Even though he is about to say goodbye to the World Series stage, fans who have watched him play will still proudly tell their children many years later:
"The best Modric I've ever seen."
"He's as talented as an elf, and he's as tall as a giant."
Author: Ned