Luka Modrić

Luka Modrić (Croatian pronunciation: [lûːka mǒːdrit͡ɕ]; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Croatia national team. Modrić plays mainly as a central midfielder but can also play as an attacking and defensive midfielder.

After showing promise with his hometown club Zadar's youth team, Modrić was signed by Dinamo Zagreb in 2002. His professional career began with spells on loan to Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić. While he was playing for Dinamo Zagreb, they won three consecutive league titles and three domestic cups; with Modrić named Prva HNL "Player of the Year" in 2007. In 2008, he moved to English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, before moving to Real Madrid in mid-2012. In his second season at Real Madrid, the team won the UEFA Champions League.

Modrić made his debut as a Croatian international player against Argentina in March 2006; he has since participated in four major tournaments; the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008 and 2012. He scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Italy, and was included in the UEFA "Team of the Tournament" at the Euro 2008, becoming only the second Croatian to ever achieve this honour. Modrić became the first Croatian player to be included in the FIFA World XI.