Luka Modric, the
Croatian football captain, plays as a midfielder for the Spanish club Real
Madrid. The 37-year-old player led Croatia to the FIFA World Cup 2022 semifinal.

The midfielder said, “You
could say we have the same DNA as Real Madrid because we always keep going
until the end, and never give up,” to El Chiringuito ahead of the semifinal
face-off with Argentina. 

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Who is Luka Modric?

Luka Modric was born
on September 9, 1985, in Zadar to father Stipe Modrić and mother Radojka
Modrić. His birth and childhood coincided with the Croatian War of
Independence. His father worked as a military mechanic who repaired cars for
Croatian soldiers at war and his mother was a textile worker. 

In 1992, despite the
difficult circumstances in the country, he joined a primary school and sporting
academy. After a good performance in NK Zadar’s youth team, he was signed by
Dinamo Zagreb in late 2001. His debut was for Dinamo in 2005 winning three
consecutive league titles and domestic cups and getting named the Prva HNL
Player of the Year in 2007.

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In 2008, he moved to
Tottenham Hotspur for a transfer fee of 16.5 million pounds. Modric joined Real
Madrid for a transfer fee of 30 million pounds in 2012. He became the first
Croatian player to play in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2015 which continued
till 2019. He was the first Croatian player to win the UEFA Men’s Player of the
Year Award in 2018. 

The midfielder made
his international debut for Croatia against Argentina in 2006. He has captained
Croatia’s “second Golden Generation,” in the UEFA Euro 2008, 2012, and 2016, as
well as 2006, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cup. He has been named the Croatian
Footballer of the Year a record eight times between 2007 and 2019.

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The 37-year-old mainly
plays as a central midfielder and less often as an attacking or a defensive
midfielder. He is widely recognised as one of the best midfielders of his
generation.