Finally, the FIFA Award for Best Men’s player 2018 goes to Luca Modric in the ceremony held in London, England. The Real Madrid midfielder defeated two strong candidates – Christiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.
Modric was quick to congratulate the likes of Ronaldo and Mo Salah. In the moving speech, he also said, “This trophy is not just mine. It’s for all my teammates from Real Madrid and Croatia national team.” In addition to the winning speech, he gratefully thanked his family.
From the votes of 13 panelists including national football captains, national coaches, FIFA appointed journalist who monitored the outstanding football players within the period from 3rd July 2017 to 15 July 2018, Modric triumphed with 29% voting. Ronaldo and Salah followed with 19% and 11.2% votes respectively.
In 2017/2018, Luca Modric in fact had a fantastic season. He managed to bring Madrid to secure the Champions League trophy three times in a row. Moreover, the most memorable moment is when he, as the Croatia’s captain, sent the team until final of World Cup 2018.
For a person who has achieved so much, stood out for his team so many times, he is still firmly on the ground and that’s what makes him all the more special.
Modric mentioned that the award is a result of hardwork to fulfill his dream. He expressed his gratitude to Croation team in World Cup 1998. David Suker, as captain, managed to bring the team to semifinal which inspired him to be a footballer. That time, Modric was just 12.
Born in small city, Zadar, he was surrounded by civil war. Due to the conflicts, he has to be evacuated and lived in border of Zadar. That time, his interest in football caught the eye of local coach, Josip Bajlo. At 12, Modric got the chance to join in the selection in a bigger club, but failed. He ended up in the club named Dinamo Zagreb. His performance in the club was outstanding that Tottenham Hotspurs signed him in 2008.
He played so well in Hotspur that Madrid finally bought him over in 2012. In the later team, his career standed out even more. Before winning FIFA best player, he has won Best European Player 2017-2018 and Golden Ball in World cup 2018. The 33 year old player has accomplished the dream of every football player.
Looking at Modric’s career, it seemed that he was telling that title is about hardwork and consistency. If you keep working hard and never give up, the times will come, even if it is at the edge of his career as football player.
