Welcome to the Modric supremacy. Yes, it has been a while. But we’re here now. For Luka Modric the ascent to the summit has been 15 years in the making, from having his ankles hacked raw at Zrinjski Mostar to running more metres aged 32 than any other player at Russia 2018, in the process driving Croatia to the verge of the first genuine small-nation underdog victory in World Cup history.
Sport does not normally work like this. Athletes do not improve every year for more than a decade. Small, pigeon-toed men who don’t score goals, and whose elfin on-field presence is reminiscent even now of a small boy dressed up as a witch, do not make the step up to galáctico at the world’s most glamorous club.
Written by Barney Ronay in Moscow
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/14/luka-modric-worlds-greatest-croatia-france-world-cup-final under the title “The Modric supremacy: why Croatia’s talisman should win the Ballon d’Or | Barney Ronay”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
