Croatia international and Real Madrid midfield maestro Luka Modric was awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or award on Monday night.
The Croat beat the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to lift the coveted individual prize which capped a remarkable year for the diminutive midfielder.
Et le vainqueur du #ballondor 2018 est… Luka Modric ! 👏 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/OhgLykPRpc
— la chaine L’Équipe (@lachainelequipe) December 3, 2018
Modric was overwhelmed with emotion upon the announcement.
He thanked his club, country and family…
La première réaction du Ballon d’Or France Football 2018, Luka Modric #ballondor https://t.co/bjJGR2lh2D pic.twitter.com/muAayhMq55
— la chaine L’Équipe (@lachainelequipe) December 3, 2018
…but he also mentioned the former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane who might have been the first one to truly believe Modric could win the Ballon d’Or.
“When Zidane became Madrid coach in January 2016, he called me to his office one day after training and told me how he saw me as a player and what he expected of me. He told me that I was an important player for him and, above all, that he saw me as a player who could win the Ballon d’Or.”, Modric revealed.
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