LUKA LUKA MODRIC MODRIC CHAAAAA AAAAAAA Words Ivan Tomic Photography Pablo Garcia AMPIOnS From playing under Zidane and inspiring Harry Winks to winning it all at Real Madrid, Luka Modric is uncharacteristically talkative as we pop round for a cuppa while nosing around his massive trophy room LUKA LUKA MODRIC MODRIC t’s not every day you get to have my best final in Cardiff. My performance was the a nose around the trophy room result of our level of tactical preparation for that one game, and when I think back to the final, the “THE DRIVE TO RETAIn THE of a Champions League winner – especially when that player is overwhelming feeling I have is pride. I’d worked known for keeping a low profile. my whole life for that moment, so to become the Luka Modric’s genius has been first team ever to successfully defend the title of CHAMPIOnS LEAGUE TITLE renowned for several years, but European champions in the Champions League 2017 felt like the year in which format is something special. the playmaker finally cemented WAS UnBELIEVABLE – WE his status among the elite class Was that the perfect night for you – the sort of of modern footballers. performance you have been working towards His trademark scheming in the your whole life? WERE ALL PREPARED TO heart of the Real Madrid midfield Like every other child who has grown up kicking not only helped Los Blancos win a football, I had always dreamed about winning a 12th European Cup, but halted the Champions League. Now I can say that I not DIE FOR EACH OTHER” a lengthy – by their standards – only won it but also that I was a key protagonist five-year wait for a La Liga title. on a truly great night. The whole thing is a dream He is also now captain of the Croatia national come to life – maybe even better. team (“I can’t describe the emotion this honour arouses in me, not even in a million words”) and As you already mentioned, no team had ever will head to Russia hoping to inspire his side to retained the Champions League. Was making something like the Vatreni’s famous France 98 history a big motivation for the team? exploits, rather than the wretched group-stage Definitely. The determination inside that dressing exit four years ago. room to make history was unbelievable. We were First, there’s the small matter of retaining that all so motivated to do it and we were prepared to Champions League crown. His trophy room may die for each other. That is natural. If you were to need an extension... speak to most of the players in any great team of the past, they would tell you that they felt the It’s safe to say 2017 was a good year for you. same way about their mission. We were always How would you sum it up? really happy and excited whenever the Tuesday It was the best year of my career so far. First of or Wednesday of a European game came round. all, if you look at it from the perspective of Real We couldn’t wait for those matches – even if we Madrid, last year was the most successful in the had just had a bad weekend in La Liga and not club’s history. We won both the league title and picked up three points, we always knew that we Champions League in the same year for the first could fix that in the Champions League. time since the 1950s, then also the Supercopa, One of the main reasons we were able to retain UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. Then, on the trophy was that Real Madrid have always had a personal level, I’ve been fortunate enough to a winning mentality by default. That attitude was pick up some individual awards, including being key and helped us in some very tough moments, selected in the Champions League Team of the such as extra time against Bayern Munich in the Year and La Liga Team of the Year. If you add in quarter-final. We always picture ourselves as the the fact that Croatia qualified for the World Cup winners at the end of every game. The club sets in Russia, I think it’s fairly safe to say 2017 was itself the biggest possible goals at the beginning a perfect year for me. The previous few seasons were also successful, Above Luka looks back of each season and, to be honest, I think we did it the Real Madrid way. but I believe I produced my best ever football during 2017. Thankfully, with FFT on a glorious We’re not called Real Madrid without reason and I think we, as a team, that was crowned with those trophies for the team – that’s the most year: “It’s fairly safe to have managed to justify that adjective. important thing, after all. say 2017 was perfect – I produced the best You moved to Spain in 2012, but last season was the first time you You were also voted Champions League Midfielder of the Year and football of my career” won La Liga. That must have been a big relief? ranked fifth in the Ballon d’Or standings. What do those individual Yes it was, because that was the only trophy I hadn’t been able to get awards mean to you? my hands on during my Real Madrid career. So I was as motivated as They mean a lot, of course. It’s difficult to put into words how much it it is possible to be. It is very, very tough to win La Liga when you’re up means when you get rewarded for your hard work and dedication in against clubs like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but that adds special each game and training session. It reflects the consistency of my good value to this trophy. I consider La Liga the hardest national league in form. I feel consistency is the highest achievement a player can reach. the world to win. Hopefully it won’t be the last time I win it. I want and Also, I have to mention my team-mates and the whole club – I know expect to win it again in the future. this will sound very familiar, but behind every individual award stands good teamwork. I couldn’t have achieved any of this without all of my Was there one moment during the La Liga run-in that you thought, team-mates and Real provide you with the best team-mates possible. ‘Finally, this is going to be the year’? I wouldn’t say that any one match stood out in the second half of the You played particularly well in the Champions League final against season, because literally every game was like a cup final for us. Barça Juventus. What are your memories of it? were always very close behind us in the league table, so we knew we I think that final was the best performance by our team in any of the couldn’t afford any slip-ups. The Clasico at the Bernabeu in April was three Champions League finals I’ve played in, but yes, I personally had fantastic for fans of good football. It was a real exhibition of quality, 74 March 2018 FourFourTwo.com LUKA LUKA MODRIC MODRIC entertaining football – it was just unfortunate for us that Barça won it in the last minute. We knew that a draw would have been a very good “THE HARDEST PART IS BEInG THE result for us, given our advantage in the table, but we wanted to win that match more than any other. We had to play the last 15 minutes without Sergio Ramos after his sending-off, but still managed to score an equaliser through James Rodriguez. At that moment we were going BEST YEAR AFTER YEAR. AT REAL to get a draw with 10 men on the field. Then Barcelona won a throw-in and we played very high up the pitch because we wanted to win, even with 10 players. The rest is history. That goal from Lionel Messi in the THE EXPECTATIOnS ARE SO HIGH – final seconds was a real heartbreaker for us, but we didn’t let that loss destroy our spirit. Actually, it was the exact opposite – Barcelona went a point ahead of us that day, but we became even stronger and won BUT WE BELIEVE In OUR QUALITY” La Liga at the end of the season. How are you able to maintain such a high level of performance for This time around, Real finished second in their Champions League might not. I’m always willing to listen to his advice, and our working club and country, year after year? group and are a long way behind Barcelona in La Liga. The season relationship is really strong. He’s also got enough experience to know Consistency is the most important thing in modern football. Without has not exactly gone to plan, has it…? when to let players go and play with freedom – an approach that has that, it’s very hard to succeed. I have been blessed with a career that No, we expected better results, but that’s football. Last season some helped us a lot and brought much success. has gradually and steadily got better and better since my early days. things went our way – for example we won a few games during added The hardest part isn’t reaching the top level, but to continue being the time.