Luka Modrić (pronounced [lûːka mǒːdritɕ];[4][5] born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains both La Liga club Real Madrid and the Croatia national team.

"[55] After the appointment of manager Harry Redknapp, Modrić was given a more familiar role as a central or left-sided midfielder, allowing him to have more influence on the team and use his footballing talent more productively, for example in a 4–4 draw with arch-rivals Arsenal on 29 October.

[83] Speculation continued throughout the summer transfer window, culminating in Modrić refusing to play in Tottenham's opening match of the 2011–12 season against Manchester United, which ended in a 3–0 loss.

[93][94] Two days later, he made his Real Madrid debut against Barcelona in the second leg final of the 2012 Supercopa de España at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, replacing Mesut Özil in the 83rd minute.

[95] Despite his positive debut, Modrić at first struggled to settle into the team under manager José Mourinho because of his lack of pre-season training, which he missed as a result of his ongoing transfer negotiations.

[96] His most notable match that year was on 4 December, when he assisted for the first two goals of Cristiano Ronaldo and José Callejón with cross-field passes in a 4–1 victory over Ajax in the group stage of the Champions League.

In his 100th appearance for the club,[115] Modrić assisted for the first goal in the second leg 4–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, helping Real Madrid reach the final for the first time in 12 years.

[143] It was seen in the first three matches, wins against Deportivo La Coruña and Sporting Gijón and a draw against Real Betis, in which Modrić was praised for creating chances, his positioning and overall performance and influence.

[155] Modrić was a regular starter when Real Madrid won the 2016–17 La Liga,[156][157] as well as the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, where he provided the assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal in the final against Juventus.

[196] From 27 February to 5 March, Modrić went through what he described as "the most difficult week of his football life,"[197] with Real Madrid losing to Barcelona twice and Ajax and crashing out of Copa del Rey, title race and the Champions League, respectively.

[203] Although raising doubts due to age of 34 and decision to continue playing with the national team which makes him prone to injuries,[204] Modrić stated that wants to "recapture his best form this season".

[209] Following the continuation of La Liga after a three-month suspension due to COVID-19 pandemic, Modrić was praised for being one of Real Madrid's best players despite his age, resulting in numerous media outlets wondering about prolongation of his contract with the club.

[213] The goal made him the fourth player in the history of the club to score in the competition aged 35 or more, alongside Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Francisco Gento.

Praised for attacking and defensive performances in both games,[227][228][229] because of a long-range trivela assist for Rodrygo in the crucial moment of the second leg was named Man of the Match as well as voted Player of the Week by UEFA.

[254] Furthermore, he clinched his fourth La Liga title with Real Madrid following that victory, thus matching Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Nacho's record as the club's most decorated player with 25 trophies.

[260] On 19 October, he became the oldest player to feature in a competitive match for Real Madrid in a 2–1 away victory over Celta Vigo, aged 39 years and 40 days, surpassing previous record of Puskás in 1966.

[268] With the appointment of new manager Slaven Bilić, Modrić earned greater recognition at international level; he scored his first goal in Croatia's 2–0 friendly win over world champions Italy on 16 August 2006 in Livorno.

[269] Modrić's performances ensured a regular place in the international side and he gave a successful showing in Croatia's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, which included home and away victories against England.

[48][272] Modrić scored Croatia's first goal of Euro 2008, converting a penalty in the fourth minute of their 1–0 victory against hosts Austria on 8 June 2008 and becoming the team's youngest ever goalscorer at the European Championships (aged 22 years and 273 days).

The most memorable moment of the match came when Modrić picked the ball on the halfway line skipping Spain's midfield trio, rushing down on the right to reach the penalty area where he evaded a defender and with a trivela crossed from 18 yd (16 m) to Ivan Rakitić, but Iker Casillas saved this attempt.

[326][327][328] In the quarter-finals against hosts Russia on 7 July, Modrić provided an assist in extra-time for Domagoj Vida from a corner kick, and once again scored in the victorious penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw; he was named Man of the Match for the third time in the tournament.

[361] On 25 March 2023, in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Wales, Modrić became the oldest ever player to play a game for Croatia―aged 37 years, 6 months and 16 days―surpassing Dražen Ladić's record set in 1999.

[370] In the last group stage match against Italy, he had his penalty saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but scored a goal a minute later, becoming the oldest goalscorer at the European competition and overpassing Ivica Vastić for 32 days.

He has been widely applauded by many footballing pundits, managers, and fellow players for his swift passing and long range shots, both often in the style of the trivela technique, as well as his composure and ability to evade tackles under pressure.

[378] A former attacking midfielder, Modrić is considered a veteran of the "pre-assist" or build-up play, often creating space and time for his teammates to shoot or deliver goal-bound passes to other players.

[390] Afterwards, Modrić acknowledged the role that Harry Redknapp played in shaping of deep-lying his style, saying that dropping back enabled him "to read the game better" and show his full "creativity".

[392][393] According to Jonathan Wilson, in a 4–2–3–1 system Modrić is a third type of a holding midfielder, being "neither entirely destructive or creative", but a "carrier" who – courtesy of his dribbling ability and attacking drive – is "capable of making late runs or carrying the ball at his feet", but in his case "with a hint of regista".

[390][397] By the 2011–12 season statistically he was among the top-rated central and all-round midfielders across the top five leagues, alongside players like Xabi Alonso, Andrea Pirlo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xavi.

[401][402] In the first half of the 2013–14 season, during which he formed an effective central midfield partnership with Alonso and Ángel Di María, Modrić made more tackles (56) than any other Real Madrid player in La Liga with an average number of 2.86 tackles per match, as well as making the most completed passes (878) in the opposition half of the pitch among Real Madrid players, with the highest passing accuracy in La Liga (90%) (also the highest of any midfielder in Europe's top five leagues who have made five or more assists during the season).

[50][427][428][429] Predrag Mijatović considered him as the best footballer in the history of the Balkans,[430] while Andrés Iniesta, Andriy Shevchenko, Rio Ferdinand, Jan Oblak, and others called him one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game.