Many people have seen a screenshot of Modric herding sheep in the mountains, but Modric's parents are not herders deep in the mountains, but factory workers, and those sheep were raised by his grandfather. Modric was brought up by his grandfather, the last of the local foothills, a small stone house where Modric spent most of his childhood.
His grandfather, also named Luca, was a railway mechanic and a lover of life, and he also raised more than a hundred sheep and chickens and rabbits, so Modric had endless milk products here when he was a child. Anyway, Modric messed with his grandfather every day when he was a child, and his grandfather also liked little Luca, taking him to contact nature all kinds of play all day, and sleeping at night, Modric lived a carefree and beautiful childhood, grandpa is the object that Modric relies on the most and the source of security, and his grandfather's good qualities are also deeply transmitted to Modric, who established the value that family is the cornerstone of everything in his heart at that time.
However, all the joy and goodness was completely shattered when Modric was 6 years old. When war broke out in Croatia in 1991, Modric's grandfather was shot dead by Serb militants one day near his home. You can imagine how painful and sad this was for 6-year-old Modric, whose memories still often go back to that day, when he missed his grandfather Luca, and last April the Magic Flute returned with his father to his former home in his hometown of Zadar, which was destroyed by war, so only ruins remain.
The war changed the lives of the Modric family completely, and they were forced to join Modric's uncle Zeliko, the twin brother of Modric's father. During that war years, Modric's family was displaced, and Modric lived in the "Children's Village" refugee camp for four months, and then they were relocated to a wartime hotel, and for a long time the family of four was forced to sleep in a bed, and then his father volunteered to join the army, and Modric often did not see his father.
In this difficult living environment, God opened a window for Modric, because in this placement hotel, there are many children of the same age as Modric, Modric has enriched his social life, and often plays football with boys older than his age in the parking lot here, and then receives formal training from youth training institutions under the cultivation and dedication of his father, which has gone through all difficulties to embark on the road of football.
Modric's football career has not been smooth sailing and has been bumpy.
At the end of 2001, Modric was selected by Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb and officially began his career. In the 2003–04 season , when Modric was 18 years old, Dinamo Zagreb loaned him to FC Mostar Zliniski in the Bosnian Premier League. That season, Modric made 22 appearances in the Bosnian Premier League, scoring 8 goals and was named Premier League Footballer of the Year.
In the 2004–05 season, Modric returned to the Croatian league on loan at Enkel Zagreb, where he helped the team finish runners-up in the Croatian league and was named Croatia's Hope of the Year.
In 2005, Modric returned to Dinamo Zagreb after his loan term. From the 2005–06 season, Modric quickly established himself as a regular in the Dinamo Zagreb squad thanks to his outstanding performances, and the team signed him to a 10-year contract. In the 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, Modric helped the team win three consecutive Croatian League titles and was named Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
On 26 April 2008 , Tottenham Hotspur Football Club announced that the team had reached an agreement with Dinamo Zagreb on the transfer of Modric.
On 3 November 2010, Modric assisted Rafael van der Vaart to open the scoring in Tottenham's game against defending champions Inter Milan in the group stage of the Champions League, helping the team to a 3–1 victory. Tottenham overwhelmed Inter Milan to qualify for Group A and beat AC Milan in the knockout round to reach the last eight (losing to Real Madrid). Modric was also named Tottenham's Player of the Year in 2010-11 and Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2011.
On 27 August 2012, Real Madrid officially announced the signing of Modric, and Tottenham Hotspur officially announced the news. On 6 March 2013, in the second leg of the Champions League 1/8 final against Manchester United, Modric scored in the 66th minute to draw 1-1; In the 69th minute, Modric orchestrated a goal to help his team win 2-1 and advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate.
In the 2013-14 season, Modric made 51 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing nine assists; In La Liga, Modric made 1987 passes, the most successful player in Real Madrid, and was elected the best midfielder in La Liga; In the Champions League, Modric played 972 minutes and made 741 passes, ranking first in the team and being named in the Champions League squad.
In the 2015-16 season, Modric made 44 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing five assists, and was named the best midfielder in La Liga for the second time and the Champions League Team of the Year. In December 2016, Modric helped Real Madrid win the Club World Cup and won the Club World Cup Silver Ball.
In 2017, Modric was named to the 2017 FIFA Team of the Year, the third time Modric has been named to the FIFA Team of the Year. In the 2017-18 season, Modric made 43 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing eight assists, helping Real Madrid win the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and Champions League, achieving three consecutive Champions League titles, and was named in the Champions League Team of the Year for three consecutive years.
2018 can be described as a grand slam of Modric's career glory. The Magic Flute was named UEFA's Player of the Year 2017-18, becoming the fifth winner in the history of the award, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Messi's monopoly on the award for four consecutive years. Modric, meanwhile, defended his title as UEFA's best midfielder. On September 25, 2018, the FIFA Annual Awards ceremony was held, and Modric was named in the 2018 FIFA Team of the Year and was named World Footballer of the Year (FIFA Player of the Year), breaking the 10-year monopoly of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the best player in the world. On December 4, Modric won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first player to win the three individual honours of the World Cup, World Footballer of the Year and Ballon d'Or in the same year.
In the 2020-21 season, Modric made 48 appearances for the team in all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists, and was named Croatia's best player.
In 2021-22, Modric made 45 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring three goals and providing 12 assists, helping the team win the Champions League and being named in the Champions League Team of the Season.
Modric has won the Champions League five times
In the 2022-23 season, Modric made 52 appearances for Real Madrid, started 35 times, scored 6 goals and 6 assists, was named to the best La Liga team and was named Croatia's best player. Modric has turned down a hefty offer from Saudi side Riyadh Crescent this season and renewed his contract with Real Madrid until 2024.
While many players are leaving the top five leagues, Modric continues to write his career in Europe's top leagues. The magic flute sounds melodious!