Modric, two years of his brand new Ballon d'Or

Luka Modric is in top form despite his 35 years. In fact, Zidane has used him in all the matches of the month of November, after having had some tough substitutions to assume for the Croatian like the Camp Nou in the Classic. But his capacity for sacrifice, his talent in organizing the game (which is still intact) and his leadership in the dressing room have allowed him to regain the confidence of Zidane, who once again includes him in his eleven as a key piece of the team. In addition, Luka is in luck because just today, December 3, marks two years of the happiest day of his sports life. On 3-D of 2018, the Croatian received his Ballon d'Or, which accredited him that year as the best soccer player on the planet.

The boy who survived with his grandparents in the Balkan War made history, being the first player capable of winning the Ballon d'Or ending the hegemony led by Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in a prodigious decade in which the Portuguese and the Argentine shared those ten golden balls. The ceremony was held at the Grand Palais in Paris and Modric was proud of how he had won in the vote (753 points) his friend and former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo (478) and Griezmann (414), who was third. Mbappé was fourth, with 347, and Messi, fifth, with 280. Modric had that award thanks to his impressive World Cup with Croatia, leading a team that was runner-up and only lost in the final to Pogba, Kanté, Mbappé, Varane and Griezmann's France. In addition, that year he won the Champions League (the 13th in Kiev) and was key both with Madrid and with the chess team. Modric days later dedicated his brand new Ballon d'Or to the white fans at the Bernabéu, who adore him. Modric ends his contract on June 30, 2021 and hopes that the club will renew him one more year because he has already shown his desire to retire from football “in Madrid”.