Page 17 - Soccer360 Issue 107

DID YOU KNOW?
Growing up during the Croatian War of Independence, Luka Modric faced numerous challenges. His childhood home was destroyed by bombs, and his family was even forced to live in a refugee hotel. Despite the hardships, Modric Persevered and used his love for football as an escape.
Despite his incredible success and acclaim, Luka Modri? remains humble both on and off the field. He is known for his respectful attitude towards opponents, teammates,
and the sport of football in general.
due to that very childhood trauma that contributed to making Modric so special then and now. And as his career progressed, Modric surpassed every contemporary with whom he was compared. And even as I concoct this little tribute, I cannot think of team anywhere which he wouldn’t waltz into. From the carnage of war arose one
of Real Madrid’s, and football’s, greatest all-time midfielders, still playing like a fifteen-year-old at an unbelievable level
at an age when most ex-players have already had at least three failed managerial appointments or have taken to airwaves
to prove that although they were decent players they’re no better than the rest
of us when it comes to punditry. But to draw just a minor comparison, Modric is fourteen years older than current England and Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher who is lauded by fans for his energy, and his non-stop running away from the lion that is obviously on the pitch at the same time as he is. And yet Modric’s footballing brain can cover more ground in a nano- second that Gallagher’s legs can carry him for a complete ninety minutes. This is in no way meant to be disrespectful of Conor Gallagher who is a decent player. But it truly is remarkable what football intelligence does for the legs!
WHAT MAKES HIM SO GREAT?
Modric’s footballing uniqueness is not based upon any single identifiable trait.
He is not defined by those seemingly nonchalant, outside-of-the-boot passes,
or by mere outrageous talent, which is something many players also possess. Even at his current age he still possesses drive, and persistence. The man is a footballing will-o’-the-wisp who is rarely if ever injured which itself is a minor miracle given his physicality because he has the mental willpower to always take care of his body, plus it’s virtually impossible to get the ball off of him. As such, Modric doesn’t compete with others, but with himself. But when you put the great man under the microscope it becomes a little more apparent as to why he is the player he is. He isn’t just a central midfielder; he is the central player more often than not in every game in which he starts. His ability to link play so effectively and be both protector and supplier is borne out of his immaculate technical ability. For as long as I have watched him play, Modric has retained that vision and ability to pick passes between the lines as he ghosts into various areas of the pitch which always seem full of space. Moreover, his uncanny ability to maintain such a high level in the final third, without it negatively affecting
his defensive duties, is part of what makes him such an asset to both club and country. Whenever he plays, he is usually Real’s instigator of attacks, the dictator of tempo and a player who possesses a symphony
of long and short-range passing as well as the ability to smash one in from anywhere outside the penalty box. Yet what makes him truly amazing is that spends almost one hundred per-cent of the entire ninety minutes behind the ball, available for receiving a pass but also available to shift across and close down passing channels should Real’s own attacks break down. And whenever Real lose the ball high up field, and the initial line of forwards either
finds himself in what looks like acres of space. Granted, there are many Central midfielders who possess the technical and physical prowess to play both offensively and defensively. There are few, though, who can match Modric for the capacity
to do both simultaneously on account of the intelligence of his movement and his unrivalled reading of the game. And of course, there are even fewer who match him for an ability to be a match-winner, thanks to his relentless ability to see a pass and pick it out from any angle on the pitch. So, there you are. Luka Modric. For my money, the greatest midfielder of his generation.
But I think it only fitting that the last word on the great man be left to his manager who knows him better than most. For the rest of us we can all take pleasure in the fact the when Modric bestrode the midfield world ‘we were there.’
don’t challenge or don’t win back the ball quickly, Modric is often the one to break out of his middle line and attempt to force the opposition sideways or backwards. And it remains uncanny how, unlike so many of the world’s midfield players who move away from the man on the ball to receive it, Modric is without exception aways moving towards his teammate to receive it and yet every time he does it he
ABOVE, RIGHT:
Modric excelled
at Real Madrid while playing with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo
RIGHT:
Croatia’s Luka Modric holds the World Cup’s Best Player trophy and France’s Kylian Mbappe holds the World Cup’s Best Young Player Trophy after winning 4-2 the 2018 FIFA World cup final
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