May 19, 2022 - Luka Modrić received the Marca Leyenda award, given by the respected Spanish newspaper to the best sports professionals in Spain.

Croatia captain Luka Modrić has been awarded another great recognition for his impressive career. On Wednesday, Modrić received the Marca Leyend award, given by the respected Spanish newspaper to the best sports professionals in Spain.

Luka arrived in the company of his wife, Vanja Modrić, and was accompanied by the director of Marca. The Modrić couple shone on the red carpet, took photos, and headed to their seats.

Luka walked into the hall of the Madrid casino through a line of kids in Real Madrid jerseys on one side and Croatia jerseys on the other. In his introductory words, he said that he was very emotional to receive this award, given to legends like Messi and Ronaldo.

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"I am aware of what the people at Real want from me; it is clear that this is something amazing, and I am very grateful for that love. I will do my best in every game to reciprocate that love. Real Madrid is everything to me. This is my home; I am very happy here. I am living these moments, and they make me very happy. I am just another 'Madridista; it's for life," said Modrić.

Former Croatia captain Zvonimir Boban and another Real Madrid legend, Emilio Butragueno, sent him a message at the award ceremony, calling Modrić, a real example for children.

"Modrić has spent many beautiful days in football; he is a special player, a special man, an exceptional person. He gave us exceptional football beauty, but becoming Marca's legend is something few of them experience. This award remains with him forever. Marca is a mythical world newspaper, not only in Spain but like Luka, in the world. We Croats are proud of you, Luka," said Boban. 

After six Croatian championships with Dinamo, the Croatia captain has won 19 trophies in the Real Madrid jersey. He also left a deep mark at Tottenham, and in 2018 he led the national team to the World Cup silver medal, where he was named the best player in the World Cup for the Golden Ball.

Luka posted a photo of the award on Instagram, where he was congratulated by Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Narco Asensio, Iker Casillas, Mladen Petrić, and many others.

Source: HNS

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March 31, 2022 - The Luka Modrić Entrance at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium would be entrances #10 and #19, according to a fan poll by Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca. 

Entrances 10 and 19 at the soon-to-be renovated Real Madrid stadium would be named 'Luka Modrić,' according to an online poll by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca published on Wednesday, reports Gol.hr.

In March, Marca offered readers between three and five names of former and current Real Madrid footballers for each entrance to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

The captain of the Croatia national team, Luka Modrić, competed with four other players who once wore the #10 on their jerseys.

Forty-six percent of readers voted for the current center midfielder of Real Madrid, Luka Modrić. Ferenc Puskas, who played for the Royal Club from 1958 to 1966, received 44 percent of the vote. Luis Figo received six percent, and Ricardo Gallego and Manuel Velázquez received two percent. 

The poll garnered close to 40,000 votes, Marca reported.

However, Luka Modrić could also get entrance #19 as he wore that number from his arrival at the club in 2012 to 2017. In the competition for that entrance, Luka received 55 percent of the vote, José Antonio Reyes 39 percent, and Esteban Cambiasso two percent.

Modrić is Real Madrid's oldest player at 36 and hopes to extend his contract, which expires in exactly three months, on June 30, 2022. 

At the same time, work is underway to rebuild the stadium in the north of the city. Real Madrid, the leading team in the Spanish championship, did not report whether they would actually name the entrances to the Santiago Bernabé after their players, but it isn't a bad idea. 

According to a poll conducted on the Marca website, the number one entrance would be called Iker Casillas, honoring the former goalkeeper and captain.

Other entries would be: Chendo (2), Roberto Carlos (3), Sergio Ramos (4), Zinedine Zidane (5), Vicente del Bosque (6), Cristiano Ronaldo (7), Michel (8), Alfredo di Stéfano 9), Paco Gento (11), Marcelo (12), Thibaut Courtois (13), Guti (14), Fernando Morientes (15), Gabriel Heinze (16), Van Nistelrooy (17), Aitor Karanka (18), Vinicius (20), Santiago Solari (21), Di María (22), David Beckham (23) and Claude Makelele (24).

In the competition for #16 was Croatia national team player Mate Kovačić, who wore the Real Marid jersey from 2015 to 2018 before moving to Chelsea. Kovačić garnered 18 percent of the vote, James Rodríguez 32 percent, and winner Gabriel Heinze 50 percent.

Former Croatia striker Davor Šuker, who played for Real Madrid from 1996 to 1999, was not offered among the best #9 players. Poll winner Di Stéfano, Karim Benzema, Ronaldo Nazario, Santillana and Hugo Sánchez competed for the famous number. 

Real Madrid, which has won the European title 13 times, marked its 120th anniversary this month.

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October 3, 2021 - The latest on the Luka Modrić Real Madrid contract extension as Marca reports the Croatia captain could stay at the royal club beyond 2022.

Gol.hr reports that Croatia captain Luka Modrić signed with Real until 2022. However, Spanish sports daily Marca wrote in the text entitled "Luka Modrić: To Infinity and Beyond" that he could stay at the club after the summer of 2022, i.e., extend his contract for another year when his current contract expires.

"Modrić agreed to a lower salary as he realized his dream and ended his career at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner plans to play for another two or three years and is still a key player at Real although his replacements Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camaving are ready," writes Marca. 

"He is physically in better shape than in previous years. Last year he was fantastic with 48 games played, and that is why Real is planning to fulfill his dream and allow him to conclude his career with a contract until the summer of 2023. There are no official negotiations yet, but the club is open to that idea."

If Modrić succeeds, it will be good news for Croatia because the captain will not have to look for a new club for the last season of his playing career and appearance at the World Cup in Qatar. Recall that the World Cup will be played in the winter of 2022, and since Luka has a valid contract until the summer of next year, he would have to sign with another club for a year if he leaves Madrid, all to be in shape for Croatia in Qatar.

If he signs a new contract with Real, he will end his career in Madrid and be ready for the World Cup there.

He would also get the honor Zidane received last - playing his final official match in a Real Madrid jersey.

This honor was not given to many legends like Sergio Ramos, Raul, or Iker Casillas, who had to conclude their famous careers elsewhere. The last to do so was the legendary Zizou, though the Croatia national team captain could follow in his footsteps.

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December 28, 2020 - Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca has brought the Croatia captain back in the spotlight, stating that Luka Modric will stay at Real Madrid with a new contract until the end of June 2022.

The #10 Real Madrid jersey will remain in possession of the 35-year-old Croatia national team captain, Luka Modric, for at least another year and a half, until the end of June 2022, after verbally agreeing with the club's leaders on a new, one-year contract that he will soon sign, reported Marca.

The agreement between Modric and Real, which will allow the best Croatian footballer to spend the entire decade in Madrid, was quite simple compared to the negotiations with other stars of the Madrid club, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.

Namely, the Croatian midfielder did not insist on a two-year contract and was ready to reduce his salary, which currently brings him 10 million euro a year. This will help the club overcome the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, which took about 25 percent of total revenues from Real Madrid or around 200 million euro.

Although he will be close to his 36th birthday on the eve of the new season, Luka Modric is still in top form and makes a visible difference in Real's game when he is on the pitch, which made it easier for club leaders to continue cooperation.

At the insistence of the then Real coach Jose Mourinho, Luka Modric arrived in Madrid from Tottenham London on the penultimate day of the transfer window in August 2012 for 35 million euro. How correct Mourinho's assessment of Modric's quality is proved by looking at the Real Madrid trophy room, which during Modric's time at the club was enriched with four titles in the Champions League, two triumphs in the Spanish championship, one in the King's Cup, three European Super Cup and three FIFA World Club Champion titles.

Modric's current contract with Real, which is valid until the end of June 2021, was actually meant to last until June 30, 2020. However, as the captain of the current World Cup finalists was named the best player in the world in 2018, the club automatically activated another year. It secured Luka's 35th birthday celebration as a Real Madrid player.

Just how much Luka's age is a non-issue is also shown by the statistics of performances this season, in which he collected more than half of the minutes he received last season in the first three months. Although he spared Modric at the beginning of the season, Zinedine Zidane soon realized that his team has a better dynamic with Luka on the pitch, and Luka has collected 1410 minutes so far, which is 75 percent of the maximum possible minutes.

The only championship game he did not play was the last against Granada, which he missed due to tightening in the thigh muscle, which interrupted his series of ten consecutive games in the starting lineup. In that series, his level of play was extremely high, especially in games against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, in the city derby against Atletico, and against Eibar, when he scored in the 3-1 away victory.

There is no doubt that Modric, both this season and next, will be one of the mainstays in the tactical settings of Zinedine Zidane. At the same time, with his example and advice, he will be a mentor to 22-year-old Norwegian Martin Odegaard, who returned from loan at Real Sociedad, and whose football talent and abilities resemble the Croatia captain.

Source: HRT

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March 20, 2019 - The historic national team kit of Croatia is making a buzz in the football world yet again.

The famous Spanish sports daily Marca has conducted a major poll among its readers to choose the top 100 footballers in 2018. Six Croatian footballers made the list.