WORLD SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Luka MODRIC
2018
Magic Modric…a national hero
Modric breaks Ronaldo and Messi duopoly
T
he cover of World Soccer’s March 2017 issue featured Luka Modric with the line “The World’s Best Midfielder?” The Croatia magician’s performances for European Champions Real Madrid had been crucial to his club’s success, but the media spotlight had all too often fallen upon his more headline-hungry team-mates. The question mark is no longer needed. Not only has Modric been the world’s best midfielder over the past 12 months, his elevation to the status of best player on the planet is now complete. The Ronaldo-Messi duopoly has finally been broken. Modric is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year for 2018, ending the long domination of the award by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Modric has been recognised for his role for both club and country in 2018: winning a fourth Champions League in five years with Real Madrid and then playing a leading role in Croatia’s unexpected passage to the summer’s World Cup final in Moscow. The Croatia team of 1998, which lost to France in the World Cup semi-finals in Paris, arguably contained much more natural talent in the shape of Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker,
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Inspiration… Croatia’s leader
