*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:05, 5 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:45, 12 October 2024 (UTC)
Modrić began his professional career with Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in 2003 before spells on loan to Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar and Croatian side Inter Zaprešić. He made his debut for Dinamo in 2005 and his performances earned him a move to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008, where he led them to UEFA Champions League qualification in 2010, their first in almost 50 years. In the summer of 2012, Modrić joined Real Madrid for a £30 million transfer fee. In his second season, he won the 2013–14 Champions League title, being selected for that season's squad of the season. After Zinedine Zidane took over Madrid in 2016, Modrić was a key member of the club's three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015–16 to 2017–18, each time being voted into the squad of the season. In total, he has won a record 27 major trophies at Madrid, including six UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, and two Copa del Rey titles, making him the most decorated footballer in the club's history.[8]
The stone house, not owned by the family, near the hamlet of Modrići on the slopes of the mountain Velebit, where Luka spent most of his early years with his grandfather.Modrić began his youth career at NK Zadar in the city of Zadar.
Luka Modrić was born on 9 September 1985 in Zadar and was raised in the hamlet of Modrići, which is a part of Zaton Obrovački,[9][10] a village situated on the southern slopes of the mountain Velebit, north of the city of Zadar in SR Croatia, then a republic within SFR Yugoslavia.[11][12][13] He is the oldest child of Stipe Modrić from Modrići and Radojka Dopuđ from Kruševo near Obrovac, both of whom initially worked in a knitwear factory.[14][15][16][17] Modrić mostly spent his early years in the stone house where usually lived his paternal grandfather after whom he was named,[9][18] located on the road above the hamlet of Modrići (this "upper house" was not owned by the family),[19][20][21] and was shepherding goats as a five-year-old.[22][23][24]
However, his childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence—in 1991, when the war escalated, his family were forced to flee the area.[11] Modrić's grandfather Luka was executed by Serb rebels who were part of the police of SAO Krajina in December 1991 near his house in Modrići,[11][13][25][26] and after the family fled, the house was burned to the ground.[27][28] Modrić became a refugee and lived with his family in the Hotel Kolovare for seven years; he later moved to the Hotel Iž, both in Zadar.[11][29][30] His father joined the Croatian Army as an aeromechanic.[11][31] In those years, thousands of bombs fell on the city and football was a way to escape the reality of war.[13] He recalls it as a tough time for his family and something which shaped him as a person.[32][33][34] He also said he was mostly unaware of the war because he befriended many other children and their parents did not let it affect their childhood.[16]
In these difficult circumstances, Modrić began playing football, mostly at the hotel parking lot.[13]In 1992, he simultaneously entered the primary school and a sporting academy, the latter paid for with the little money the family had, sometimes helped by Modrić's uncle.[11][29][16] As a boy he was inspired to play football by Zvonimir Bobanand Francesco Totti.[35]
Supported by his family, Modrić participated in representative camps and trained in NK Zadar.[11][16] He was under the tutelage of coach Domagoj Bašić and the head of the youth academy, Tomislav Bašić.[11] Tomislav Bašić, considered by Modrić as his "sporting father",[26][30] said Modrić's father made him wooden shin guards because they had little money.[11][32][34] However, Modrić later denied the story.[13] Due to being considered too young and light, he was not signed by Croatian powerhouse Hajduk Split, the most representative football club in the region of Dalmatia.[11][16][36]After displaying some talent, including at a youth tournament in Italy,[26] Tomislav Bašić arranged Modrić's move to Dinamo Zagreb when Modrić was a 16-year-old in late 2001.[11][13][37] After a season with Dinamo Zagreb's youth side, Modrić was loaned in 2003 to Zrinjski Mostar in the Bosnian Premier League.[11][26] During this period, he established his versatile style of play and became the Bosnian Premier League Player of the Year at only the age of 18.[38] Modrić later said, "Someone who can play in the Bosnian Premier League can play anywhere," referring to its physical nature.[38] The following year, he was loaned to Croatian side Inter Zaprešić. He spent one season there, helping the team to achieve second position in the Prva HNL[26][39] and a place in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup. He also won the Croatian Football Hope of the Year award in 2004.[38] He returned to Dinamo Zagreb in 2005.[38]
In the2005–06 season, Modrić signed a ten-year contract (his first long-term contract) with Dinamo Zagreb.[38]With the contract's earnings, he bought a flat in Zadar for his family.[13][26]He secured a place in Dinamo's first team, contributing 7 goals in 31 matches to help win the league.[40]In the2006–07 season, Dinamo again won the league, with Modrić making a similar contribution.[40]He was the main provider for strikerEduardo,[38]which helped Modrić win thePrva HNL Player of the Yearaward.[3]The following season, Modrić as a team captain,[41]led Dinamo's attempt to qualify for the2007–08 UEFA Cup. In the final play-off stage, Modrić converted a penalty in the second and away fixture againstAjax; the match finished 1–1 after regular time. Dinamo won the match and play-off with a score of 3–2 afterextra timewith two goals from teammateMario Mandžukić.[42]However, Dinamo Zagreb failed to advance beyond the group stage. In his last home match with the club atMaksimir Stadium, Modrić was given a standing ovation and fans held up supportive banners.[43][44]He finished his four-year tenure at Dinamo with a tally of over 31 goals and 29 assists in four league seasons,[26][45]contributing most notably in the2007–08 seasonwhen Dinamo won the secondCroatian Cupand became champions by a 28-point margin.[46]Modrić was courted byBarcelona,ArsenalandChelsea, but opted to wait leaving the club.[26][47][48]
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