Luka Modrić
Personal information
Full name	Luka Modrić
Date of birth	September 9, 1985 (1985-09-09) (age 22)
Place of birth	Zadar, SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Dinamo Zagreb
Number	-
Youth clubs
2002–2003	NK Zadar Dinamo Zagreb
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2002–2008 2003–2004 2004–2005 2008-	Dinamo Zagreb → Zrinjski Mostar (loan) → Inter Zaprešić (loan) Tottenham Hotspur	98 (29) 22 0(8) 18 0(3) 00 0(0)
National team2
2006–	Croatia	27 0(4)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 10, 2008. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of June 8, 2008. * Appearances (Goals)

Luka Modrić [ˈluːka ˈmɔːdritɕ] (born September 9, 1985 in Zadar) is a Croatian football midfielder who currently plays for Dinamo Zagreb but has signed to join Tottenham Hotspur pending the granting of a work permit. He was named the Prva HNL "Player of the Year" in 2007.^[1]

Club career

Dinamo Zagreb

Modrić signed for Dinamo Zagreb as a 16 year old in 2002, but after a season with the youth side was loaned out in 2003 to Zrinjski Mostar in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina where he quickly showed his potential, becoming Bosnian League Player of the Year while still just 18 years old.^[2][3] He later claimed that "someone who can play in the Bosnian league can play anywhere, man", referring to the physical nature of the Premier League.^[3] The following year he was loaned to Inter Zaprešić and played one season for them, helping them to second place in the league and gaining the Croatian Football Hope of the Year award in 2004, before being recalled Dinamo Zagreb in 2005.^[3] Such was the regard for his abilities, Modric was rewarded with a 10 year contract through to 2015.^[2]

At his team Dinamo Zagreb he usually plays as playmaker, on the left side of the field. His natural position is that of central midfielder and he plays as playmaker solely due to his capabilities to cover that role as well and to leave room for designated defensive midfielders in Dinamo's 4-2-3-1 formation. He uses both feet to play, and his biggest strength is his swift offensive positioning without the ball, as well as his great ability to read and react to the game well in many situations.^[2]

Tottenham Hotspur

Modrić agreed terms with Tottenham on April 26, 2008 subject to a medical and receiving a work permit. He was Tottenham's first signing of the summer, also the Premier League's first summer transfer.^[4] The player's contract is for a period of up to six years beginning in the summer of 2008.^[5] Tottenham have confirmed that the total fee to be paid is £16.5 million, equalling the club's record fee set by Darren Bent's move in 2007.^[6]

International career

Modric's performances earned him a call up for international duty, playing for the Croatian U-17, U-19 and under-21 teams, and soon progressed to his country's senior national team^[7]. He made his senior international debut in a friendly match against Argentina on March 1, 2006 in Basel, Switzerland.^[3] At the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany he made two substitute appearances in the group matches against Japan and Australia. He scored his first international goal in Croatia's 2-0 victory over Italy in a friendly match played on August 16, 2006 in Livorno. He went on to become a natural starter in the Croatian team, making a large impression during their UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, which included double victories over England.

He scored his side's first goal of UEFA Euro 2008, a penalty in the fourth minute of their 1-0 victory against Austria in Vienna on June 8, 2008, after a foul on Ivica Olić by René Aufhauser.^[8] The goal was the fastest penalty ever awarded and scored in European Championship history. Credit went to Modric who not only converted the penalty, but had also caused the attack which had won it.

International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	16 August 2006	Stadio Armando Picchi, Livorno, Italy	Italy	0 – 2	0 – 2	Friendly
02.	7 October 2006	Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	Andorra	7 – 0	7 – 0	Euro 2008 Qualifying
03.	7 February 2007	Kantrida, Rijeka, Croatia	Norway	2 – 0	2 – 1	Friendly
04.	8 June 2008	Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	0 – 1	0 – 1	Euro 2008

Honours

Individual

• Bosnian League Player of the Year: 2003
• Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2004
• Croatian League’s Player of the Year: 2007^[2]

Club

Dinamo Zagreb

• Croatian First League: 2006, 2007, 2008
• Croatian Super Cup: 2006
• Croatian Cup: 2007, 2008^[2]

References

Awards
Preceded by Eduardo da Silva	Prva HNL Player of the Year 2007	Succeeded by Incumbent