Why Croatia’s Luka Modric has to win the Golden Ball in Russia

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has captained his Croatia side to the World Cup final in Russia and been their standout player in the process.

Modric has been nothing short of brilliant as Croatia have negotiated their way through the tournament in Russia, scoring 2 goals and creating 16 opportunities for the team.

He was quite simply the best player on the pitch during Croatia’s 2-1 semifinal victory over England on Wednesday night, giving yet another performance which underlined his immense talent.

Croatian manager Zlatko Dalic has implemented a system which has allowed Modric and Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic to work together in tandem in the middle of the park. As a result, they have managed to control the midfield during every one of their games at this World Cup.

But whereas Raktitic is neat and disciplined in his approach, in contrast, Modric is explosive and forward thinking. He is capable of driving his team forward from anywhere on the pitch and covers every blade of grass on the pitch with his astounding work rate.

In fact, has actually run 39.1 miles in total during the tournament, which is higher than any other player in Russia. Add to that his flawless technical ability, composure in possession and decision making in the final third of the pitch, it is difficult to look past the 32-year-old as the best player during these finals.

Harry Redknapp – who coached Modric during his spell at Tottenham Hotspur – had this to say about his former charge, speaking to The Sun:

"“Luka is up there with the very best who have played at any World Cup”.“He uses his body so well, a small man but almost impossible to knock off the ball.”“He glides around a pitch on those deceptively strong legs and is incredibly robust.”“There’s no doubt he would make it in my all-time best XI.”"

The country dubbed ‘the chequered ones’ because of their eye-catching kit have not had the easiest road to the final, failing to win any of their knockout matches in normal time and winning two on penalties.

But they have an inner steel as a collective, which is epitomised by Modric’s never say die attitude and his constant need to have the ball. The diminutive midfielder has had 535 touches over the course of the competition, which can only be bettered by Isco and Sergio Ramos for the tiki-taka experts Spain.

He is also potentially deadly if given space to shoot, as shown during Croatia’s 3-0 victory over Argentina in the group stages. His goal was the standout moment of the match, as he manufactured half a yard for himself about 25 yards out and rifled the ball into the bottom corner.

Add to that his unshakable mental strength, on full display during the last-16 matchup against Denmark.

Modric missed a penalty in the second half of extra time to send his country through but refused to let it faze him.

He made amends in the penalty shootout and scored from 12 yards to help ensure Croatia’s progress.

For many years now Modric has been an integral part of a Real Madrid team that has dominated European football, most recently winning their third champions league title in a row.

He makes them tick, controlling the tempo of games and running himself into the ground for the cause. For Croatia, he does exactly the same.

Whether or not he can cap a fine individual tournament by winning the World Cup should be irrelevant when this year’s Golden Ball is awarded. No other player at these finals has said such a huge influence on their team and displayed such a high level of consistency.

Pre-tournament the usual suspects Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar were all being touted as potential winners of the prize, but none could lead their team towards the showpiece event in Russia.

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Modric has and in doing so has once again proved himself as the best central midfielder in world football. It is time for him to receive the recognition he deserves on Sunday, no matter what the result is against France.