Just How Good is Luka Modric? He’s One of the Best in Europe

Since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2012, Luka Modric has been nothing short of incredible in his time with Real Madrid. He isn’t a naturally born scoring machine or a pacey midfielder who can play on both ends, rather, Luka is a calm and intelligent midfielder who always seems to be doing the right thing.

I think it’s safe to say that Florentino Perez knows a thing or two about buying and recruiting great midfielders to his club. Luka Modric joining in 2012, then two years later adding Toni Kroos, as well as signing Isco and James Rodriguez, and developing Marco Asensio in the youth academy.

So, there was no doubt in many Madrid fans mind about the ability of Luka Modric, as the season before joining the Spanish side in his final season in England, Modric 36 of the 38 league games, scoring 4 goals and making 4 assists all while averaging a 7.59 match rating, according to Whoscored.com. But, many Madristas didn’t expect Modric to turn into one of the best midfielders in club history and in Europe.

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And it’s now no wonder why he is one of the most loved players in the club after everything he has done in a white shirt. Now in his fifth season with Madrid, Luka has featured in the Madrid squad for over 2,000 minutes in league play three out of the last four seasons, the only exception being the 2014/2015 season where he missed significant time with injuries. And in all four full seasons with the club, he has finished the season with well above a 7 match rating, putting him among the biggest names in Europe.

Luka has grown as a player and a person while at Real Madrid, and said ahead of the Champions League match against Napoli yesterday, as he approaches 200 career matches with Real Madrid, “It’s a nice number. I hope to play many more games. If you ask me what has changed, I would say I’ve grown as a player and person. Being surrounded each day with great players and coaches does that. I am very satisfied and want to stay here for many more years.”

This season, just like the previous four, has been a very good one for Modric as he already has scored once and assisted two goals in the league. But as is usually the case with Modric, it isn’t his offensive prowess that sets him apart from every other midfielder in Europe, it’s his passing and ball control ability.

Over his career, Modric has completed his passes at a stunning 88.7% success rate. He also averages 5 long balls per game, makes slightly under 60 passes per game, and has become known as the “Croatian Corner kick Specialist” in his time in Madrid, assisting on several goals.

Next: Real Madrid vs. Napoli First Leg Player Ratings

And his sheer talent and skill set has been recognized through his numerous awards received. A two time La Liga Best Midfielder Award and UEFA Champions League Team of the Season recipient, winner of the UEFA Team of the Year Award in 2016, and a two time FIFA FIFpro World XI selection, he’s done it all.

While he may not have the largest impact in scoring goals or stopping them, Luka Modric is the glue that holds the entire Real Madrid Starting XI together and with him, they wouldn’t be where they are today.