'Golden midfielder' Modric heralded by Spanish press

After having been named one of the worst signings in La Liga history some years ago, Luka Modric was the apple in the eye of the Spanish media on Tuesday morning, after he was named winner of the Ballon d'Or on Monday night. 

It marks an incredible turnaround for the Croatian, who was heavily criticised during his first few years in the Spanish capital.

The midfielder was the key man for club and country last season, as Real Madrid won their third consecutive Champions League crown, and Croatia enjoyed a miraculous run to the World Cup final.

33 year old Modric broke the ten year duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the most coveted individual prize in football on Monday, and as such, the Spanish press were keen to lavish praise upon the Croatian. 

 

December 3, 2018

Madrid based outlet 'AS' were keen to highlight that another 'Los Blancos' player had scooped the prize; upon doing so, the club overtook Italian club Juventus (8) as the club to have had the most winners of the award, with nine.

Their front page had a picture of Modric with the trohpy, and the tag line: 'Modric Oro Blanco'- 'Modric White Gold', hinting at the colours of his club side, Real Madrid. 

Another major press outlet from Madrid, 'Marca',  simply focused on the words that Modric uttered in his acceptance speech. Their headline read: 'My dream as a young boy was to play for a great team, the Ballon d'or was more than a dream.'

Various other Spanish outlets professed their pride that Modric's win represented the strength of La Liga, while others also chose to share the focus with the other winners, Ada Hegerberg (Women's Ballon d'Or) and Kylian Mbappé (U21 Ballon d'Or).

 

December 4, 2018

Speaking afte the ceremony, winner Modric revealed that the emotion of winning nearly got the better of him. 

He said: "It's difficult to find the words to express how I feel. -I'm very happy and grateful to everyone who recognised my journey.  I held back the tears, it's been an exceptional night to form part of these players who have won this prize."

After the victory, Modric was also congratulated over social media by clubmate and captain Sergio Ramos.

The Spanish defender shared a picture of him congratulating Modric before Real training on Tuesday, with the caption: "Congratulations, my Croatian brother. Well deserved!"

 

December 3, 2018