- published: 12 May 2016
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Luka Modrić (pronounced [ˈluːka ˈmɔːdritɕ], born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national team.
Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His professional career began with loan spells at Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić. While he was playing for GNK Dinamo Zagreb, they won three consecutive league titles and several domestic cups, with Modrić named Prva HNL "Player of the Year" in 2007.
He moved to the Premier League in 2008 and has since achieved significant success with the Spurs, making himself a target of prospective transfers to Chelsea and other clubs. He was one of the leading forces of the Croatian national team at the Euro 2008.
During the Croatian War of Independence, Modrić and his family lived in the village of Modrići near Obrovac but they were forced to flee the area when he was 6 years old. His father, Stipe, was in the Croatian army, and he lost his grandfather in the fighting while his family were refugees, living in a hotel on the island of Iž near Zadar. It was in these difficult circumstances that Modrić began playing football. When his father returned from the army, he used the little money the family had to enroll his son in the local sporting academy. After displaying some talent, Luka signed with Dinamo Zagreb as a 17 year old in 2002.