Modric named best young player at Euro 2008

August 8, 2008

After the Euro 2008, UEFA selected Luka Modric among the ten best players of the tournament. Much was expected from him as he was named the Croatian Cruyff, after the Dutch legend, and he lived up to the expectations of his country. Coach Bilic also compared him to AC Milan’s Kaka, because they share the same ability to ‘unlock defense with a pass’. He played a phenomenal tournament and didn’t deserve to go out on a penalty kick.

Modric was selected by the French Sport Daily, L ‘Equipe, as the best young player in the Euro. The newspapers put him ahead of Russia’s Akinfeev and Zhirkov, Italy’s Chiellini, and Turkey’s Arda Turan, who all played excellently. The newspapers also quoted Slaven Bilic saying, “Luka is the best midfielder in the world.” He provided many chances for goals and even scored the winning goal, on a penalty kick, in their opening game with Austria.

The papers have also predicted that he will be one of the best in the English Premier League. Before the summer, he signed on with English club Tottenham Hotspur from Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. He made his debut with the Spurs on the 29th of July during the pre-season friendly with Leyton Orient, and he scored in the 51st minute. Team mate Lennon crossed in the ball and Modric hammered it in, and with only slight deflection off Brian Saah, of the opposing team, it glided in the goal. Tottenham won 5-1 and they are looking forward to the start of the new season on August 16th.

Even with the departure of Robbie Keane to Liverpool and the possible loss of Berbatov, Luka maintains a positive attitude towards it all. He said in an interview, “This club really has a great future. We have a lot of positive things here. We have to play as well as we can and try to achieve great results.” He included, “Tottenham are a massive club with many talented players and I’m sure a glorious future is in front of us.” This year Spurs fans will be in for a great season at White Hart Lane.

Jill Guthrie

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