Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo made the Ballon d Or their own personal property over the past decade.
In the end, the wait for the next superstar to tear it from their grasp proved misguided.
Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric is a performer of quiet brilliance, his story one of persistence.
It is tale that has taken him painstakingly to the summit of global football.
BALLON D OR 2018
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid)
Three in a row – the first time
Modric honed his skills as a youngster in Zadar, initially against the backdrop of a war-torn Croatia, and his slight frame meant sceptics had to be overcome. A trial with Hajduk Split was unsuccessful due to concerns over his size, but the loss of Modric s boyh…