Harry Redknapp: Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric says change of position at Tottenham helped his career
The Real Madrid midfielder played under Redknapp for four years and credits him with helping him read the game better
Luka Modric says his time under Harry Redknapp at Tottenham helped change the course of his career for the better.
The midfielder capped an incredible 12 months by winning the Ballon d'Or award, having helped Real Madrid win a third consecutive Champions League in addition to being the heartbeat of a Croatia side that reached the World Cup final where he was crowned the best player.
Modric called winning the Ballon d'Or - first awarded to Stanley Matthews in 1956 - an 'unbelievable feeling.'
He also highlighted Redknapp's role in his path to greatness.
“The change of position helped me a lot in my career. I used to play more offensively," he said.
"When I dropped back, I was able to read the game better and show my creativity. Harry Redknapp made that change.”
Modric joined Tottenham from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008 for around £15million and was sold to Real Madrid in 2012 for £33m.
In winning the Ballon d'Or he became the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to claim the award since 2007.
Ronaldo finished second and France’s World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann was third.
“It’s a big pleasure to be here among all these players," Modric added.
“I am still trying to realise that I have become part of a group of exceptional players to win the Ballon d’Or throughout history."
Speaking to talkSPORT in July, Redknapp said it was a pleasure to work with such a fantastic player. "He’s an amazing player and a great guy. Low maintenance, never a problem. He just came in every day, trained great and fantastic to watch on the training ground. He’s a model professional and an absolutely top-class player."
But it could have been different had Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan got his way.
Keegan explained the Magpies were in the driving seat to sign him in 2008, but head of player recruitment, Tony Jimenez, believed he wasn't good enough for the Premier League.
