Luka Modric has been speaking to Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport and reflecting on his time at Tottenham Hotspur where the Croatian says he played ‘some great football’.
Modric joined Tottenham in the summer of 2008, arriving from Dinamo Zagreb with great promise. He made 160 appearances for the North London side, scoring 17 goals and providing 25 assists in his time there (Transfermarkt).
He would go on to sign for Real Madrid in the summer of 2012 for a fee in the region of £30 million (BBC Sport). By modern standards, that fee now looks like an absolute steal for the Spanish side, as Modric has forged an incredible career with the La Liga side.
The 37-year-old now has 467 appearances for Madrid (Transfermarkt), and has won various trophies throughout his time in Spain. Modric even won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s dominance of the award (FourFourTwo).
It’s safe to say that Modric will be regarded as one of the greatest modern players, but in his latest interview, the dynamic midfielder spoke fondly of his time at Tottenham.
He said: “We played 4-4-2 at Tottenham. I was on the left wing, and Gareth [Bale] was behind me. And then Harry [Redknapp], after six or seven games he came to Tottenham, and he decided to put me in the midfield, like a number six.”
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When asked about Redknapp’s influence on his game, Modric said: “He was very important; a great guy, great coach. He gives every player so much confidence, that is amazing.
“I remember after he put me in the middle and Gareth changed from left back to left wing, we had Aaron Lennon on the right, with two strikers with a lot of speed in the team.
“I remember he used to say ‘give the ball to Luka,’ and that makes you feel important and gives you so much confidence.
“Those four years that he was our coach, it was so good. We played so well. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win something, because Manchester United and other teams were very strong, but we played some great football at the time.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Spurs really did have an incredible team back when Modric was here, and it’s a real shame that era of players couldn’t push on after the League Cup win and deliver more trophies.
Modric has enjoyed an unbelievable career, and it’s great looking back on the squad Spurs had at the time.
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