Luka Modric may have become the man to break the decade-long duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi over the Ballon d’Or, but he’s a bit miffed neither of them was there to see it.
The 33-year-old was named the best player in world football earlier in December after leading Croatia to the World Cup final and helping Real Madrid win their third consecutive Champions League title.
The ceremony in Paris was notable for the absence of Ronaldo and Messi, however, who did not attend alongside Modric and fellow hopefuls including Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
“I cannot speak why someone didn’t turn up at an award ceremony. It’s their choice,” Modric told Sportske Novosti, as quoted by ESPN. “It doesn’t make sense, does it? It seems these votes and awards are only significant when they win it.
“It’s unfair to fellow players and voters who have nominated them in the past 10 years, as well as to football and the fans. However, people will act the way they think they ought to.
“In my opinion, things are very simple: Ronaldo and Messi are phenomena who have been dominant in …read more