Do we like Luka Modrić?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful turned up in his words or company, and there's real charity work, but the Mamić testimony saga and the tax disputes keep him short of the top.
Modrić was born in Zadar, and his childhood was shaped by the Croatian War of Independence. His family fled their village in 1991 and spent years as refugees in a Zadar hotel, which is where the kid with the ball became a footballer. It's the foundation of the whole story: nobody handed him anything.
The part many Croatians never forgave came in 2017. Modrić was a key witness at the corruption trial of Dinamo Zagreb boss Zdravko Mamić. He had earlier told prosecutors a contract was backdated, then told the court he only couldn't remember when it was drawn up. Fans were furious, and Foreign Policy reported graffiti at the Zadar hotel where his family had lived as refugees.
He was then charged with perjury over that testimony, which is only an accusation. In October 2018 the Zagreb Municipal Court dismissed the indictment as premature, and in July 2024 prosecutors discontinued the case after a later attempt looked doomed. He was never convicted, though the saga cost him goodwill at home for years.
The money side is messier. Spanish tax authorities accused him of fraud over his tax residence and image rights after his 2012 move to Real Madrid, and he denied it. In January 2024 a judge reportedly sided with him and he won back about €3.5 million. The earlier reporting was confusing, with different figures and an unresolved dispute at the time, so call it a contested chapter rather than a clean one.
The recent stuff is football and humility. After the World Cup loss to Portugal he questioned the officiating, but wouldn't be drawn on retirement, saying “now is not the time for that.” After the 7-0 loss to England he took it on the chin, saying the way they lost was the problem rather than the loss.
The good stuff is real. He sits behind the Croatian team's Vatreno Srce Foundation, which supports children and young people, and his match-worn shirt topped a Euro 2020 auction at €16,000 for it. For a bloke who once lived in a refugee hotel, giving back to kids' hospitals and care programs fits.