On Monday, Luka Modric became the latest Real Madrid player to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award and it is a tradition club president Florentino Perez expects to continue.
The Croatian midfielder pipped his former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to the award as he continued the club’s domination of Ballon d’Or in recent times.
Ronaldo, who joined Serie A giants Juventus in the summer, had won the award four times in Real Madrid colours during 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Modric became the 10th Los Blancos player in history to lay his hands on the coveted prize and the Croatian’s efforts have been lauded by Perez.
“This prestigious accolade has enjoyed an enduring romance with Real Madrid and I’m certain that this will continue to be the case in the future,” Perez stated.
“It’s a source of great satisfaction. Nobody represents the values of this club, both on and off the pitch, better than Modric. He’s leaving his mark on an era and he’s winning it all with us. It’s a source of satisfaction that he plays for this club,” the Real Madrid president added.
Modric’s win on Tuesday was the 17th instance in Ballon d’Or history that a Real Madrid player had bagged the award and Perez was left in no doubt that the Croatian was most deserving among the nominees.
“He’s had an outstanding year in which he has claimed all of the awards going and nobody can question whether he’s the best. It’s a pleasure to watch him out on the pitch and the way he controls the ball, passes it and shoots,“ said Perez.
