Croatia and Real Madrid playmaker, Luka Modric has won the Best FIFA Men’s Footballer of the Year award.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner fought off stiff competition from Cristiano Ronaldo, who was absent at the ceremony in London, and Mohamed Salah to win the top prize.
Modric, 33, was an integral part of the Real Madrid squad that won the UEFA Champions League title for the third time in a row and helped his country to the World Cup final in Russia, picking up the award for best player at the tournament.
The Best FIFA Men’s Footballer of the Year winner is voted for by national team coaches and captains, select members of the media and an online vote.
Modric’s win makes him the first player other than Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to have won the award in ten years.
Speaking after his triumph, the usually quiet Modric said, “It’s a great honour and beautiful feeling to stand here with this trophy.
“This trophy is not just mine. It is for my Real Madrid team-mates, the Croatia national team and all my coaches. This is also for my family, without who I would not be the player I am.”