Player Focus: How Luka Modrić Won Over The Real Madrid Fans

At the turn of 2013, Spanish newspaper Marca allowed their readership to vote on the worst signing in La Liga of 2012. The two names to top the poll were Alex Song and Luka Modrić, with the duo signing for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively last summer. While the former unperformed initially in Spain, much of the focus was on the latter as a result of the sizeable fee Los Blancos had paid Tottenham Hotspur in order to secure his signature.

There had been continuous reports suggesting the Croatia international was unhappy in Spain, with fears that his development could be stifled due to his lack of playing time under José Mourinho. Modrić failed to replicate his Spurs form early on, which didn’t aid in winning over the supporters, and many were calling for him to be sold after only a matter of months in Spain.

Yet, rather than shy away from the challenge, the diminutive 28-year old dug deep and fought hard for his place in the Real side. While many continuously lambasted the midfielder, Modrić remained determined to win over the fans and has done so in impressive fashion. Real may’ve failed to defend their La Liga title last term, but on a personal level, the schemer can be happy with his end to the season.

This is perhaps highlighted in his average WhoScored.com rating in 2012 compared to 2013. For the former, between his move from Spurs and the turn of the year, Modrić’s rating sat at 7.08 after 13 appearances, only for that to rise, albeit marginally, to 7.22. This aided in seeing his overall average rating stand at 7.16, with this mark-up a clear indication as to how he improved his performances.

Providing the fluidity in the middle of the park, seeing Modrić figure so highly in the Real stats rankings will come as little shock to those that have regularly watched the midfielder over recent years. Of every regular for the Spanish giants last term, only Michael Essien (88.5%) had a better pass success than Modrić (87.7%) in La Liga, denoting his ability to pick out a teammate on a consistent basis.

When factoring in that he was averaging 46.1 passes per game - only Xabi Alonso (65.7) and Sergio Ramos (58.8) were averaging more of every Real player with 5 or more appearances last term - his preference to keep the ball is moving as much as possible and possession retained on a frequent basis ensured opponents struggled against Los Blancos. This alone saw the Croatian win over a number of admirers during his time at White Hart Lane, with the vision of the player aiding in the fluency of Spurs, with Modrić often providing the pass for the assist that led to a goal.

While the difference in pass success was particularly negligible before and after the turn of the year - 87.3% and 87.9%, respectively - Modrić saw his number of accurate passes per game rise significantly from 33.3 to 45. This also saw his average number of key passes increase to 1.95 from 1.3, denoting how much more involved he became in the Real team from the beginning of the calendar year to the end of the season. This is further highlighted in his average playing time, with the midfielder playing 55.2 minutes in his opening 13 appearances per game compared to the 73.2 in the subsequent 20.

Evidently, while Modrić initially struggled to adapt to life in Spain, his game improved significantly in 2013 as a result of regular playing time. Under a new manager, however, there was the possibility that this may’ve been hindered, especially when taking into consideration the acquisitions of Asier Illarramendi and Isco.

However, under Carlo Ancelotti, Modrić has again been allowed to stake his claim for a regular starting place, starting 4 of their 5 La Liga games this term. His pass success sits at 92.1% for Real thus far, with only Álvaro Arbeloa (95.1%) enjoying a higher completion rate of every player at the club, while Modrić's 258 accurate passes played this term is the most at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

His average of 56 passes per game is bettered only by Sergio Ramos (62.8) and Isco (58.4), while only Pepe (10.4) is averaging more accurate long balls per encounter than Modrić (7.2). With a strength of Real being ‘counter attacks’, this success when playing the ball over a long distance will bolster their already impressive ability to attack the opposition on the break, especially when taking into consideration the benefit to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ángel Di María and Gareth Bale.

Following the departure of Mesut Özil there will be a greater onus on Modrić to provide the creativity in the middle of the park, which he’s doing from a relatively deep position in the midfield, much like he did with Spurs. However, he's still played 146 accurate passes in the attacking half of the pitch in La Liga, only Isco (184) has played more. Meanwhile his preference to operate in a deeper position is highlighted by the fact that his 113 accurate passes in his own half is bettered only by centre-backs Pepe (164) and Sergio Ramos (150), signifying how important a role Modrić plays in linking the defence and the attack.

Factoring in Alonso's injury, set to keep the Spaniard sidelined for the foreseeable future, Modrić’s role within the team has become that bit more pertinent. With Real winning 75.9% of the 29 games he’s started compared to 66.7% in the 12 without him, it’s fairly evident that the midfielder is developing into a much more important player with the Spanish giants than many would have expected 12 months ago.

His style of play is well-suited to the needs of Ancelotti, who favours a midfielder who can provide that link between the defence and attack, much like Andrea Pirlo with Milan and Marco Verratti with PSG. With Illarramendi yet to regain full fitness and Alonso sidelined, the pressure on Modrić to perform is high, but he’s justifying why the club refrained from a knee-jerk reaction the past summer, with Real now reaping the benefits as a result.

How do you think Luka Modrić has performed for Real Madrid? Let us know in the comments below