Sports
Luka Modric named UEFA player of year
Luka Modric of Real Madrid and Croatia on Thursday received the accolade of UEFA Player of the Year in Monaco after his Champions League exploits .
“ My father always pushed me to fight for my dreams , I owe him a lot for everything , ” said Modric , whose silky midfield skills helped Real to a third straight European crown and then propelled Croatia to the World Cup final .
“ It ’ s an incredible moment for me , I feel really excited and proud of this great award , ” said the 32 – year -old , who started out at Dinamo Zagreb and then had four years with Tottenham before Real prised him away six years ago .
Modric , whose success sets him up as a favourite to win the Ballon d ’ Or world player of the year accolade , saw off former Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool ’ s Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah for the overall award .
Real Madrid ’ s achievement in winning the Champions League for the third season running was further recognised as Modric also won the UEFA award for the best midfielder of last season .
His clubmate Sergio Ramos was named best defender while Real shot stopper Keylor Navas won the best goalkeeper prize .
Ronaldo , who did not appear at the ceremony , was awarded the award for best striker chosen by Champions League and Europa League coaches from last season and journalists .
The award “ recognises the best players , irrespective of nationality , playing for a club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the past season . Players are judged on their performances in all competitions – domestic , continental and international ” .
Danish international Pernille Harder, of German club Wolfsburg , won the UEFA women ’ s player of the year prize .
Wolfsburg lost to dominant French outfit Lyon in the Champions League final in Kiev in May .
There was also an award for David Beckham , the former Manchester United , Real Madrid and England star collecting the UEFA President ’ s Award for his achievements in the game and his work since retiring as a player .
Follow us on social media:
“Who did this to you?” – Video of a pregnant lady flaunting her massive baby bump sparks mixed reactions online
DHQ hails Simon Ekpa’s arrest and hopes he will be extradited to Nigeria to face justice
“God is still in the business of doing wonders, please keep trusting God” – Emotional moment gospel singer Yinka Alaseyori serenades actress Dayo Amusa who gave birth to her first child at 41 years (Video)
Diddy claims prosecutors showed judge edited Cassie video to make him look dangerous
“Tinubu Has A Better Policy Document Than Peter Obi, Atiku” – Doyin Okupe says
Five soldiers k!lled, 10 wounded and four missing as Boko Haram attacks troops in Borno
Wizkid’s sister blows hot after being dragged for comparing brother to Albert Einstein
“FC dey do too much” – Video of a Wizkid die-hard fan bathing with a JBL speaker as he dances to the singer’s hit song “Dance” stirs the internet (Watch)
-
Celebrity Gossip & Gist1 day agoWizkid’s sister blows hot after being dragged for comparing brother to Albert Einstein
-
Celebrity Gossip & Gist10 hours ago“They don’t look so happy” – Reactions trail video of Chioma and Hailey at Davido’s concert
-
Celebrity Gossip & Gist9 hours agoDiddy claims prosecutors showed judge edited Cassie video to make him look dangerous
-
Love & Relationship1 day agoLady cries out as she discovers her boyfriend of 11 months secretly infected her with HIV (Video)