Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez, has said Luka Modric will not be the last player from the club to win the Ballon d’Or.
Modric’s efforts for Madrid and for World Cup finalists Croatia in 2018 were rewarded with football’s top individual honour on Monday, as he pipped former Santiago Bernabeu favourite Cristiano Ronaldo to the award.
Ronaldo, who joined Juventus in July, is a five-time winner of the prize and won in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 when he was a Madrid player.
The former Manchester United man claimed he left Spain due to a breakdown in his relationship with Perez, yet Modric has continued Madrid’s recent domination of France Football’s annual gong.
“Real Madrid have a very important affair with this prestigious trophy.
“It’s a beautiful love story between the Ballon d’Or and Real Madrid and I’m sure it’s going to continue,” Perez said.
It was the 10th time in history a Real Madrid player has won the award, while Modric became seventh individual player from the club to win it.
Alfredo di Stefano won two of the first four Ballon d’Or awards in 1957 and 1959, while team-mate Raymond Copa took home the trophy in 1958.
Despite that early success, the pair were the last two Madrid players to win the Ballon d’Or for over 40 years, until another Portugal superstar, Luis Figo, broke the drought with his victory in 2000.
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