Modric not obsessed with Best award

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Luka Modric has insisted he is not obsessed with possibly winning the Best Fifa Men’s Player award as he lamented Croatia’s performance against Spain.

Having led his nation to the World Cup final after a Champions League-winning campaign with Real Madrid, Modric was nominated for the award alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.

The 33-year-old midfielder is considered to have a huge chance of claiming the honour, but Modric said it was not his focus.

‘For me, the important thing is the collective, winning the prize is not what obsesses me the most,’ he said after Croatia’s 6-0 loss to Spain on Tuesday.

‘If I do not win it, nothing happens.’

Zlatko Dalic’s men were comfortably beaten in Elche, where goals from Saul Niguez, Marco Asensio, Rodrigo Moreno, Sergio Ramos and Isco – and a Lovre Kalinic own goal – saw Spain to their Nations League win.

Modric rued his side’s display and particularly their capitulation after going 2-0 down just past the half-hour mark.

‘A very tough game. We started the game in the first 20 minutes very well, we had two or three, let’s say, clear chances. We didn’t score, and when we conceded the first goal, and especially the second, we fell apart,’ he said.

‘We started playing each for themselves, not helping each other, staying far from our players, and against a team like this, that’s deadly. At the end, the result is poor.

‘It was a hard loss, but we need to draw lessons from this. If we aren’t at 100%, if we aren’t in every game like we were at the World Cup, it’s hard to play against any team, particularly teams like Spain.’

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Marshall Gouts