Real Madrid star Luka Modric has said that his Ballon d’Or prize is a victory for football after he managed to end the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the accolade. One of Messi or Ronaldo had won the award over the past decade but that witnessed a change this time around with Modric claiming the prestigious crown after a superb performance for Croatia at the summer World Cup.

Speaking after receiving the prize, Modric was delighted with the honour and dedicated to the win to those who had narrowly missed out on the title during the Messi-Ronaldo dominance, he told BBC: "It’s a victory for football. Maybe in the past there are some players who could have won the Ballon d'Or like Xavi, Andres Iniesta or [Wesley] Sneijder but people finally now are looking at someone else. I think it's a victory for football tonight. This award is for all the players who probably deserved to win it and didn't. It was a really special year for me. It is difficult to express my emotion and how I feel in words. It is something unique for me. It was very special."

“Like Ronaldo, Modric played his role during Real Madrid’s third Champions League crown last term“but the former was widely fancied to secure a record sixth Ballon d’Or. However, at “the summer World Cup“, Modric stepped up his game in an advanced attacking role for the Croatians and he was crucial to the country’s run to the final where they lost to France.

As such, Modric was already recognised with the UEFA Player of the Year and The Best FIFA Men’s Player award and he has now received an accolade which would be remembered for a long time after ending the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly. Ronaldo only managed to secure the runner-up spot during this year’s awards from France Football while Messi finished a disappointing fifth for the first occasion since 2006.