After the Croat was named in UEFA’s Team of the Year 2016, Luka Modrić has found himself nominated for the most prestigious football nomination again.
On Wednesday, November 22, 2017, the Union of European Football Associations, better known as UEFA, announced 50 of the world’s best footballers in the running for the 2017 Team of the Year.
UEFA has organized the illustrious Team of the Year football award since 2001. Through a poll on the official UEFA website, fans of football around the world are given a chance to organize a team of eleven they think best, based on their overall performances in European club football and international meetings.
The Team of the Year format allows voters to pick the single best player for each position, running through the lineup from best goalkeeper to striker to make up their perfect team of eleven.
Among 50 of football’s greatest shortlisted for the award are none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Croatia’s best footballer – Luka Modrić.
This is not the first time the Croat has been nominated for the award, however. Previously nominated in 2008, 2011, and 2014, Luka Modrić became the first Croatian to make the Team of the Year in 2016.
This year alone, Luka Modrić defended the title of Champions League and was the winner of La Liga with Real Madrid – and let’s not forget his influence in helping Croatia place in the World Cup in Russia next year. No stranger to many esteemed nominations and the winner of respected football awards (he was voted the best midfielder in Champions League last season, after all), Modrić has a chance to defend his place in UEFA’s best eleven with the help of your fan votes. Modrić is also among 11 of Real Madrid’s footballers in the running.
Croatia’s captain faces some pretty fierce competition in the midfield department, and is in the running against famed footballers including Dele Alli (Tottenham), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Christian Eriksen (Tottenham), Fabinho (Monaco), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United), Miralem Pjanić (Juventus), Paul Pogba (Manchester United) and Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid).
Will Luka make this year’s best team? You can choose your best eleven players here.
