Luka Modrić details emotional moment of winning 2018 Ballon d'Or

Pascal Ferré, the former director of France Football, has revealed new details regarding the moment Luka Modrić learned he had won the 2018 Ballon d'Or.

Ferré recounted a phone call made approximately two weeks before the official ceremony to inform the Croatian captain of the voting results. According to Ferré, Modrić did not initially answer the call. When the player returned the call minutes later, Ferré informed him of his victory. The interaction was marked by an emotional silence, with Ferré noting, “I could hear tears,” as Modrić processed the news.

Modrić later explained to Ferré that he did not answer the initial call because he recognized the number and anticipated the news, which caused him to be overwhelmed by emotion. Modrić earned the prestigious award following a standout 2018 season in which he won the Champions League with Real Madrid and led Croatia to the World Cup final in Russia.