Legendary Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric once named the former teammate he believed would win multiple Ballon d'Ors, describing him as one of the best players he had ever seen. Modric played his final game at the Santiago Bernabeu during a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the end of the 2024/25 season, closing the curtains on a 13-year tenure with Los Blancos.
During that time, Modric won six Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, the Ballon d'Or, and played with some of the absolute greatest to have ever worn the famous white jersey. However, he also made a prediction about one star that is yet to come to fruition.
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Modric Delivered High Praise of Kylian Mbappe
The Croatian spoke of his belief that the Frenchman would win multiple Ballon d'Ors
Speaking ahead of his departure from the Spanish capital, Modric claimed that Kylian Mbappe was one of the best players he had ever seen and backed him to win multiple Ballon d'Ors by the time his career had finished, despite the fact that the Frenchman is yet to win a single one.
As per GOAL, the Croatian veteran stated:
"He’s one of the best players in the world. He has the ability to do things that have never been seen before. What has impressed me most about Mbappe is his personality, his way of being. He’s an incredible kid, very humble, always willing to joke around and help his teammates.
"He’s very calm. From the outside, you might say he hasn’t had his best season, but he’s scored over 30 goals. Imagine if it was his best season! He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen. I’m sure he’ll be one of the favourites to win not just one Ballon d’Or, but several."
Mbappe made his long-anticipated move to Madrid in the summer of 2024, though the start to life at his new club was far from ideal. Having joined just after Madrid became champions of Europe for the 15th time, the forward was deemed a problem by manager Carlo Ancelotti in the first months following his arrival.
He eventually settled into his groove though, scoring 43 goals in 56 appearances by the end of the campaign — the most of any new signing in the club's history, including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite the impressive turnaround in individual form, Madrid came away without winning any major trophies. They were beaten by Barcelona in La Liga and in the Copa del Rey, while they were also knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League by Arsenal.
As a result, Mbappe is still far from claiming his first Ballon d'Or title. Instead, in a rather cruel twist of irony, former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Ousmane Dembele is the current frontrunner after guiding the Parisians to European glory in Mbappe’s absence.
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All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 02/06/2025