Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric remains optimistic that he can end the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of the Ballon d’Or crown. One of Messi or Ronaldo has won the prestigious accolade over the past decade but Modric is aiming to end the streak after enjoying a strong World Cup with Croatia, who were the runners-up behind France.

Speaking after Croatia’s stunning win over Spain, Modric said that he would like to win the Ballon d’Or title this time around but the failure to do so would not change the fact that he has witnessed the best year of his professional career, he said: “Let's see what happens. I'm very proud to fight for it. If I win perfect, otherwise it will not change anything. 'With or without the Ballon d'Or, it's the best year of my career.”

Meanwhile, when asked about the influence of new Real Madrid boss Santiago Scolari, Modric spoke positively about the impact and he is hoping that the team can continue on the four-match winning run across all competitions, he added: “Since Solari came, we started well. You can see in these four games, his arrival has been very good and hopefully we will continue like this.”

“Modric has already bagged the UEFA Player of the Year and FIFA’s The Best award during the current campaign“ but the Ballon d’Or presented by France Football remains the most valuable of the lot. Meanwhile, the accolade does not carry “the supporter vote unlike“ with FIFA and France Football may yet lean towards Cristiano Ronaldo for a record sixth Ballon d’Or crown.

Modric was one of the standout performers for Croatia against Spain on Friday night as they secured a dramatic 3-2 triumph in the Nations League. They are now scheduled to face England on the road in the final group stage game and a victory would ensure their berth into the finals of the competitions next summer.