Chelsea midfielder, Mateo Kovacic has named Real Madrid’s Luka Modric as his idol in football.
Kovacic, who was a former club teammate with Modric during his time at Real Madrid, described the 37-year-old as a leader.
Speaking about his time with Real Madrid, Kovacic praised Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo for helping him both on and off the pitch.
The Croatian star told GOAL: “I was only 21 years old, and there were some big players but, in the beginning, I was a little bit nervous.
“I learned a lot and there [Real Madrid] are a lot of great characters. Of course, with my relationship with Luka [Modric], he was one of the leaders there and then you had upfront Ronaldo. He was a leader on and off the pitch.
“My relationship with all the players is amazing, especially with Luka [Modric]. He was my idol when I was a child and then when I came to Madrid, we obviously connected more and now we share this friendship. It is amazing to have such a big player and a big person as a friend. He has a big influence [on me].”