Since leaving Spurs for Real Madrid, Modric and Gareth Bale have gone from great to world class. Kane and his fellow stars should consider doing the same.
On Monday evening, former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric became the first player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or since Brazil forward Kaka in 2007.
The 33-year-old has enjoyed a superb 2018, winning his third successive Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in May before helping Croatia to a first ever World Cup final.
This year, Modric was also named the world’s top male player at the Best FIFA Football Awards and received the Golden Ball award for the best player at Russia 2018.
The Croatian really has come a long way from his shaky start at White Hart Lane following his £16.5million move from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.
By the time he departed for Real in 2012, Modric had made 160 appearances for Spurs, scoring 17 goals, claiming 27 assists, and delighting fans with his slick style of play.
It’s at the Bernabeu where the playmaker has flourished, however, with 276 appearances, 13 goals, 42 assists, countless accolades and a lot of silverware under his belt so far.
Essentially, Modric was a great player at Tottenham, but it’s at Real Madrid where he has become truly world class – likewise with Gareth Bale.
At a club like Real, Barcelona or Juventus, the stakes are incredibly high, many fans expect success and silverware is more of a necessity than a welcome surprise.
As a result, the players, coaches and various other backroom employees who come on board have to be the best, and in this environment, only the best of the best can flourish – and silverware and accolades usually follow.
Spurs have come a long, long way in recent years under Mauricio Pochettino, but precisely because, at present, a year without silverware isn’t seen as a tragedy, its players cannot be moulded by the pressure-cooker environment of demanded, expected success.
Which is why, for the likes of Harry Kane and some of the club’s other big players such as Christian Eriksen, they may need to look for another club, one of the elite, if they want to get to the very top of the beautiful game.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
