Manchester City were closing in on Luka Modric back in 2008, but due to unforeseen circumstances missed out on signing the four-time Champions League winner.
Manchester City were on the verge of signing Real Madrid superstar Luka Modric when he was at Croatian club, Dinamo Zagreb, but fell short of the £10 million asking prices, after the Thai government froze then owner, Sinawatra’s funds. The Sun ran a story of how the entire event transpired, as it happened only weeks before Sheikh Monsour took over at the Etihad.
Manchester City had identified Modric as a promising talent and then owner, Thaksin Shinawatra was excited enough to bring the Croatian to Manchester. Additionally, defender Vedran Corluka who was playing for City at the time had touted up Modric’s talent and encouraged Shinawatra so much so that a move was in the pipeline.
But unforeseen circumstances during that period, during which time the Thai government froze all of Thaksin Shinawatra’s accounts, which brought about a total lack of funds at the club ensured the move did not materialise. But City’s fortunes would change forever in a matter of weeks since then after Sheikh Monsour brought the club from Shinawatra.
Luka Modric, however, still got his move to England with Tottenham swooping in for the midfielder after paying £16.5 million to Dinamo Zagreb. Modric enjoyed his four years at Tottenham, establishing himself as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League, after which he was sold to Real Madrid for £30 million.
Since then, he has proved to be a tremendous signing for Madrid. Since joining in 2012, the Croatian has established himself as one of the best midfielders in World Football, winning the Champions League four-times and helping Croatia reach the World Cup Final in Russia. His feats have already earned him the World Cup Golden Ball, given to the best player of the tournament and the recent, UEFA Best Player award.
Modric who was linked with a move to Inter Milan this summer, is among the top three contenders for the FIFA Best Player Award, alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo. Many are tipping Modric to win it this time and break the Ronaldo-Messi dominance on the award for the last ten years, and if he is to win, then Manchester City will be rueing their luck for not signing such a great player.
But City did end up revamping their squad since Sheikh Monsour’s arrival and two years later signed the likes of Yaya Toure and David Sliva, who have gone on to shine for the club. But missing out on a player like Modric will always be regretted by any club, and in this case, Manchester City, who can only imagine what would have happened had the Croatian played his football at the Etihad?
