Not many Aston Villa fans had heard of HSK Zrinjski Mostar a couple of months ago but mentioning the Bosnian club’s most famous former player would be sure to make them sit up and listen.
Luckily for Villa, Luka Modric will not be part of the Zrinjski side who visit Villa Park for tonight’s/Thursday’s Europa Conference League group-stage fixture, yet the Real Madrid star knows just how important his loan spell with the Bosnian club was in his journey to the top of the game.
With 28 trophies, 168 caps for Croatia and 10 individual awards including the 2018 Ballon d’Or to his name, Modric, now 38, can claim to be one of the greatest European footballers of all time.