Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modrić is widely seen as the greatest Croatian footballer of all-time, taking the mantle from Davor Suker. 

In 2018, Modrić became the first Croatian player to win the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award, adding The Best FIFA Men’s Player and Ballon d’Or awards. 

In doing so he became the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the awards in over a decade.

One of the few players to challenge the Messi/Ronaldo duopoly, here’s a rundown with everything you need to know about the best Luka Modrić cards.

The Best Luka Modric Cards

Modrić has a number of interesting cards which were released throughout the last decade, as well as a couple of great early options which make the list. 

5. 2018 National Treasures Soccer Luka Modric #CC-LMO 

The first card is a serial numbered auto patch featuring Modric in his international colours of red and white. 

2018 Panini National Treasures Soccer is a premium release, centering on the national team for a variety of top players. All cards are numbered to 99 or less, so it’s one of the rarer options to make the list.

It’s also a special year for the player and his national team as they reached the World Cup final for the first time, eventually losing 4–2 to France. 

Parallels: Bronze #/25, Gold #/10, Platinum 1/1

4. 2019 Topps Chrome UEFA Sapphire Luka Modric #31

Next is an affordable option from the 2019 Topps Chrome Sapphire set which focuses on the Champions League.

This time, Modric is kitted out in the white of Real Madrid, while he played an integral role when they made UEFA Champions League history as the first club to win three straight European Cup finals for the second time. 

There are also various coloured parallels to look out for. 

Parallels: Yellow #/99, Green #/75 (1:3), Orange #/50 (1:4), Purple #/25 (1:7), Red #/5 (1:32), Padparadscha 1/1 (1:161).

3. 2008 Panini UEFA Euro Sticker Luka Modric RC #194

Modric made his first tournament appearance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals as a teenager. Regardless, you’ll find his rookie sticker contained in Panini Euro 2008 sets. 

As always, unpeeled versions are rare, while there are only 9 PSA 10 versions at the current time of writing. 

It’s not as flashy as some of the others on the list, but it’s hard to look past this international rookie sticker. It also happens to be one of the cheaper options to make the list! 

2. 2019 Panini Contenders Historic Ticket Luka Modric #LMO

From the 2019 Contenders Historic Ticket Autographs subset, the Chronicles card takes a trip into the past with Modric in a vintage Spurs shirt. 

We’re always fond of Cracked Ice parallels, numbered to 23. There’s also a great auto at the bottom of the card, and graded versions are exceptionally scarce. 

Modric never won anything with Tottenham, but he’s fondly remembered for the time he spent in London. It looks to be another solid investment piece, and Premier League cards are always popular. 

Parallels: Cracked Ice #/23, Championship 1/1

1. 2020 Select UEFA Euro Signatures Luka Modric #SILMO

The top pick is Modric’s recent release from the Select UEFA Euro 2020 set. Rather than the base card (#179), we’re focusing on the Select Signatures subset. 

Graded versions of the parallels are still reasonably affordable, while prices have yet to settle given Croatia failed to get past the Round of 16. This means that the potential for bargains is there to be found. 

It looks likely that the 2022 World Cup will be Modric’s final tournament.  

Prizm Parallels: Purple #/75, Copper #/49, Green #/17, Gold #/10, Black 1/1

Luka Modric Cards: Buyers Guide 

Modric’s cards should be seen as a great B-tier option, as a player who sometimes struggled to find the limelight compared to the ‘big two’. However, 2018 was a culmination of a world class career, and he’s a Ballon d’Or winner. 

The best cheap options have to be his World Cup Prizm cards, whether it be 2014 or 2018. They’re reasonably abundant, which makes even graded versions affordable. We’d also keep an eye on any autographed parallels. 

Overall, we’d probably go with the Modric sticker to play it safe. Another option is one of the rarer numbered versions if it has received a high grade. It’s also hard to beat the premium feel of the 2018 National Treasures RPA mentioned above.  

Final Thoughts

He may not be Messi or Ronaldo, but Modric is still a world-class player coming to the end of a memorable playing career. He also lived through the war in Croatia, going on to become a national hero in the process.  

Modric oozes technical ability to this day, and never relied on a physical presence despite a commendable workrate. This means that he can still keep going at a high level for now, even if retirement is on the horizon in the not so distant future. 

As such, we’d recommend grabbing a few of his rarer cards, and we’ve listed an option from almost every single team he has ever turned out for. From a selling perspective, we’d hold out until at least the 2022 World Cup.