Newcastle United did not win in the San Siro this week, but the goalless draw with AC Milan heralded a comeback to the top of the European game after years of mediocrity.
Indeed, the Magpies had been out of the Champions League for over two decades before the PIF club takeover rewrote the story on Tyneside, with the subsequent choice of manager Eddie Howe proving to be a masterstroke of equal caliber.
While a brief trip to continental competition occurred in 2012, following Alan Pardew’s unforgettable 2011/22 campaign, with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse wreaking havoc on hapless Premier League defenses, this proved to be a one-time occurrence, and the subsequent campaign was unsuccessful, finishing 16th.
The Magpies would be relegated before returning to the upper echelons of the English top division, but the club is now prepared for a long-term position among Europe’s best, boasting luxury and diligence to guarantee the advancements continue.
However, it could have all been so different had Luka Modric not signed for the Toon back in the day before choosing Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur instead.
If the Croatian midfielder had made the switch, years of mediocrity could have been replaced with a consistent place in and around European contention.
Did Newcastle nearly sign Luka Modric?
According to former Magpies manager Sam Allardyce, he was pushing to sign Modric from his homeland outfit of Dinamo Zagreb before despised owner Mike Ashley pulled the plug in 2008, citing concerns over the somewhat exorbitant price tag.
He said: “I was then on the way to getting Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb, but by then, Mike saw the scale of the full debut and put the clamps on, so I had to make do with Geremi from Chelsea.”
Geremi, aged 28 at the time, joined the Magpies in his stead and proved to be a colossal failure, notoriously receiving harsh rebuke from an angry St. James’ Park faithful against West Ham United in 2009 before joining Besiktas for just £1.5m after failing to impress.
Modric would have been a game-changer for the club, preventing relegation in 2008 and infusing confidence and quality throughout the squad.
Tottenham eventually won the hunt for the highly rated talent, beating off Newcastle, Arsenal, and Chelsea for his signature and completing a £15 million transfer in the summer of 2008.
How effective was Luka Modric at Tottenham?
Modric is now a household name and one of Europe’s top midfielders, but when Spurs signed him, he was an unknown, albeit gifted, commodity.
Across four seasons, the ace would make 160 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 17 goals and providing 25 assists. He was complimented by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009, who stated that “he could play in any team.”
According to WhoScored, the 168-cap international’s Premier League match rating never dropped below an amazing 7.30 in his final three seasons in English football, with his pass success rate constantly above 86%.
Chelsea tried to sign him in 2011, and Modric even handed in a transfer request to force a move, but Daniel Levy was adamant, unwilling to let him join such a bitter rival.
However, this was the end of his Premier League career, as the call of pre-eminent European juggernauts Real Madrid resulted in his £30 million sale, kicking off an epic journey that has yet to conclude.
Is Luka Modric one of the best midfielders in history?
Without a question, Modric is not only one of the best midfielders of his time, but one of the best players in any position, mesmerizing with his fluid, effortless ball-playing abilities.
| Luka Modric honours, via Transfermarket | Team | Individual |
|---|---|---|
| Champions League (x5) | Ballon d’Or (x1) | |
| LaLiga (x3) | FIFA Best Men’s Player (x1) | |
| Copa del Rey (x2) | UEFA Best Player in Europe (x1) | |
| FIFA Club World Cup (x5) | Croatian Player of the Year (x5) | |
| Spanish Super Cup (x4) | ||
| UEFA Super Cup (x4) |
He has been hailed as a “legend of the game” by the likes of writer Usher Komugisha as a player of exceptional precision and undeniable class.
Despite being in his forties, the phenom still ranks among the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, according to FBref.
A maestro and genuine prodigy, Modric became the first guy not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or in 2018 after Brazil legend Kaka did so in 2007.
Despite being in his forties, the phenom still ranks among the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, according to FBref.
A maestro and genuine prodigy, Modric became the first guy not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or in 2018 after Brazil legend Kaka did so in 2007.
‘Gazza,’ as he was affectionately called, was one of the most dynamic and mercurial players to ever grace the English game, with Barcelona great and current manager Xavi describing him as “one of the best midfield players” he had ever seen.
Born with extraordinary potential but troubled by off-field issues, Gascoigne played 104 games for his boyhood club Newcastle before moving on to Tottenham in 1988, when his career really took off.
Winning only one FA Cup with Spurs and several honours in Scotland with Rangers, the one-time England international may be held in the highest regard by those on Tyneside, but given Modric’s incredible career, awash with honours of all shapes and sizes, he may have just surpassed Gascoigne had he joined the club, especially given his ability to keep the club up and contribute instrumentally on the European stage.
With countless club honours with Real Madrid, catalyzing Croatia’s exploits in the most prosperous era of the nation’s history, and even preventing the unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi from adding to their abundant Ballon d’Or accolades, Modric is truly a legend.
It’s a bad Ashley didn’t see the benefit of retaining his services years ago. Consider what may have been…