Kevin-Prince Boateng says one ex-Tottenham player was ‘impossible’ to get near in training | OneFootball

Luka Modric has to be one of the most gutting Tottenham Hotspur departures of all time.

The Croatian wizard joined Tottenham back in 2008, signing for a measly £16.5m from Dinamo Zagreb. He was sold four years later to Real Madrid in August 2012 for £30m, and as they say, the rest is history.

The Ballon d’Or winner has cemented himself in football folklore as one of the absolute legends of the game. The Croatian is one of the great midfielders of his generation – and if not, all time.

Tottenham didn’t exactly get his best years – but he was still absolutely class during his time in North London.

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Kevin-Prince Boateng on Luka Modric

A former Spurs midfielder who also played at the same time as Modric is Kevin-Prince Boateng. It never really worked out for him at Spurs, but he remembers his time fondly playing with some legendary players.

This includes Modric, who although wasn’t at the peak of his career, was an absolute gem of a player. Boateng stated he could easily see how he’s developed into the footballing icon he is today.

Back in October 2023, on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast ‘Vibe with Five’, KPB was a guest, and they got onto the topic of the Ballon d’Or winner. Ferdinand posed a question:

“Modric. What was he like then [At Tottenham], because we know what he is now and became like a legend of the game. Did you always see that in him?”

Kevin Price Boateng responded: “Yeah when I trained with him you could see he is like unbelievable. His outside foot and the way he read the game, but physically he wasn’t ready for the Premier League. They were all huge, they went to the gym and just lifted so many weights you know.”

“Did you get anywhere near him in training?” Stephen Howson, Ferdinand’s co-host, asked.

“No it was impossible,” he replied. “He already knew what he was going to do before the ball came. Your first touch you know, he’s just past you.”

Luka Modric is an all-time great

As sad as it was for Spurs fans to watch him go – it’s safe to say he made the right choice.

To be the only winner of the Ballon d’Or in the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi era is nothing short of ludicrous, and a feat to this day only ever achieved by the little Croatian.

Tottenham fans should consider it a pleasure he graced Hotspur Way for as long as he did.