While White Hart Lane wasn’t exactly the scene of many trophy lifts, some of the most decorated footballers of our generation have taken to the field in Tottenham Hotspur colours on that ground.
Harry Kane left as the club’s all-time top scorer, but he is still yet to lift any silverware.
The same certainly cannot be said for Gareth Bale who went to Real Madrid and lifted the whole gamut, winning LaLiga three times and taking home the Champions League on five occasions.
He did so standing alongside Luka Modric, another Spurs icon who has since gone on to achieve some remarkable things in the sport.
Luka Modric's Spurs career in numbers
Now aged 39, Modric is certainly like a fine wine. As the goal below shows, scored just a matter of weeks ago, he’s not getting any worse.
He’s a Ballon d’Or winner, a World Cup finalist, a four-time LaLiga winner, a six-time Champions League winner and a five-time Club World Cup victor.
But, after being prised away from Dinamo Zagreb for £15m, the midfielder’s rise to stardom truly began at Spurs.
During his time at the Lilywhites, the Croat was nothing short of a marvel in the centre of the pitch with praise ultimately coming from all corners, notably Harry Redknapp and Sir Alex Ferguson.
“He’s a fantastic footballer. Alex Ferguson said to me last year that he could play in any team. I agree with him, he’s so good. “Anyone would love to have him. When I was at Portsmouth I spoke to (Croatia boss) Slaven Bilic. Niko Kranjcar was a good player but they all said Modric was the best player. Slaven said he was world class.” – Redknapp on Modric.
Spurs ended up banking a fair amount of profit from the Croatia international, selling him to Madrid in 2012 for a £30m fee.
The north Londoners have had some pretty fine midfielders since then, notably Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen, but the crispness of Modric has arguably never been replaced.
Well, fast forward over ten years and Ange Postecoglou may be brewing the next Modric.
Spurs' brand new Luka Modric in 2025
The immediate future for Spurs looks rather bleak considering the club occupies 15th spot in the Premier League.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
However, the long-term future certainly looks bright providing they can continue to nurture their best young talent.
Postecoglou isn’t short of young options at Spurs with the likes of Archie Gray, Mikey Moore and Lucas Bergvall all staking their claims throughout an arduous 2024/25 campaign.
So, who evokes the biggest memories of Modric? It has to be teenaged midfielder Bergvall.
Said to have “a first touch like Modric” by the Athletic’s JJ Bull, the 19-year-old is turning into a fine player. He’s supremely confident in possession of the ball and while he’s yet to add too many goals or assists to his game, they will soon come.
Bergvall has only found the net once in his 38 appearances this term but has assisted four goals. Those numbers will obviously need to improve but some of his other core statistics are eye-catching.
According to FBref, it’s clear to see how much of a multi-faceted player the 19-year-old is. He ranks inside the top 15% of positionally similar players in Europe for pass completion, rubber-stamping his similarities to Modric, who is often renowned as one of the best tempo setters we’ve seen in the last 15 or so years.
The Croatian sensation wasn’t just someone to spray passes about but his ability to beat a player and carry the ball is perhaps an underrated facet of his game, ranking in the top 7% of midfielders on the continent for progressive carries per 90 with 2.49.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Where does Bergvall rank? In the 17% with 1.98 but he is in the very top 1% of positionally similar players for successful take-ons per 90 minutes. Also sitting within the best 13% for tackles, this is a player who pretty much has it all.
Passes completed
Top 10%
Pass completion
Top 14%
Tackles
Top 17%
Dribblers tackled
Top 16%
Shots blocked
Top 7%
Touches
Top 10%
Carries
Top 10%
Successul take-ons
Top 5%
Progressive carries
Top 19%
Let us tell you this. For as good as Modric has been throughout his career, he has never been a prolific goalscorer, netting an average of 4.7 goals a season during his days as a professional.
So often described as a generational talent by his peers, that tag has already been handed out to Bergvall too, with GOAL reporter Mitch Fretton suggesting after one performance last month that he could well be “generational.”
There are also the leadership skills. Modric has been the Croatia captain for years now and in the words of data analyst Ben Mattinson, the young Spurs midfielder “could even be Sweden’s captain” in the future.
It looks like Levy and Co have signed a real gem here.
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