"Even so, I did very well at Tottenham. They were very tough on me, and the chairman, Daniel Levy, made it crystal clear in our first meeting [that] there was absolutely no chance they would let me go. After that, I carried on as if nothing had happened. I knew it would be complicated; both clubs are in London, and there's a rivalry. I wanted to go, even though I knew it was going to be very difficult."
"In the end, it didn't happen, and I kept playing, and it was perhaps one of my best seasons. We finished fourth; that year Chelsea won the Champions League. The season was phenomenal, and a year later, an even better opportunity came along. And in the end, it worked out even better; probably if I had joined Chelsea, I wouldn't have gone to Real Madrid."
Modrić left Dinamo Zagreb to join Tottenham in 2008. Three years later he sought a move to Chelsea but Tottenham rejected multiple bids. He remained at Spurs for one more season before transferring to Real Madrid in 2012. At Madrid he won 28 trophies, including six Champions League titles, and earned the 2018 Ballon d'Or. He contributed 30 goals and 63 assists in 394 LaLiga matches and formed a strong midfield with Casemiro and Toni Kroos. Modrić called the failed Chelsea move a blessing in disguise, noting Daniel Levy's refusal and the London rivalry, and said staying led to a phenomenal season and a better opportunity.
Read at Soccer News
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