Croatia captain Luka Modric has won the Fifa Golden Ball for the best player at the World Cup 2018 despite seeing his side lose in the final to France, 4-2.
It is the second consecutive tournament when the winner has been named as a player on the losing side in the final, after Lionel Messi was awarded it in Brazil 2014.
Modric has covered more distance than any other in the World Cup and becomes the first Croatian to win the award.
The Real Madrid midfielder beat Belgium’s Eden Hazard and France’s Antoine Griezmann to the award.
He scored two goals and had one assist during the seven games in Russia, leading his team to two penalty shootout victories in what was Croatia’s best ever showing in the World Cup.
The award for the young player of the tournament went to Kylian Mbappe, while Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove and England’s Harry Kane claimed the Golden Boot.
