Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic feels Croatia teammate and Real Madrid rival Luka Modric deserves to win the Golden Ball award for the World Cup’s best player.
Modric’s playmaking has been instrumental during Croatia’s run to a first-ever World Cup Final, where they will face France on Sunday, and Rakitic put club loyalties to one side when choosing his standout performer in Russia.
“It has to be a Croatian and our captain Modric deserves it,” he said at a Press conference.
“I’m sure FIFA are going to choose him, while other Croats will be in the best XI.
“However, we don’t want that. We just want the World Cup.”
