BHARGAB SARMAH

MOSCOW: Shortly after leading Croatia to the final on Wednesday, captain Luka Modric was asked about growing calls for him to be awarded the Ballon d’or.

“For me, it’s not important. I already said that. The only wish I have is to lift the cup for Croatia,” the Real Madrid midfielder told reporters at the mixed zone of the Luzhniki Stadium here.

Modric’s refusal to speak about his prospects for the award, which celebrates individual brilliance in a team game, notwithstanding, bookmakers on Thursday slashed odds for him to win the Ballon d’or. He is now the favourite behind former Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

He is also being seen a frontrunner for the Golden Ball. As per the odds, it is likely to be a close contest between him and France starlet Kylian Mbappe for the bragging rights of being the best player of the tournament.

The calls for Modric for the Ballon d’or, in particular, have grown with every Croatia game in Russia. Following Wednesday’s semi-final, Croatia great Davor Suker, Modric’s teammate Ivan Rakitic and Mexico’s Javier Hernandez joined a host of present and past stars to vouch for the diminutive midfielder.

Over the past 10 years, the Ballon has become a Ronaldo-lionel Messi duopoly. Ronaldo will be seen as the leading contender once again after Real Madrid’s Champions League hat-trick earlier this year.

But Modric has already made his case. During his first season at Real Madrid, he had been voted by readers of Marca as the club’s