Tottenham signed midfield magician on this day in 2008 and he helped seal Champions League spot

Tottenham Hotspur agreed a £16.5million deal to sign Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb on April 26, 2008. The then 22-year-old signed a five-year contract with Spurs and spent four seasons in north London before joining Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Modric was signed during Juande Ramos’ tenure at the club, however, the Spaniard was dismissed just months after the Croatian playmaker’s arrival after a dismal start to the 2008/09 season. It was under his successor Harry Redknapp that Modric began to showcase what he was capable of after initially being dismissed as lightweight.

Redknapp moved Modric into a deeper midfield role, allowing him to utilise his range of passing, creativity and vision to have more of an influence during matches. The positional change proved to be a turning point, something that Modric acknowledged when reflecting on his time at Spurs.

The truth about Antonio Conte and PSG, release clause talk and Daniel Levy calls to Pochettino

“The change of position helped me a lot in my career. I used to play more offensively, he said after winning the Ballon d'or in 2018. “When I dropped back, I was able to read the game better and show my creativity. Harry Redknapp made that change.”

Spurs finished ninth in Redknapp’s first season in charge, however, Modric was the catalyst for far loftier ambitions in the coming campaigns. They finished fourth the following year, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

However, despite the remarkable turnaround under Redknapp, they couldn’t maintain their place amongst Europe’s elite with a fifth-placed finish the following season. And despite the fact they finished fourth again in 2012, Chelsea claimed the final Champions League spot in