Mateo Kovacic, a midfielder for Chelsea, has cited Luka Modric of Real Madrid as his favorite player.

During his time at Real Madrid, Modric and Kovacic were club teammates, and Kovacic characterized the 37-year-old as a leader.

Kovacic talked about his time with Real Madrid and thanked Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo for their support on and off the field.

The Croatian star told GOAL: “I was only 21 years old, and there were some big players, but, in the beginning, I was a little bit nervous.

“I learned a lot, and there [in Real Madrid] are a lot of great characters. Of course, with my relationship with Luka [Modric], he was one of the leaders there, and then you had upfront Ronaldo. He was a leader on and off the pitch.

“My relationship with all the players is amazing, especially with Luka [Modric]. He was my idol when I was a child, and then, when I came to Madrid, we obviously connected more, and now we share this friendship. It is amazing to have such a big player and a big person as a friend. He has a big influence on me.”