Luka Modric Wins UEFA Men's Player of the Year over Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Salah

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric took home the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award on Thursday, as the Croatia international was rewarded for his role in Los Blancos' run to a third straight Champions League title. 

The former Tottenham Hotspur man beat Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo to the award:

Modric was the clear favourite to win the award after a wonderful season at club level and with the national team. With Croatia, he made it to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. 

Per Football on BT Sport, he and Real Madrid cleaned up the awards on Thursday:

Ronaldo left Los Blancos for Juventus in the summer. The Portuguese had won the award in three of the past four seasons.

It's Modric's first time winning the award, as the 32-year-old was overshadowed by some of his team-mates in recent years. Ronaldo in particular often swept up the awards thanks to his many goals.

There's little doubt Modric deserved the honour, however, as he's carved out quite the career in La Liga after a poor start:

Modric, Salah and Ronaldo are also among the 10 nominees for the FIFA Men's Player award. The three finalists for that award will be revealed on September 3, and the trophy ceremony is on September 24.