Florentino Pérez: 'The Ballon d'Or has enjoyed an enduring romance with Real Madrid'

Florentino Pérez was in attendance at the 2018 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, which saw Luka Modric crowned as the best player in the world. The Real Madrid president congratulated the Croatian and referred to the club's relationship with the award: "Modric is the 10th footballer to have won the Ballon d'Or as a Real Madrid player. We've now won 17 Ballons d'Or. This prestigious accolade has enjoyed an enduring romance with Real Madrid and I'm certain that this will continue to be the case in the future".

"It's a source of great satisfaction. Nobody represents the values of this club, both on and off the pitch, better than Modric. He's leaving his mark on an era and he's winning it all with us. It's a source of satisfaction that he plays for this club".

Praise for Modric
"He's had an outstanding year in which he has claimed all of the awards going and nobody can question whether he's the best. It's a pleasure to watch him out on the pitch and the way he controls the ball, passes it and shoots. He's got a gift of causing a good impression on everyone he meets and being able to make sport a place where people come together and not one of conflict. That's something he constantly conveys".

Nominees
"We've got the best player in every position and that's been proved both here and at The Best awards. There were 11 madridistas at those awards and eight here. That's the recognition for the good job we've done in trying to make sure we've got the best player in each position".