Official announcement from Real Madrid:

This morning at Real Madrid City, Luka Modric was presented with an award recognising him as the World's Best Playmaker 2018. The Croatian star was rewarded by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) for a year which saw him win the Champions League with Real Madrid and lead his national team to the World Cup final in Russia. On an individual level, he also picked up the Ballon d'Or,  The Best award and UEFA's Men's Player of the Year trophy.

The voting by football experts from 90 countries around the world place the Croatian midfielder (272 votes) ahead of Messi (144), Hazard (114), De Bruyne (36) and Neymar (18). Modric was not the only Real Madrid star to receive a prize prior to training on Friday, as Courtois was also presented with the IFFHS award as Best Goalkeeper 2018