Tottenham star refused to join pre-season tour to force through blockbuster transfer

Tottenham fans were forced to bid farewell to a modern icon when he refused to join the club's pre-season tour in the hopes of forcing through a career-changing transfer

Former Tottenham favourite Luka Modric will long be remembered as one of the club's greatest modern signings. However, the midfield icon tainted his legacy in some fans' eyes due to his underhanded tactics in engineering a move away from north London.

Modric, 40, was approaching the peak of his powers in 2012 when Real Madrid registered their interest in the player. He was identified by Jose Mourinho and Real as a key target, having impressed for Croatia at Euro 2012 and standing out as one of Spurs' leader figures for several seasons.

One year after attempting to force a move to Chelsea, Modric took things further in his efforts to join Los Blancos. So much so that he intentionally missed a team flight for their pre-season tour of the United States to force Tottenham's hand.

Modric was fined two weeks' wages for his transgression, though Spurs did all they could to keep him on board. It wasn't until the end of August 2012 that he finally completed a £33million switch to the Bernabeu.

Then-Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas expressed his regret over the debacle, saying Modric has apologised for his actions. That didn't stop the move going ahead, however, and the creative whiz later outlined his behaviour during that period as one of his greatest career regrets.

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"My one regret is that I didn’t win a trophy with Tottenham, despite us being a strong team who played good, attractive football," he told FourFourTwo in 2018. "I’m sorry for the way I left. I wish we had parted in a nicer way. I hope fans understand that I followed my dreams."

One can hardly begrudge the Croat his opportunity to join Real given all he went on to achieve in Madrid. Modric won six Champions League titles, four Spanish league titles, five FIFA Club World Cups and two Copas del Rey over the course of 13 years in Spain.

Now at AC Milan, the Premier League great continues to prove his longevity at the top level. Modric recently signed a one-year contract extension to remain at the San Siro despite the fact he's set to celebrate his 41st birthday next month.

For some Spurs fans, the manner of Modric's exit would be enough to tarnish his reputation in north London for good. Other more accepting supporters may empathise with his plight and the fact their club couldn't satisfy such an elite player's aspirations.

One major regret for Tottenham looking back may be that they did not get more for their player. Modric had four years left on a six-year contract at the time of his departure, with former team-mate Gareth Bale completing an £89m move to reunite with his old comrade in Spain the following year.

Fast forward to today and it's Spurs applying the pressure on clubs to sell after splurging almost £250m on new signings this summer. And the current regime would be wise to learn from Modric's example to avoid being caught in a similar predicament again.