Kovacic reveals the secret behind why Modric is so good

Mateo Kovacic has broken down the reasons behind Luka Modric's successful career ahead of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final return leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

The Chelsea midfielder revealed that Modric was his idol when the current Real Madrid star plied his trade at Kovacic's favourite team, Dinamo Zagreb, before joining Tottenham Hotspur.

"It is quite difficult to stop [Modric]," Kovacic said during Monday's pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday's clash with Real Madrid.

"He is an amazing player. I admired him when I was a child when he played for my favourite club, Dinamo Zagreb.

"He has always been as good as he is now. As long as I've known him he has remained on the same level, which is amazing. He loves football so much. He is a professional. If he keeps going like this, I see him playing for [another] three or four years.

"It was nice and difficult to play against him, but it is never nice when you are losing. I always prefer to have him on my team. This moment we are against each other, and we are ready to show our best tomorrow to try to go through."

The Croatia international went on to stress that Chelsea could still qualify for the semi-finals, despite losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

"Of course we have our chances [to advance] and we are motivated to show our best tomorrow," added Kovacic.

"We did not have our best game and the result is not good and the result is not good in the last game. There is hope and we are motivated to show our best. It will be a quality game and we are looking forward to it."