Former Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has hailed the qualities of Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.

On the occasion of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea, Modric invited Bilic to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu 18 years after he went to watch him play for Inter Zapresic.

Bilic recalled to Marca: "It was 2004, just after the European Championship in Portugal. Luka was just 19 years old. At that age there is a lot of difference if you are 19 or 21 - two years makes a difference. He was playing for N.K. Inter Zapresic, a small team that is now in the second division. He was on loan from Dinamo Zagreb. I went to see him and I liked things [about him] from the beginning. He had a lot of technique and a great character.

"First it was in the U21s. Then he came in and was in the starting eleven in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup. After playing a few games we made him captain; he was an excellent leader on the pitch, he has a unique character. I have seen him conquer the football world. I would be lying if I said that at that moment I knew he was going to win a Ballon d'Or, spend 10 years at Real Madrid, be the best midfielder of the last decade, or at least the most complete. You could tell that he was ready to be one of the best Croatian players of all time.

"He is very complete - he has everything. I remember in 2006, before the World Cup, I was at a football pitch in Austria because we were playing against them and before the game I told him that even if it was a big tournament for him, he had to trust himself and have courage. I told him: 'Maybe you are not better than Xavi or Iniesta, but you are in their league. They are not better than you.' I remember the look on his face; he was excited and grateful. He showed everyone that he was as good as them."