Luka Modric poses with his Real Madrid shirt and his Barcelona shirt

Luka Modric finally got his move away from Spurs, bringing a merciful end to his long transfer saga that has had him linked to half the clubs in Europe. And Modric couldn't be happier that he's ended up at Real Madrid.

Upon arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu, Modric beamed (via RealMadrid.com):

"I am honoured to be at the biggest and best club in the world. Everyone I need to grow as a player is here: the best manager and the best players; they will enable me to enjoy my football. I am so happy and pleased. I can't wait to start playing with the team because this is a great challenge for me. This is the biggest challenge of my career and I'm sure that I will fulfil my ambitions. This is one of the happiest days of my career".

Coincidentally, back in 2008 when Barcelona were first rumored to be interested in Modric, Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo presented him with a personalized Barca shirt, presumably to try and grease the wheels of the transfer train.

And two years later, when Modric was linked to Barcelona again, the Croatian midfielder said, "I like being placed in that context, in the context of a player who can play for the best club in the world."

It seems Luka Modric's primary criteria for deciding the "best club in the world" is whether a given club is interested in Luka Modric. Unless that club is Tottenham (sad trombone).