Barcelona's loaded midfield could have been that much better with a little bit of foresight, according to a former scout.
Bojan Krkic Sr., the father of former Blaugrana attacker Bojan Krkic - who is now showcasing his skills for Stoke City - says the Catalan club had the opportunity to sign Luka Modric prior to his 2008 move from Croatian talent incubator Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham.
"We had it in our hands," he told SER Catalunya.
"Modric was a player with a winning mentality, but the club weren't thinking about the future, only the short to medium term.
"Our contact in Croatia spoke highly of Modric before he signed for Tottenham. I was working for Barca then and they sent us various DVDs (of him playing) with Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.
"I consulted with (Zvonimir) Boban, the ex-Milan and Croatia player, to get his opinion and he told me he (Modric) would be a star in the future."
The centre of the park at the Camp Nou already housed the likes of iconic Spaniard Xavi, diminutive magician Andres Iniesta, skillful human tank Yaya Toure, and the cerebral Sergio Busquets, and Krkic Sr. said the Barcelona brass didn't think inking Modric would be necessary.
This, despite Modric visiting the club and leaving a "great impression."
The rest, of course, is history.
After four impressive years in north London, the now-31-year-old moved to Barcelona's perennial rival, Real Madrid, where he has established himself as one of the very best central midfielders on the planet.
Having recently agreed to a new contract with the capital-based side until 2020, the Barcelona hierarchy - and supporters, for that matter - will be reminded of what they missed out on plenty of times in the coming years.
Not that things haven't worked out in Catalonia over that time, of course - ironically, with Modric's compatriot Ivan Rakitic playing a pivotal role in recent successes.
