When it was eventually all over, Luka Modric found himself enveloped in a hug by Cristiano Ronaldo, a slight figure almost swallowed up by a far taller former teammate. It was an instant reminder of how improbable it has been, the career of this middle-aged man with the body of a boy, the footballer from a small country that, with him as their indefatigable leader, almost conquered the footballing world.
Modric at the World Cup has been a great story. The final chapter was cruel; Croatia celebrated euphorically when it appeared Josko Gvardiol had scored a 103rd-minute equaliser against Portugal. The specialists in going to extra time seemed to have done so again. Enter VAR and exit Croatia. Portugal progressed. Modric’s World Cup career is finally finished, with silver and bronze medals, with the Golden Ball and the Bronze Ball, perhaps even with a place in the tournament’s all-time 11.
“I am sorry it ended this way with a defeat,” said Croatia’s manager, Zlatko Dalic. Realistically it had to end in defeat; Croatia are among the hardest teams to beat when the stakes are highest, but they were not going to win this tournament. But the manner of it was both heart-breaking and yet gallant. If there was a way to go, this was it, controversial decisions aside. Modric was unstinting in his efforts, the great technician who never gave up.
“Luka played especially well in the second half and was again one of our key players,” added Dalic. “He has shown his quality and his character and of course he was leading Croatia to the end.” And as epitaphs go, the man who led Croatia to the end isn’t a bad one.
It is at least one ending, perhaps several. A classic in Canada marked Modric’s final World Cup game; he will be 44 when the tournament returns in 2030. Whether his 202nd cap was his last remains to be seen. Dalic suggested there could be a wider shift to another generation.
“The end of an era,” he said. He declined to answer whether, after nine years at the helm, if his reign will finish. But he spoke of Modric, his midfield sidekick Mateo Kovacic and the 37-year-old scorer Ivan Perisic and added: “It is time for the new young players to gain experience.”
Few have more than Modric. He ends level with Paolo Maldini, another who reached a final and another semi-final and decorated tournaments, with 23 World Cup appearances. Only four men have made more, Ronaldo among them.
There have been times when this has seemed a World Cup too far for some of the aged. Initially that could have been the verdict on Modric. His competition began badly, conceding a penalty and being taken off inside an hour against England. It ended brilliantly. Ronaldo will go deeper into the tournament but, on the day, Modric outlasted the substituted forward, playing, including stoppage time, around 110 minutes.
“I would love to keep that performance,” said Roberto Martinez. The Portugal manager rarely needs a second invitation to eulogise, but the purist in him was happy to. “The longevity he has, he plays the game like a young man. The capacity to think; Modric is a beautiful example of that.”
There was an illustration of his gifts at footballing chess. There were points in the first half when Modric was so deep he was almost dropping in as a third centre-back. Yet there was another when he saw where the gap was, launched into a run from deep and, briefly, was the furthest man forward, chasing a long ball. He didn’t get there but he saw the opening before anyone else.
He saw less of the ball than Croatia used to. The baton among the pass-masters may have passed to Joao Neves and Vitinha, Portugal’s midfield double act. But Modric picked his moments and plotted his way through the game. There was a mastery.
And there was an enduring commitment to the cause. There was a moment in the second half when Rafael Leao shifted into top gear along Portugal’s left touchline, looking to accelerate an attack. A few yards infield, chasing desperately, was Modric; his 40-year-old legs were slower than the winger’s, but quicker than might be expected. He is the little man with the big heart.
And the big achievements. Ronaldo had a word after the final whistle. “He’s still a legend of football,” said Modric’s old Real Madrid colleague. “I just said to him so many times, congratulations for everything, I wish you all the best for the next few years of your career.”
The next few? Modric turns 41 in September. He has 967 club games under his belt, to add to his 202 for his country. If anyone has earned the right to retire, it is him. For now, it is hinted at, more than confirmed. Even he, surely, cannot defy time for much longer. But his legacy will last. “He is going to stay in the folklore of football forever,” said Martinez.
Since the Golden Ball was introduced in 1982, only Diego Maradona, the Brazilian Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have finished in the podium positions twice. Croatia’s greatest ever footballer took them further than a small country should logically go, and did it again. Dalic talked of “those who have made a miracle twice.” More than anyone else, Modric was Croatia’s miracle man. There were no more miracles. But with the man who led Croatia to the end, there was always the hope there might be another.
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