Croatia v Morocco: Modric’s ‘Last Dance’?

-A World Cup bow at Germany 2006 and still shining at Qatar 2022

-Luka Modric may well be playing his last ever World Cup game

-For the second time in their history, Croatia will compete for third place

Croatia and Morocco will kick off on Saturday 17 December at 18:00 (local time) to decide third and fourth place at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, a match highly likely to be Luka Modric’s last ever appearance at a World Cup. 

In the build-up to Croatia’s first game against Morocco in the group stage, the midfield maestro talked about his international future, saying: “If we win the World Cup it’d be amazing. If that happened, I could retire.”

But fate stood in the way of the Real Madrid magician going out at the very top. The 3-0 defeat by Argentina in the semi-final shattered Croatia’s dreams, and they will now return to the pitch against Morocco in the play-off for third place. 

Despite this, the Croatia No10’s glittering career, awash with titles and trophies, has seen him become one of the best midfielders in the history of football, as Qatar 2022 has demonstrated yet again. During an unconvincing start, Croatia seemed a shadow of the team they were at Russia 2018, but within weeks Zlatko Dalic’s side had come within a whisker of reaching their second consecutive FIFA World Cup Final.

Germany 2006: World Cup debut 

After earning his stripes at national-team youth level, then head coach Zlatko Kranjcar called the young Modric up to the senior national side on 24 February 2006 - and two months later he would be in the squad that travelled to Germany for the World Cup. His first international goal subsequently arrived in August of that year, contributing to Croatia’s 2-0 win in a friendly against freshly-crowned world champions Italy.

Two years later and Modric would take part in UEFA EURO 2008, scoring from the penalty spot against co-hosts Austria and becoming, aged 22 years and 73 days, Croatia’s youngest ever scorer at a European Championship. The team’s run in 2008 came to an end against Turkey in the quarter-final on penalties, after Modric himself had put the Croatians ahead in extra time. Nevertheless, at the end of the competition, he was included in the Team of the Tournament as the best player in his position. 

Despite Croatia failing to get out of their group at UEFA EURO 2012, Modric was bought by Real Madrid after notching up eye-catching performances for club and country. He has come a long way since 2006, winning five UEFA Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and four FIFA Club World Cups with Real Madrid, in addition to helping drive Croatia to a runners-up finish at Russia 2018, where he also won the adidas Golden Ball Award. 

Yet despite his consistent excellence, prior to 2018 it could be argued that Modric did not receive the credit his performances were due within the world of football. Indeed, it is easy to forget that back in 2012, for example, his move to Madrid was not initially well-received, despite the strong showings that had helped previous club Tottenham Hotspur qualify for the Champions League.

2018: on top of the world

Having already bagged several trophies with Real Madrid by the time Russia 2018 came around, (including four Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups and one La Liga title) Modric’s stock was of course high with those in the game, although his performances on Russian soil took his global standing to another level. 

At 33, the Croatian No10 showed exactly what he could do, scoring in the opening clash with Nigeria from the penalty spot (Croatia won 2-0) and being named Player of the Match. The script would be repeated in the following game, when he scored against Argentina from outside the box.

Thanks to a succession of goals, assists and sensational skills, the whole world would recognise his talent, which was backed by a tough, close-knit and strong team. For the first time in their history Croatia reached the Final, where they met France. And though the Trophy would be lifted by Kylian Mbappe and Co, Modric came away with the Golden Ball Award as the tournament’s outstanding player.

Qatar 2022: head held high 

Fast forward to right now and, with a tally of 161 senior international caps prior to the meeting with Morocco, Modric is a genuine icon in a Croatian team to which he has managed to transmit his skill, character and mindset. A clash of the titans with fellow modern legend Lionel Messi in the semi-final may have ended in defeat, but Planet Football is still ready to pay Modric the tribute he deserves, in what is likely to be his last ever appearance on the World Cup stage.