Luka Modric has been tormenting England for 20 years. Can he do it one more time? It's hard to believe that the man who has been a constant thorn in England's side for two decades is now on the cusp of retirement. But here we are, on the eve of the 2022 World Cup, and Luka Modric is still going strong. When Luka Modric first played against England, Tony Blair was still in office. Arsenal had just moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, Italy were newly crowned world champions and Pep Guardiola retired as a player after a six-month spell in Mexico with Dorados. Twitter was less than three months old and Facebook had been made fully public earlier that year. Amy Winehouse’s album Back to Black was about to be released, while the much-hyped film Borat was coming to cinemas. Football fans in England – and in Croatia – may recognise which game it was solely from that last bit of pop culture history: the European Championship qualifier in Zagreb on 11 October 2006. At the very moment that Gary Neville sent a backpass to Paul Robinson, Borat’s image appeared on Maksimir Stadium’s advertising boards; the ball bounced awkwardly on the edge of the six-yard box, the England keeper missed it and it went into the net with Sacha Baron Cohen’s grin and moustache in the background, adding to England’s misery. For Modric, who played the whole match that Croatia won 2-0, that was already his 11th cap; his first came that year in a friendly in which Lionel Messi scored his debut goal for Argentina. And so beckoned the Modric era for Croatia, without anyone being aware of it. The young midfielder did not quite have a key role in the team just yet – he would assume it years later – but, in retrospect, the win marked the beginning of a long process that would transform the national team of a tiny country into one of the most successful in the world. It really is an era, because there is no Modric generation; the players have come and gone, with only himself remaining as a constant, like a traveller who intervenes in the past and in the future, defying the linear nature of time. At some point – and no one can tell when it was exactly any more as it seems to keep changing – he made the team his own, not only through his leadership but also in terms of his indestructible never-say-die mentality. At the past two World Cups combined, Croatia won no less than seven knockout round games without beating or even outplaying anyone in 90 minutes before succumbing to the eventual winners on both occasions. England played an important role in building the team over the course of that era. Since that first match in October 2006, they played eight more times; there were wins, losses and draws, with Modric missing only one, due to a broken fibula – the 5-1 defeat at the hands of Fabio Capello’s team in 2009 – but two of those were key. A year after the surreal Borat incident, there was the infamous "wally with a brolly" game at Wembley. Croatia had already qualified for the Euros and had nothing to play for, while England needed only a draw to do the same. But the visitors, led by Slaven Bilic, proceeded to beat them only because they could and that win soon became legendary as it psychologically shaped the team, giving them a massive confidence boost. Croatia performed well at the tournament, but it still lacked the Modric mentality. Maybe Modric, who agreed to a transfer from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham before the Euros, lacked it himself back then. Croatia stormed through the group with three wins but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Turkey in the most shocking of ways, taking the lead after 119 minutes only to concede a last-moment equaliser and lose on penalties, with Modric missing. The other important game was the 2018 World Cup semi-final , when Croatia overturned an early England lead to beat them in extra-time at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to reach the final against France. Modric didn’t seem to have a key role in that match either but, by that time, he was already a decorated leader who had carried the team through years of ill-advised coaching appointments and bitter underachievement. In Russia, Croatia were managed by Zlatko Dalic, who was the first national team coach to really connect with Modric. Now, almost 20 years after they first met, the 40-year-old playmaker is ready to face England again. It will be his 199th appearance for his country. On the surface, he’s not what he once was and neither are Croatia. If the World Cup warm-up defeat by Belgium was any indication – and they were specifically chosen as preparation for Thomas Tuchel’s team – Croatia will play a back three and sacrifice their own attacking capacity for defensive stability. But they look likely to struggle with England’s speed and energy. Modric will be 41 in September. He won’t say it, but he is likely to retire after the World Cup. Can he inspire his team to provide one more knockout blow to England in Dallas? With his history against the Three Lions – and his pedigree – no one will bet against him. Personally, I think that Modric's ability to inspire his team is what makes him so fascinating. He has a way of rallying his teammates and instilling in them a never-say-die attitude, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. What makes this particularly fascinating is that Modric has been able to do this for so long, even as he has aged and his physical abilities have declined. In my opinion, Modric's impact on Croatian football cannot be overstated. He has been the constant in a team that has gone through numerous changes, and his leadership and mental fortitude have been instrumental in the team's success. From my perspective, the fact that Modric has been able to maintain his high level of performance for so long is a testament to his dedication and work ethic. One thing that immediately stands out is that Modric has always been a player who is willing to take risks and push the boundaries of what is possible. What many people don't realize is that Modric's impact extends beyond the pitch. He has become a cultural icon in Croatia, and his influence has helped to raise the profile of Croatian football on the global stage. If you take a step back and think about it, it's clear that Modric's impact on Croatian football has been immense. He has helped to build a team that has become one of the most successful in the world, and his leadership and mental fortitude have been instrumental in that success. This raises a deeper question: what will happen to Croatian football after Modric retires? Will the team be able to maintain its success without him? A detail that I find especially interesting is that Modric has always been a player who is willing to take risks and push the boundaries of what is possible. What this really suggests is that Modric's impact on Croatian football has been more than just on the pitch. He has become a cultural icon, and his influence has helped to raise the profile of Croatian football on the global stage. Personally, I think that Modric's ability to inspire his team is what makes him so fascinating. He has a way of rallying his teammates and instilling in them a never-say-die attitude, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. In conclusion, Luka Modric's impact on Croatian football has been immense, and his ability to inspire his team is what makes him so fascinating. As he prepares to face England once again at the 2022 World Cup, it's clear that Modric's legacy will extend far beyond the pitch.
