Croatia’s uncertain future at Euro 2024 leaves its mark on Luka Modric’s international legacy

Luka Modric He is used to receiving individual praise at the height of disappointment. After the 2018 World Cup final, he discovered he had won the tournament’s Ballon d’Or. How it looked Croatia had been ejected from Euro 2024 on the last kick of the game, a seminal victory turned into a seismic blow. Mattia Zaccagni’s goal, in the 98th minute, had barely been scored before the final whistle sounded; perhaps in a Modric tournament career that dates back to the 2006 World Cup.

It is safe to assume that it was of little consolation that he was promptly named man of the match. He had a record to go with an award; the oldest scorer ever at a European Championship – at least until Cristiano Ronaldo scored – is Modric, three months away from turning 39. His final contribution to the competition, however, may have come at the moment his award was announced: giving a standing ovation to the bench of Croatian fans in Leipzig. It may be premature to call this a farewell greeting; partly because there is still a combination of results that could see Croatia through, partly because it is dangerous to assume that Modric will retire from international duties.

However, if this was the end of such a stage, what a way to go. He was brave, but in vain. It was a terribly cruel conclusion; Modric was a spectator when Zaccagni opted for the spectacular. Removing him seemed like a move that backfired on the coach Zlatko Dalic; he appeared to be saving Modric for the round of 16 tie with Switzerland, which Italy will now play, figuring his captain would be the match winner. “I didn’t necessarily want to waste him any more minutes,” he said. “I wanted to give him the opportunity to rest. He was by no means tired. I wanted to bring someone more fresh in the last 10 or 15 minutes because Luka gave everything.”

That’s almost an understatement. It was at once a classic Modric performance and something very different, the kind of tour de force that stems from a fierce sense of competitiveness. The slender figure did not reach and sustain such heights for so long due solely to the elegance of possession. Let’s look at the moment Gianluigi Donnarumma had to divert a threatening low cross from the right: due to an overlapping run by the oldest man on the field.

Or, after a quarter of an hour, when Modric overtook Lorenzo Pellegrini on the left touchline and advanced, becoming the most advanced Croatian on the field, looking to unleash the power. He didn’t have much success, but the old metronome was trying to reinvent himself as a midfield dynamo.

If it suggested ubiquity, it was encapsulated in a crazy 33 seconds. He created one impression in the 55th minute, another in the 98th. The missed penalty, saved by Donnarumma, was followed just half a minute later by the cathartic goal, the finish of a penalty hunter rather than a professional playmaker. It seemed that Modric had determined Croatia’s fate by force of personality; as if, after years of being Real Madrid’s answer to Xavi, he had belatedly discovered his inner Steven Gerrard. This style of action was encapsulated in a strangely savage tackle on Davide Frattesi, which earned a yellow card. Apparently, Modric was playing on adrenaline, fueled by patriotism. As some of his teammates in Croatia’s best-ever team left the stage, whether through injury or age, retirement or rejection, while most of his successors failed to reach the same standards, he felt it had to be everyone: Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, Ante Rebic, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida.

Cruelly, however, there has been a return to a more distant past: not 2018, but 2008. Sixteen years ago, Croatia were eliminated from the European Championships in part because of a penalty missed by Modric in the shootout against Turkey. A rejected penalty seemed irrelevant when he scored half a minute later; when Zaccagni equalized, however, he left an alternative story.

More pertinently, it shed a different light on Dalic’s decision to remove him. Croatia has a 99-year-old midfield trio. They lost control after removing two of their passers: Mateo Kovacic in the 70th minute, Modric in the 80th. The rhythmic chorus of “Luka” from their adoring crowd gave way to a more anxious feel. Meanwhile, Luciano Spalletti was overloaded with attackers, admitting he barely had a midfield position. Croatia removed theirs.

Perhaps this strange balance between veteran midfielders and younger substitutes partly explains why they conceded goals in the 95th and 98th minutes against Albania and Italy. It is these objectives that explain his departure; why Modric, a truly great World Cup player, may not have the same status at the European Championships. Their five tournaments have brought one quarter-final, two round of 16 exits and now, presumably, two group stage matches. He had missed a penalty but, as Dalic said, he gave everything; he had done practically everything. Except the game ends and the coach who made that decision says: “I’m the one who takes responsibility, I raise my hands. I’m the only one to blame if we don’t make it to the knockout stage.” It was a noble gesture and perhaps others can blame Dalic too. But despite his struggles from 12 yards, no one should blame Modric.