It’s been over six years since people first tried to get Luka Modric to quit. After the 2018 World Cup, friends first brought up the subject in a subtle way. Mario Mandzukic and Vedran Corluka, two of Modric’s teammates, had already quit after Croatia lost the final, and Modric knew it would be poetic to say goodbye at the moment of his country’s greatest achievement. He had plaudits in his ears and the Golden Ball in his hands. That kind of thing. Make them want more. Still, something inside him fought back.
He wrote in his book, “My heart told me to stay.” “One of the best feelings in the world is playing for your national team. I still want to feel that.” I feel fit and ready to go. It is true that giving up after the silver medal in Russia would have made the biggest impact. It doesn’t bother me much, though.
He is back on the job this week in Zagreb, where he will meet some new people but mostly the same old crowd. He is hugged by Mateo Kovacic so hard that it could warm coal. Luka Sucic, a midfielder for Real Sociedad who was three years old when Modric made his debut for Croatia, holds him close like a favorite grandmother. Four World Cups have passed since the 2018 event. Croatia’s golden generation is slowly passing away, and Modric was already the second-oldest player on that team.
On September 9, he will be 39 years old. Why does he still need to be here? In Spain, there has been some talk that Modric’s decision to extend his international career has not been met with universal praise at Real Madrid. The club may have thought that when they offered him a one-year contract extension in July, they would finally have him all to themselves. But anyone who knows Modric would have told you that he will keep going as long as his legs can hold him up and the ball will still move to his
After the failure of Euro 2024, Domagoj Vida and Marcelo Brozovic were the last players to quit. Brozovic chose to stay with 99 caps, though. Ivan Perisic is still really close to making it, but Kovacic is still a force. And as a teacher who is getting close to eight years on the job, Zlatko Dalic knows better than most how time goes by. “We missed two senators, but we’re glad our captain is still on board,” he said when he announced the team last month. “Karl is our best player on and off the field.”
Modric has become a symbol of something bigger than himself during what seems like an endless career fall. It’s bigger than the country he leads or the club he plays for. You may remember the video that went viral of the reporter at Euro 2024 pleading with Modric to “never retire.” Fans of the other team almost always stand up and give him a standing applause these days. This happened at Anfield last year and at Las Palmas last week. Modric seems to be almost being asked to stay in the game by football. Which is even more interesting when you think about the person he plays on Thursday night in Lisbon.
Cristiano Ronaldo turned 39 in February and has also chosen to keep playing for his country, but this decision seems to be met with a lot more disagreement. Ronaldo said this week, before Portugal’s Nations League games against Croatia and Scotland, “When the time comes, I’ll move on.” He said this as if it were his choice and his alone. Which it probably is: even after a disappointing Euro 2024, Roberto Martínez hasn’t listened to the rising number of Portuguese people who want him to let Ronaldo go and build a new team around his ridiculously talented core of peak-age players.
It’s strange that Modric doesn’t say much about Ronaldo in his book, even though they played together for six years at Madrid and won almost every player award in the sport. There is, of course, a lot of mutual respect, a faithful account of feats and successes, and the occasional encouraging word spoken over the years. However, if you read between the lines, it seems like their relationship is more professional than personal. Their serious duty as teammates is to work together to complete a common goal. They couldn’t be more different as people.
The difference in attitude might be most clear in late 2018, when Modric shows up to Fifa’s The Best awards in London and finds Ronaldo’s designated seat empty. Many people think Modric will win the main award, so Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who were invited to the ceremony as members of the World XI, have chosen not to go. Modric knows the reason. He tries hard to hide his sadness, but it’s hard.
In the end, he will write, “I was sorry they weren’t there for that unforgettable evening.” “I think they should have shown up, even if they didn’t win. It would have been more classy.” They should have done this to show respect for everyone who voted for them in the past and for sports in general.
But then, Ronaldo’s fans would probably say that his success is largely due to his disrespect for rules and customs, records, and critics and center backs alike. Ronaldo was able to break down walls with disrespect. But that’s also why his own long retirement tour doesn’t get nearly as much love and admiration as Modric’s does everywhere he goes.
Modric has won every club game. He has won more awards than any other player in Madrid history. He will almost certainly Ferenc Puskas’s record as the club’s oldest player next month. But, of course, he still doesn’t have a world trophy. We all know that 2018 was his best chance, 2022 was his last chance, and 2026, when he will be 40, is a long shot. On the other hand, the Nations League, which Croatia almost won last year on penalties, can be his last great achievement.
It won’t happen if you don’t make it happen. The might be over. The shirt might be enough. Could love be enough? Love of the game, love of the ball, and love of the other team. A family that will suffer with him and a country that he would for. Why does he still need to be here? It’s possible that the question needs to be changed. It’s week around the world. Where would Luka Modric be if not here?