Luka Modric has doused any talk of retirement from the national team after winning third place in Qatar. The Real Madrid midfielder says he wants to continue playing for Croatia.
Luka Modric is one of the most underrated footballers of his generation. Since he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Tottenham, he has gone on to win 21 trophies. The Croatian midfielder has been a vital cog for Real Madrid and Croatia, with reservations over his future on both sides.
Modric left Tottenham at the age of 27. The diminutive Croatian joined Real Madrid in 2012, albeit not as a Galactico, but he has shown he is one in every sense of the word.
There were initial doubts about his abilities upon the arrival of Modric at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Jose Mourinho assured Madridistas that he would come good. As it happens, Mourinho was bang on the money.
Ten years down the line and with several titles in the bag, including the Ballon d’Or, time is no longer a friend of Modric. He has aged like fine wine, but the questions have continued to pour in. At 37, Modric is on the cusp of calling it quits with the game, but the former Spurs midfielder insists he wants to continue for a while longer.
Modric’s future under the microscope
Luka Modric shone like a million stars in the last two World Cups. The diminutive midfielder was at the heart of every Croatian achievement in the past decade. He led them to the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the semi-final of the 2022 edition. Despite losing to Argentina in what the Real Madrid star describes as unfair, he can hold his head high for all he has achieved.
Croatia on Saturday beat Morocco to head home with the third-place medal, but with the victory comes the insinuations that Modric has reached the end of his international leash. The latest reports on the Croatian suggest he is not ready to quit. Modric wants to push for a little longer before hanging the boots.
With Croatia’s campaign at Qatar 2022 World Cup ending on Saturday, Luka Modric intends to keep playing till the Euros in two years. The 37-year-old midfielder is still waxing strong and wants to give it one last try. Perhaps he can land an international trophy for Croatia.
Modric has eyes on Germany 2024
The Euros takes place in 2024, and Luka Modric wants to make it his swansong. The Real Madrid midfielder will be 39 by the time the competition takes place. There are doubts over whether Modric would be ready to feature when the competition comes around. Despite the doubts, Modric maintains his resolve to make the tournament his last hurrah.
In an interview after their victory over Morocco, Modric said he is unsure if he will play till the Euros in Germany. He continued that he enjoys his time with the national team and feels happy. Modric stated that he believes he can continue to perform at a high level and would want to continue till the Nations League.
Modric thinks there is still plenty of time to think of the Euros in 2024, but the Nations League comes first.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic also hopes that Modric will keep playing for Croatia. He addressed those who believe it is over for him in the national team and said he knows he will be with the national team for a long time.
