At Euro 2024, Modric, 38, was substituted after 65 minutes as Croatia lost 3-0 to Spain.
Luka Modric only needed eighteen years. At Berlin’s Olympiastadion in 2006—the summer before Lamine Yamal was born—he was not used as a substitute against Brazil. Although he didn’t quite make it onto the pitch at the time (blame manager Zlatko Kranjcar for that), his incredible endurance brought him back to Berlin and into illustrious company. The Croatian captain became one of just two Europeans, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, by participating in his eighth major competition. A few months before to turning 39, he set a record for the oldest player in European Championship history—possibly just for a few days, as Ronaldo and Pepe eventually overtook him.
On the other hand, a day of records turned into a promotion for youth instead of experience. Approximately 22 years younger than Modric, Lamine Yamal is the youngest football player to have achieved this level of success. Croatia fell to Spain 3-0. Although Zinedine Zidane’s spectacular career ending at the Olympiastadion later in the 2006 World Cup was more dramatic, this day nonetheless raised a lot of interesting concerns. Is Croatia getting too old? Will the ageless Modric, with his boyish body and baggy shorts, finally catch up with time?
With 375 caps between them, a trio in centre midfield can still pass, but maybe not press. Croatia did not come near enough to Spain since they had less possession of the ball than they had previously. We weren’t aggressive enough, Zlatko Dalic, the manager, claimed. “We were too distant from the players and too slow. He believed that the sides, not his seasoned midfield, were where the issue was most visible, although ageing can often result in a reluctance to approach younger, faster players. One issue with getting older is that every setback is linked to potential decline. Perhaps this is just “a bad day, as Dalic put it. Alternatively, it might indicate a metaphorical end to a period.
Fabian Ruiz, a player with more action-oriented skills but a more prosaic talent, was the best midfield player on display. At the age of 28, he achieved the same feat as Modric, who went on to win six Champions Leagues. Of the 375 caps, 176 are attributed to him, and 199 to Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic combined.
However, after 65 minutes, Modric and Kovacic were taken off the pitch to preserve their aged legs for the matches against Italy and Albania. There was pragmatism in that, but Modric has a tendency to be the marathon guy, playing 120 minutes after 120 minutes in World Cup knockout ties and continuing long after men a decade his junior have been eliminated. “We didn’t want to force them to the end, Dalic stated. However, it was back when he was a regular Real Madrid starter. He has been reimagined for this season as an impact substitute, partnering with Toni Kroos to create a unique kind of double act where one passing starts the play and the other finishes it.
If Kroos walks away from the game after Euro 2024, it would be his final farewell to international football, having won the Champions League in his final club game. He’s rarely been better, as evidenced by his incredible performance against Scotland (101 passes completed out of 102, some of them exceptional). Despite being the younger partner, he is taking the lead, possibly with a story in mind. Modric is like James Anderson, attempting to go on forever, if Kroos is Stuart Broad. Remarkably, at the age of 37, he was awarded the third-best player in a World Cup; he quickly declared that he was not going to retire from international participation.
There is no adequate replacement in his country. Every age group in Croatia’s generation game faces challenges: The younger ones, except for Josko Gvardiol, are less talented, and the older ones run the risk of being too elderly. Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic appear to have no real successors; in fact, Dalic’s next move might be to put Perisic back in the starting lineup. Gvardiol’s return to Manchester City as an attacking left back made Croatia appear overly vulnerable in the midfield. Dalic was dissatisfied with the goals given up. We need to investigate the reasons behind this play’s extreme poor performance, he remarked.
In the derby of the passers, Croatia emerged victorious in a Pyrrhic fashion. With 136 competitive games under their belt, Spain has not concluded a match with less possession since the Euro 2008 final. However, Modric and company’s Croatia did not surpass them. Thus, the group that has mastered the art of enduring, lagging behind, and ultimately winning, finds itself trailing behind once more and supporting a group. They have previously confused expectations.
However, Dalic’s Croatia has never experienced a day as awful as this one, or one that would give such credence to worries that the Modric dynasty may be coming to an end.
