The coincidences of Lionel Messi and Luka Modric 1:40
(CNN Spanish) --
Lionel Messi and Luka Modric will have a new World Cup matchup this Tuesday in the highly anticipated semifinal in Qatar between Argentina and Croatia.
The two soccer stars have a history of clashes... and coincidences, too.
This day will define which of the two teams reaches the final of the World Cup in Qatar, in which the winner will face France or Morocco (which will have its own semifinal match on Wednesday).
How has Argentina fared in the World Cup semifinals?
Messi —who anticipated that the World Cup in Qatar would "surely" be his last— and Modric met for the first time on the field in 2006. On March 1 of that year, Argentina and Croatia played a friendly that was special for the two players : for Modric it was his debut with the national team, while for the Flea it went down in history as the first game in which he scored for the albiceleste.
The match ended with a 3-2 victory for the Croats.
They also already have a World Cup match in their career, which was in the group stage of Russia 2018. There again the victory went to the Croats, who beat the Argentines 3-0 with a goal from Modric.
How do the World Cup performances of Messi and Modric compare?
Messi, 35, has more World Cup experience than Modric, 37.
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The Argentine played 23 games in 5 World Cups, in which he scored 10 goals and made seven assists.
Modric's numbers are a bit lower: he played in 17 games in four World Cups, in which he scored two goals and made one assist.
The two share an achievement: the highest position they reached was second, Messi in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and Modric in Russia 2018.
They have also met in matches between their clubs.
The most recent confrontation was this year's Champions League, in which Modric's Real Madrid knocked out Messi's PSG in the round of 16.
Argentina - Croatia in Qatar 2022: what time does it start and how to watch it on television and the internet
And in Qatar?
In the current edition of the World Cup, Messi and Modric share some metrics.
They have, for example, the same number of games played and a similar number of minutes.
They both got a yellow card.
There is a significant difference, however, in the shots.
With information from Raúl Sáenz of CNN en Español.
Luka ModricMessiWorld CupArgentina National Team