Thirty-seven, the age of consolation?
Beaten by France in the final of the 2018 World Cup, maestro Luka Modric returns to offer himself a last dance in Qatar, which begins for Croatia with Morocco on Wednesday (11:00 a.m.).
An impeccable two-piece black suit, blond locks and a team photo at the foot of the plane, alongside a Croatian flag: as soon as he landed in Doha on Friday, the midfielder splashed the tarmac with his class, as he has done on the lawns of Europe in recent months.
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Central piece of the scheme of Carlo Ancelotti, in Madrid, Luka Modric was one of the heroes of the conquest of the 14th European coronation of Real, oscillating between a role of metronome of the Madrid attack and that of tutelary figure of young nuggets who could almost be his sons.
The French Eduardo Camavinga (20 years old), present at the World Cup with France, or the midfielder Luka Sucic (20 years old), his designated successor within the Croatian selection, have for example been nourished by the experience of the captain of the "
Vatreni
" (the "
Flamboyant
», in Croatian) to the 155 selections.
In April, his decisive pass from the outside of the right foot to his young Brazilian teammate Rodrygo, to bring the Champions League quarter-final return against Chelsea to extra time, for example, ignited social networks.
At 37, he is still one of the best midfielders in Europe.
Carlo Ancelotti
But Modric does not want to stop at the Old Continent.
Four years after his terrible disappointment in Moscow (4-2 defeat against France in the final) and a 2018 Ballon d'Or which was not enough to console him, the Croatian magician wants to get his hands on the World Cup, to which will undoubtedly be his last World Cup.
The last, really?
“
I believe he can continue.
I feel fresh, very motivated in each training session … I think he will continue
, “slipped Ancelotti in August.
"
He's a fantastic player, with incredible qualities.
He is lucky to have never had a major injury in his career.
At 37, he is still one of the best midfielders in Europe
, ”added the technician in early September.
“
Modric?
Immortal
“, had even chanted “
Carletto
” at the very beginning of the season, on August 20, for Modric’s ten years at Real.
There has always been a lot of skepticism towards me, about my qualities, my style of play and my physique.
Luka Modric
“
There has always been a lot of skepticism towards me, about my qualities, my style of play and my physique.
They said I was too skinny to reach the top level.
But this adversity does not affect me, it motivates me even more
, "said the brilliant 1.72m midfielder, in an interview with AFP in 2020. "
I'm not afraid of anything, I can be shy but I do not be afraid
“, said the Croatian elf.
In Doha, fans already know they will be watching one of the best midfielders of the century as it dawns its twilight.
Real Madrid's third-most shirt-selling player (behind Vinicius and Karim Benzema) has found supporters even in Qatar, all dressed in Croatia's away kit and flocked to Modric's name.
And in West Bay, north of the capital's luxurious Corniche, an entire building has been lit up for several days with a photo of Modric.
The giant portrait of the little elf who dreamed big.
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