World Cup: Modric, leader of a "little Croatia" who challenges Messi's Argentina

Special Envoy to Doha

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“Croatia has the DNA of Real Madrid.

The observation is signed Luka Modric, midfielder, captain and leader of the Croatian national team, semi-finalist of the World Cup against Argentina this Tuesday (8 p.m., TF1 and beIN Sports) in Lusail.

There is indeed something Madrid in the refusal of defeat demonstrated by "

 ", according to coach Zlatko Dalic.

Small because populated by less than four million inhabitants and present on the international scene only since Euro 1996, five years after its independence.

But a stronghold of world football, as evidenced by these two accessions in a row to the last four of the World Cup, after the (lost) final of 2018 in Russia.

Above all, a formation with a "big like that" character, like the success against the Brazilian favorite in the quarter-finals (1-1 after, 4-2 on pens), with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and striker Bruno Petkovic as a hero.

But none of this would have been possible...

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