The 38-year-old superstar Luka Modric's teammates are not wasting any thoughts on what could be his last minutes with the Croatian national team at a major tournament. At just 1.72 meters tall, the playmaker of the 2018 runners-up has already made 177 appearances for Croatia. Number 178 this Monday (21:00/ZDF and Magenta TV) against Italy at the European Championship Stadium in Leipzig will be a special game.
"We'll progress with three points. Anything less and we go home," said coach Zlatko Dalic. Anything other than a win against the defending champions would also mean the end of the European Championship for Modric. "We're not thinking about whether it's Luke's last big tournament," emphasized teammate Mateo Kovacic. They are happy and proud that he is there and that Modric is leading the team. Modric knew that he would also have to lead the team against the Italians. "And we will follow him," assured Kovacic.
Modric played in his first European Championship in 2008. Croatia failed to reach the quarter-finals, their first knockout round. In 2012, he was knocked out after the group stage, in 2016 in the round of 16, and again in 2021. Modric scored three European Championship goals in that time and made 15 appearances. It is still unclear what will happen to the professional footballer from Zadar at Real Madrid. His contract with the Whites ends a few days after the clash with Italy on June 30, 2024.
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