Croatia into the 2022 World Cup semi-finals: Luka Modric's endless inspiration

Just one block, one turn to get rid of the opponent's marker or one flick with the outside of Luka Modric's right foot will make the whole stadium shake with applause. It seems that all the quintessence is hidden inside the small figure and the austere face of the player born in 1985.

The joy of Croatian players after defeating Brazil in the quarter-finals. Photo: Vnexpress.net

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the excellence of "conductor" Luka Modric has greatly contributed to helping Croatia reach the top 4 teams at the 2022 World Cup. Although he has not scored a goal or made an assist, Croatia's achievements in Qatar still bear the mark of Luka Modric, the player wearing the number 10 shirt. The match against Brazil in the quarter-finals is a typical example.

Luka Modric alone "balanced" the entire midfield of the yellow-green team, with the presence of the duo Casemiro - Lucas Paqueta. And it was also Luka Modric who initiated the equalizer for Croatia, with a "razor-sharp" pass, creating favorable conditions for his teammates to "punish" the carelessness of the defense of the team from the South American region.

Before the semi-finals, Luka Modric had played a total of 485 minutes on the pitch. Statistics show that no player over 35 years old has "plowed" as much as Croatia's midfielder wearing the number 10 shirt. It must be admitted that Luka Modric is sublime in his final moments on the World Cup stage. It is known that Luka Modric will retire from Croatia after returning from Qatar.

Luka Modric is the owner of the Golden Ball award at the 2018 World Cup. Photo: Getty

According to experts, if Croatia makes it to the final, Luka Modric is likely to win the Golden Ball of the tournament. Don’t forget, Luka Modric won this award at the 2018 World Cup, held in Russia, where Croatia finished as runner-up. It should be noted that in the past, no one has won the Golden Ball at two consecutive World Cups.

In the past, people used to call Luka Modric "little Zidane", "little Pirlo" or "little Xavi". However, in all aspects, Luka Modric is still just Luka Modric. Even in terms of durability, Zinedine Zidane, Andrea Pirlo and Xavi Hernandez cannot compare to the current Croatian captain. It can be said that Luka Modric is a masterpiece that nature has bestowed upon the football world.

Hopefully there will be a happy ending for Luka Modric's story at the 2022 World Cup./.