October 11, 2020 - Croatia captain Luka Modric held an online press conference with Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic ahead of the Nations League match against Sweden in Zagreb tonight at 6 pm.
The Croatia captain returned to the national team after missing the cycle in September because he wanted to prepare with Real Madrid to be as ready as possible for the start of the season.
"Thanks to the coach for allowing me to do that because, at my age, it's challenging to get into a good rhythm if you don't do the preparations. I feel terrific, I think I play well at Real, and I'm satisfied," said Modric, who played only the last 25 minutes of a friendly match in St. Gallen against Switzerland.
Modric also described the situation with Ivan Rakitic, who recently said goodbye to the national team. Thus, the Croatia captain is one of the few who remained in the team from the famous 2018 World Cup generation.
"I spoke to Ivan before he announced his decision. Of course, I'm sad he's gone, but we have to respect his decision. All those cycles end sooner or later. No one is eternal, and no one will play for the national team for a hundred years. Thank you for everything once again," said Modric and looked back on his future in the national team jersey:
"I wouldn't put any limits on myself or announce that I will play in the next World Cup, and then in the meantime, change my mind. That would not be right. I am going from game to game, and I will see how I will feel both physically and mentally, and then decide."
Modric has a contract with Real until next summer, and it is not yet known what his future will be in Madrid.
"Of course I would like to stay at Real, who wouldn't? But I'm aware that I'm at a certain age. I have a pretty good relationship with the club, and I don't want to burden anyone. While I feel I can be an important part of Real Madrid, I would like to stay, but if I feel that it is no longer that, we may look for some other challenges. But that topic is not on the agenda yet, and when the time comes, we will sit down and together make the best decision for all of us," he said.
Modric will surely be in the starting lineup against Sweden, who also recorded two defeats at the start of the Nations League against France and Portugal, just like Croatia. After Sweden, Croatia will face a difficult match against France on Wednesday, also at Maksimir.
"We will need everyone to be at a high level during these two games. It's hard to say how many points we will win. We play at home, we will have fans, in small numbers, but they are there, and we always go home to win. Sweden is still a very tough team, although Zlatan is no more. I don’t need to say how important he was to them. It is still a tough team. Always maximally motivated, they have a great mentality, like all Scandinavian countries. They never give up. Against Portugal and France, they showed high quality in the game and compactness," said Modric.
He looked back at both the debutants and the new players on the team.
"It can be seen that Domagoj is a great guy and a very talented player with a bright future. I believe he will continue at the same pace. Apart from football qualities, he showed his positive character in the first game. All praise for his performance, but also Ante Budimir. Melnjak is getting better, and Uremovic is showing that he fits well in the national team. The new guys will continue to do so and will bring us additional quality in the national team. The seniors are here to help them adapt to the national team as soon as possible."
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