May 25, 2021 - As has been communicated by Real Madrid and confirmed by the Croatian midfielder on his social networks, Luka Modrić has renewed his Real Madrid contract and will wear white for one more season, thus completing ten years with the team in 2022.

Marca.com announced in December 2020 that the renewal agreement had already been closed and that it would become official once the season was over. Luka Modrić will continue for one more season, although without knowing who will be his last coach before the imminent departure of Zinedine Zidane from Real Madrid. The Spanish team has a renewal policy in which it can only renew its players over 30 years of age for an additional year, but this has not been an impediment to Modrić, who had previously communicated his plans to retire at Real Madrid.

The renewal agreement does not include a salary improvement (due among other things to the financial situation of the club), but Florentino Pérez considered it appropriate to retain the Croatian midfielder as he is one of the best players in the team and that, despite not achieving a title this season, he showed great performance throughout it.

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A post shared by Luka Modric (@lukamodric10)

Modrić arrived in 2012, from Tottenham, and despite not having the immediate support of Madrid fans, who doubted his signing, the Croatian midfielder became a legend of the team, standing out for his dedication both in the attack when scoring and assisting in decisive goals, and in his defensive duties as well. He has won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018), two Spanish La Liga titles, among other local and European competitions.

During his time in the team, Modrić was trained by various coaches: Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Zinedine Zidane, Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari. To this day, and at 35 years old, the Croatian continues to be the undisputed starter in the midfield of the Spanish team, proving not only that he still maintains his great footballing level, but that he is also in a great physical condition.

Currently, the captain of the Croatia national team has his sights set on EURO 2020, to be played in June. Today he will join the rest of those selected by Zlatko Dalić, but the Zadar-born midfielder could not hide his joy by sharing a post on his social media posing with the Real Madrid jersey and thus confirming his renewal for an additional season. ''Happy and proud to continue wearing the shirt of the best team in the world", he wrote on his social networks.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

May 23, 2021 - TCN's highlights of the week. A look at the events in Croatia from May 17 through the selection of TCN's reporter Ivor Kruljac. 

From Local elections to released details of the Euro 2020 championship strategy to the release of Zoran Mamić. Add Besana company attempting to boost its position in Croatia, and you have a truly exciting week. Here are the highlights.

 screenshot / Jutarnji list

Highlights of the Week: Zagreb mayor candidates Tomašević and Škoro had a debate ahead of the second round of elections

Jutarnji List invited on Friday mayoral candidates Miroslav Škoro (Homeland Movement), and Tomislav Tomašević of the green-left party We Can! to debate ahead of new elections.

In the first round of the elections, We Can! earned 147.631 votes (45.15%), while Homeland Movement had 39.789 votes (12.16%). Before officially entering the second round, Škoro declared Tomašević and We Can! party extreme left and pushed the narrative of elections as an ideological referendum among right-wing and conservative circles. Škoro also accused We Can! of being foreign mercenaries working for a philanthropist George Soros or wanting to revitalize Yugoslavia and Škoro's associate Zlatko Hasanbegović earlier in the week called We Can! a lesbian syndicate. Additionally, Nikola Grmoja (Most Party) stated for N1 that We Can! are Soroshians and accusations of their weird name-calling saw a random generator on the internet designed to mock these terms by random options of name-calling. Meanwhile, Tomašević continued the campaign talking about solutions to the problems Zagreb is currently facing but occasionally makes remark accusations while keeping it clean. The debate on Jutarnji List saw similar rhetoric from both candidates in their public performances, and overall, at least for the people of Zagreb, May 30 can't come soon enough.

screenshot / Hrvatski nogometni savez

Highlights of the Week: Zlatko Dalić announces preliminary EURO 2020 Croatia player list

Coach Zlatko Dalic has announced the preliminary EURO 2020 Croatia player list on Monday. Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Milan Badelj (Genoa), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea) are some of the names that made it on the list.

The Croatia national team has entered the last month of preparations for the European Championship, which opens on June 13 at Wembley against England at 3 pm.

screenshot / RTL

Highlights of the Week: Zoran Mamić released from custody

Former Dinamo football coach Zoran Mamić will remain free while in Bosnia and Herzegovina; however, he will have to report to the police once a week, and his personal documents have been temporarily confiscated, the court in Bosnia and Herzegovina decided on Wednesday.

Zoran Mamić was arrested early Wednesday morning by officers from the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) based on an arrest warrant issued against him in Croatia.

After that, Mamić was handed over to the court in Sarajevo. Judge Branko Perić determined his status, including his citizenship of BiH. The judge ruled that Mamić would remain free with precautionary measures and was ordered to give in his personal identification documents.

The court did not discuss the matter of Mamić's extradition, considering that Croatia has not sent a formal request yet.

screenshot / Radio Labin

Highlights of the Week: Former football player Vedran Ćorluka new Croatian assistant coach

The new Croatia national team assistant coach Vedran Ćorluka was officially presented by coach Zlatko Dalić at a press conference in Zagreb ahead of EURO 2020.

Although there was a lot of speculation, Croatian football player Vedran Ćorluka officially announced the end of his playing career and was confirmed as the new Croatia assistant coach on Monday.

"I did not plan it, but the moment has come," said Ćorluka at the press conference at which coach Zlatko Dalić presented the list of players for the upcoming European Championship.

Pixabay

Highlights of the Week: Italian company Besana strengthening position in Croatia

The Italian company Besana, which is otherwise one of the strongest European companies in the production and processing of nuts and dried fruit, is working to further strengthen its position here in Croatia.

As TCN reported on Monday, the Italian company Besana currently has 50 subcontractors located in Croatia, from whom it buys about 100 tonnes of hazelnuts per year. But, much more can be expected if their plans go well.

To learn more about Croatia, have a look at our newly launched TC website.

For more about news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 29, 2021 - A surprise Luka Modrić press conference was held after he recorded 135 appearances for the Croatia national team - the most ever! 

Luka Modrić arrived at the Opatija hotel Milenij conference hall thinking he was there to answer the questions of Croatian journalists via Zoom after the victory against Cyprus. It was also the night Luka became the most-capped Croatia player of all time.

The most important people in his national team career became journalists for a day, instead!

In attendance was Luka's father Stipe, wife Vanja, former Croatia coach Slaven Bilić, former captain and teammate Darijo Srna, former teammates Niko Kranjčar, Marijan Buljat, and Hrvoje Čale, current teammate Mateo Kovačić, former Zrinjski teammate Davor Landeka, national team manager Iva Olivari, and Luka's former coach Stjepan Deverić. 

Reliving dear memories, happy times, the most difficult moments, favorite goals, untold stories, and interesting details, Luka answered to his loved ones in a touching video:

STIPE MODRIĆ

Luka, your father, Stipe, here. Tell me, my son, what is your favorite goal for the national team?
"My favorite goal is the one against Argentina, because of everything we did at the World Cup in Russia and because of the importance of the match. Of course, all the national team goals are dear to me, but this one is more special than the others."
Thank you, my son. Daddy loves you!
"I love you too!"

DARIJO SRNA
Brother, I don't think they recorded this recent performance for me in Petrinja; it was my 135th!
"So, I have to play the next game, ha, ha, ha… And I'm still surprised that you went to Petrinja, ha, ha, ha… Now everything is clear to me."
My little Luka, my love, brother… Congratulations from the bottom of my heart! I will ask you one question: What is the most difficult moment in your national team career? I think I know the answer…
"First of all, thank you, brother, for the kind words at the dinner after the game to you and everyone else. You really touched me, and you know I’m not exactly one to show emotion, but I couldn’t help myself. And the most difficult moment is definitely the match against Turkey in the quarterfinals of the 2008 European Championship in Vienna. That defeat hit us; it was hard for us; you know our reactions in the locker room and how hard it was for us. Whatever we did after that, that defeat was always there somewhere… Thank you."

HNS

SLAVEN BILIĆ
First of all, congratulations to you and yours from the bottom of my heart on this magnificent success; it is phenomenal, keep it up. Wayne Rooney once said when the England national team members said goodbye to the national team: "What farewell, I will rest when I leave football…" I have two questions. Apart from that song I wrote for Euro 2008, which song on the bus annoyed you the most, and which one was your favorite?
"Auuu… Yours, ha, ha, ha…"
I said besides mine…
"Yeah. Honestly, none annoyed me personally, and I liked everything about Croatia. Yours wasn't bad, ha, ha, ha…"
The second question is about business: How are you with Chinese?
"Ha, ha, ha… Not great, but I'll learn if I have to, ha, ha, ha…"

HNS

MATEO KOVAČIĆ
First of all, thank you for including me in this magnificent meeting. Congratulations on this record to you and your family. We spoke after Cyprus; you know everything. You know that you are my role model, you know how much your advice means to me, and every time I admire the will and desire with which you come to national team gatherings. In that context, my question is: Are you afraid of the day when you will no longer wear the holy jersey?
"Thank you, brother. Yes, I'm afraid. When I think about it, it will certainly be difficult for me because I went through a lot on the national team. That moment will definitely be one of the hardest for me. It will be hard to decide to stop playing for the national team… It makes me uneasy thinking about it. However, one day that decision will have to happen. But okay, while I have young men like you with me who rejuvenate me, there is still time, ha, ha, ha…"

HNS

VANJA MODRIĆ
Luka, congratulations! We know everything best; we've been through everything with you all these fifteen years. I have a short question: Of all the teammates you played with on the national team, who is your favorite in terms of football?
"Is that your question, or was it asked by one of the kids, ha, ha, ha…? Did Iva set it up? Or Ema? Ugh… That is perhaps the most difficult question for me today. And from a woman, of course, ha, ha, ha… Who will make things harder for you, but a woman, ha, ha, ha… I can't single one out; I've gained friendly relations with a lot of teammates. Maybe there would be several; I can't single one out."
And the second question…
"You have more, ha, ha, ha… Give me something easier, ha, ha, ha…"
Do you know when you will stop playing?
"I see it's not easy with you. I don't know, love. We'll see. You yourself know how much this means to me, how happy I am when I go to national team gatherings. So… You will have to be a little more patient. Anyway, there will be an opportunity to enjoy and be together even more. Don't worry about it."
So… I was the only one who asked two questions without getting an answer to either.
"As usual, ha, ha, ha."
Good luck; I hope we will watch and follow you for a while. Enjoy. The most important thing is that we wish you a lot of health, and you have everything else.
"Thank you. I love you a lot."

Source: HNS

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 27, 2021 - Croatia has a new record holder for the most national team caps in history. TCN's Daniela Rogulj and Jose Alfonso Cussianovich look at the Croatia moments that defined Luka Modrić. 

Luka Modrić began his national team career on March 1, 2006. Fifteen years later, he leads the Vatreni at the opening of another qualification cycle, this time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

During this March qualification campaign, the Vatreni captain entered Croatian football history for appearances in the national team jersey. After equaling the legendary former Croatia captain Darijo Srna's national team caps on Wednesday, Luka Modrić is now the record holder with 135 national team appearances. 

Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos have more appearances of active players from European national teams. 

As in previous anniversaries, Luka could not celebrate his achievement on Wednesday after Croatia's loss to Slovenia in Ljubljana. You might recall that in his 50th match for the national team, Croatia lost 2-0 to Greece during the Euro 2012 qualifiers, and to mark his 100th capp, Croatia played 1-1 with Finland in Rijeka, a shocker that seriously hurt their chances of going to the World Cup in Russia at all. As if the result wasn't bad enough, the dismissal of coach Ante Čačić overshadowed what should have been a monumental moment for the Croatian footballer. 

We hope that Luka becomes the most-capped Croatia player with a win against Cyprus tonight. 

Croatia national team debut

On March 1, 2006, Luka Modrić debuted for the Croatia national football team. He was included in the team by the then coach Zlatko Kranjčar, who died in Zagreb on Luka's 15th-anniversary with Croatia, on March 1, 2021, at the age of 65.

As part of preparations for the World Cup in Germany, Kranjčar gave Modrić a chance in a friendly match against Argentina at St Jakob Park in Basel. Croatia celebrated 3-2. That match is also special because Lionel Messi scored his first goal for Argentina. 

Croatia took the lead in the third minute with a goal by Ivan Klasnić, but Argentina turned it around with two quick goals by Carlos Tevez (4) and Lionel Messi (6). Darijo Srna equalized in the 52nd minute, and Dario Šimić brought Croatia to victory in the 90th minute. Modrić played until the 84th minute. 

"The Dinamo Zagreb starlet was making his first senior appearance in the absence of the injured Robert Kovac and rewarded coach Kranjcar's faith in him with a fine display in the centre of midfield alongside Niko Kranjcar and Niko Kovac. Indeed Modric's performance prompted Kranjcar to muse that his team had not only won a game that night but also "won a player," FIFA wrote about Luka after the match. 

Euros 2008

After two appearances at the 2006 World Cup against Japan and Australia and a stellar run with club Dinamo Zagreb, Luka was given the confidence of new Croatia coach Slaven Bilić. Luka scored his first international goal one month after the 2006 World Cup in a friendly against Italy. 

A regular for Croatia in the games that followed and a standout player during Croatia's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, the expectations of the Croatian midfielder were high -  and rightfully so. The promising midfielder continued to impress at the 2008 Euros and began writing history even then. Modrić not only scored Croatia's first goal of the tournament, but it was the quickest penalty ever called and scored in Euros history. 

Luka's magnificent performance throughout the tournament earned him UEFA Man of the Match in their following game against Germany. While Croatia's European campaign ended after losing the quarter-final penalty shootout to Turkey (and Luka missed), he was the second-ever Croatian to be included in the UEFA Team of the Tournament after Davor Šuker. 

Croatia captain band 

After veteran defender Darijo Srna retired from international football with an emotional letter following the 2016 Euros, Luka Modrić was named his successor by then-coach Ante Čačić.

"The new captain will be Luka Modrić, and our two vice-captains are Vedran Corluka and Ivan Rakitić," Čačić said at a press conference before Croatia kicked off their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign against Turkey on September 5, 2016.

Modrić captained Croatia only twice before then, the first time in an away draw against Azerbaijan.

HNS

"It's a nice feeling, I'm proud. Thank you to the coach for the trust, and I hope to justify it," said the new captain. 

"Modrić is our captain, the best midfielder in the world; he is the pride of the Croatia family, a man who presents our homeland at the highest level, with great enthusiasm," Ante Čačić gushed about Luka one year later. 

Little did Luka know that he would be wearing the captain band during Croatia's historic 2018 World Cup final. He is just a few games away from captaining his country in 40 total games. 

2018 World Cup in Russia

There are many things a Croat can’t forget, and the summer of 2018 is certainly one of them. No one thought the national team’s campaign in 1998 could be ever be surpassed, and no football fan expected Croatia to achieve what they did almost three years ago. Although it was definitely an outstanding team effort with Zlatko Dalić’s magic as a strategist, their captain’s inspirational performances will always be remembered.

Luka’s campaign transcended beyond an undoubted footballing demonstration, scoring one of the Croatia team's best goals in international tournaments against a powerful Argentina led by Lionel Messi. Likewise, he perfectly fulfilled the role of a midfielder in defensive and creative functions. The admiration for him also came for his energy and fighting spirit on the pitch, not only commanding the team as captain for the first time in a World Cup but running even when the team came from playing three games that went into extra time. He thus raised his teammates' spirits even when they found themselves below the scoreboard on various occasions, such as against Denmark, Russia, or England.

Croatia surpassed the magical generation of Šuker and Boban, reaching the World Cup final for the first time and facing the impressive France squad in Moscow. The 32-year old captain once again gave a stunning display of sacrifice and talent, but it wasn’t enough as France was crowned champion with a 4-2 win against Croatia. No one underestimated Modrić’s performance, and he went on to receive the World Cup Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. He was included in the tournament's ideal team, and his goal against Argentina was selected as one of the top ten at the World Cup.

Luka Modric wins FIFA's ‘‘The Best’’, and the France Football ‘‘Ballon d’Or’’

2018 was surely a special year for Luka Modrić. Not only did he win his third-consecutive Champions League with Real Madrid (and fourth overall), but leading Croatia that summer to the World Cup final in Moscow earned him international praise and several awards, including the prestigious ‘‘The Best’’, awarded by FIFA to the best player of the year. Luka received the award in September, as he reached 29% of the votes over Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. He was also included that night in the FIFA FIFPro World11.

And that wasn’t all, as France Football awarded him the Ballon d’Or that same year in December, the most prestigious individual recognition a professional footballer can receive, for all his club achievements and individual performances with the ‘Vatreni’ throughout the year. Luka again put his beloved country in the spotlight, winning the desired trophy over great footballers.

Recall, for ten years (2008-2018), the Ballon d’Or had only been awarded to either Lionel Messi (5) or Cristiano Ronaldo (5). Make sure your children or grandchildren know that it was a Croatian footballer to break the streak of two of the best footballers in history!

Croatia and his beloved Zadar later received Luka as a hero.

"Playing like that at the age of 36 shows how serious and responsible he is, a true professional, to keep such a high level of play in those years. For the benefit of Croatian football, I hope that he will remain at that level until Qatar," said coach Zlatko Dalić about Modrić earlier this week. 

And we do too. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 19, 2021 - Croatian footballers Luka Modrić and Mislav Oršić were brilliant in UEFA competitions this week, earning them Player of the Week recognitions!

What a week it was for Croatian football and footballers. 

Mislav Oršić played a fantastic match in the sensational Dinamo comeback against Tottenham on Thursday night at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. 

Praise came from all sides; even the great Gary Lineker congratulated Oršić on the hat-trick after the game. 

"Blimey. Spurs have blown it. No words... other than to say what a hattrick from Mislav Orsic."

Oršić's 10/10 match not only brought Dinamo a historic result and spot in the Europa League quarterfinals, but UEFA recognized the 28-year-old as the Europa League player of the week!  

In the selection, Oršić surpassed the star of Ajax, David Neres, Romino Borja Mayoral (former Real player), and Gerard Moreno, the great, 35 million euro Villarreal striker, against whom Dinamo will meet in the quarterfinals.

"Goals? They mean a lot to me. I didn't sleep all night because of the adrenaline; I couldn't close my eyes," Oršić said the day after the game.

The masterclass of Luka Modrić and his age-defying skill didn't go unnoticed against Atalanta on Tuesday in Real Madrid's 3:1 victory. So much so that the 35-year-old was named the Champions League player of the week!

Luka was the assistant for Real's leading goal and played a significant role in the deserved Madrid win. 

SPORTBible couldn't go without praising Modrić either, sharing a compilation of the Croatia captain ruling Atalanta. 

"Goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio ensured Atalanta would exit the competition at the round-of-16 stage.

But Modric stole the show as he scooped the Man of the Match award thanks to a dazzling performance in Europe's elite club competition.

The 35-year-old Croatian midfielder rolled back the years as he pulled the strings from the midfield, setting up Benzema for Madrid's opener in the first half.

Modric's show-stealing performance wasn't unnoticed by fans, who took to social media to laud him for his brilliance on the pitch," said SPORTbible. 

Luka Modrić vs Atalanta pic.twitter.com/2ykTN5ohg7

— Thiago ? (@HMDComps) March 16, 2021

Bravo to Luka and Mislav! 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

January 13, 2021 - Another great recognition for the Croatian footballer: Luka Modric is named the third-best playmaker of the decade. 

The International Institute of Football History and Statistics (IFFHHS) named the captain of the Croatia national football team Luka Modric the third-best playmaker from 2011 to 2020, while the title of the best went to Argentine footballer Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi, who was named the best in the IFFHS selection in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019, and was second in 2011, 2014, 2018, and 2020, was named the best playmaker in the last decade.

The second in the IFFHS selection is his former Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, who was twice named the best in the annual selection - in 2012 and 2013. Modric is followed by Belgian footballer Kevin De Bruyne (winner of the 2020 annual selection) and Toni Kroos (in the 2014 annual election).

Luka Modric won the award for the best playmaker in the IFFHS annual selection in 2018. For every year in the past ten years, IFFHHS has given the best playmaker 20 points, the second 19, the third 18, and the twentieth on that list one point. Thus, when all the years are added up, Messi collected 174 points, Andres Iniesta 127 points, and Modric 113.

This is another great recognition for the Croatian footballer, whose age-defying play for Real Madrid could fool anyone that he is 35.

Just the other day, Mundo Deportivo declared Modric one of the best and explained that only Modric did something in the attack out of all Real players.

"Modric was the one who had the best ideas in the attack. He set the rhythm of the game, but none of his teammates could follow that rhythm," the Spanish daily sports newspaper wrote.

Modric will lead Croatia as the captain this year through the World Cup qualifiers, which begin in March against Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus. 

Croatia will then gather in June for the European Championships, and will kick-off against England in London. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

December 28, 2020 - Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca has brought the Croatia captain back in the spotlight, stating that Luka Modric will stay at Real Madrid with a new contract until the end of June 2022.

The #10 Real Madrid jersey will remain in possession of the 35-year-old Croatia national team captain, Luka Modric, for at least another year and a half, until the end of June 2022, after verbally agreeing with the club's leaders on a new, one-year contract that he will soon sign, reported Marca.

The agreement between Modric and Real, which will allow the best Croatian footballer to spend the entire decade in Madrid, was quite simple compared to the negotiations with other stars of the Madrid club, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.

Namely, the Croatian midfielder did not insist on a two-year contract and was ready to reduce his salary, which currently brings him 10 million euro a year. This will help the club overcome the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, which took about 25 percent of total revenues from Real Madrid or around 200 million euro.

Although he will be close to his 36th birthday on the eve of the new season, Luka Modric is still in top form and makes a visible difference in Real's game when he is on the pitch, which made it easier for club leaders to continue cooperation.

At the insistence of the then Real coach Jose Mourinho, Luka Modric arrived in Madrid from Tottenham London on the penultimate day of the transfer window in August 2012 for 35 million euro. How correct Mourinho's assessment of Modric's quality is proved by looking at the Real Madrid trophy room, which during Modric's time at the club was enriched with four titles in the Champions League, two triumphs in the Spanish championship, one in the King's Cup, three European Super Cup and three FIFA World Club Champion titles.

Modric's current contract with Real, which is valid until the end of June 2021, was actually meant to last until June 30, 2020. However, as the captain of the current World Cup finalists was named the best player in the world in 2018, the club automatically activated another year. It secured Luka's 35th birthday celebration as a Real Madrid player.

Just how much Luka's age is a non-issue is also shown by the statistics of performances this season, in which he collected more than half of the minutes he received last season in the first three months. Although he spared Modric at the beginning of the season, Zinedine Zidane soon realized that his team has a better dynamic with Luka on the pitch, and Luka has collected 1410 minutes so far, which is 75 percent of the maximum possible minutes.

The only championship game he did not play was the last against Granada, which he missed due to tightening in the thigh muscle, which interrupted his series of ten consecutive games in the starting lineup. In that series, his level of play was extremely high, especially in games against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, in the city derby against Atletico, and against Eibar, when he scored in the 3-1 away victory.

There is no doubt that Modric, both this season and next, will be one of the mainstays in the tactical settings of Zinedine Zidane. At the same time, with his example and advice, he will be a mentor to 22-year-old Norwegian Martin Odegaard, who returned from loan at Real Sociedad, and whose football talent and abilities resemble the Croatia captain.

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December 11, 2020 - Another great recognition for Croatia's greatest footballer, as FIFA FIFPro names Luka Modric among the world's 55 best footballers for the 8th time. 

HNS announces that the Croatia national football team captain, Luka Modric, is on the list of 55 footballers who have been shortlisted for the best team in the selection of the International Association of Professional Footballers FIFPro and the International Football Federation FIFA.

Modric is on the shortlist of the best players for the eighth time and has the opportunity to be among the best eleven, an honor that FIFPro has chosen since 2005, for the sixth time in a row. Modric was selected in the top 11 in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. About 25,000 professional footballers from all over the world choose the best team of the season consisting of one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders, and three strikers.

The fifty-five shortlisted players include goalkeepers Alisson Becker (Liverpool, Brazil), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium) David de Gea (Manchester United, Spain), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan, Italy), Moraes Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil) ), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, France), Keylor Navas (PSG, Costa Rica), Manuel Neuer (Bayern, Germany), Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid, Slovenia) and Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona, Germany).

Defenders include David Alaba (Bayern, Austria), Jordi Alba (Barcelona, ​​Spain), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham, Belgium), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, England), Dani Alves (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Jerome Boateng (Bayern, Germany), Alphonso Davies (Bayern, Canada), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, The Netherlands), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, Senegal), Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus, The Netherlands), Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool, Scotland), Thiago Silva (Chelsea, Brazil) and Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France).

Midfielders include Thiago Alcantara (Bayern / Liverpool, Spain), Dele Alli (Tottenham, England), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, ​​Spain), Casemiro (Real Madrid, Brazil), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern / Barcelona, ​​Brazil), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal), Leon Goretzka (Bayern, Germany), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, England), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona, ​​The Netherlands), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea, France), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern, Germany), Luka Modrić (Real Madrid, Croatia) and Thomas Müller (Bayern, Germany).

The srikers are Sergio Agüero (Manchester City, Argentina), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal, Gabon), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France), Serge Gnabry (Bayern, Germany), Erling Haaland (Borussia D., Norway) , Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan, Sweden), Harry Kane (Tottenham, England), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern, Poland), Sadio Mane (Liverpool, Senegal), Kylian Mbappe (PSG, France), Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina), Neymar Junior (PSG, Brazil), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus, Portugal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt) and Son Heungmin (Tottenham, South Korea).

The FIFA and FIFPro best eleven in the 2019/20 season will be announced on December 17, 2020. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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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August 27, 2020 -  Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic will miss the opening of the Nations League, which awaits the Croatia national team in early September. Coach Zlatko Dalic has invited Antonio Colak, Ante Budimir and Milo Skoric in their place.

HNS announced that in agreement with coach Dalic, the September gathering of the Croatia national team will be missed by captain Luka Modric and vice-captain Ivan Rakitic, while Wolfsburg stopper Marin Pongracic dropped out of the lineup due to illness.

Coach Dalic will replace these three players by activating three call-ups - attackers Antonio Colak and Ante Budimir and stopper Milo Skoric.

Osijek captain and stopper Skoric (29) has already made three appearances for Croatia. He made his debut on May 28, 2017, in a 2-1 win over Mexico in a friendly match. He made his last appearance on November 19 last year against Georgia, also in a friendly match when Croatia celebrated 2-1. Rijeka striker Colak (26) and Mallorca striker Budimir (29) have not yet made their debut for the strongest Croatia squad.

In addition, coach Dalic gave two additional days off to Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic, who played in the finals of the Champions League and Europa League, respectively. They will join the national team on Wednesday, September 2.

Recall that the national team gathers on August 31 in Zagreb, which is followed by two initial exams in the new edition of the Nations League. Namely, on September 5, Croatia will play in Porto against Portugal, and three days later, the World Cup finalists will play in St. Denis in a rematch against the 2018 World Champions, France. 

The first home game in this competition will be played on October 11 against Sweden, and that game should, for now, be played at Maksimir. Three days later, France should play at the same stadium.

Croatia will play against Sweden away on November 14, three days before Portugal visits Croatia, potentially at Poljud Stadium in Split.

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