Modric’s last chance to bag glory in national colours
Croatia head into their World Cup last-16 match against Denmark spearheaded by evergreen midfielder Luka Modric, a player his teammate Ivan Rakitic has compared to Spain’s Andres Iniesta.
Four years with Iniesta at Barcelona and 11 alongside Modric for Croatia leaves Rakitic in a privileged position to judge two of the finest playmakers of the modern era. “It seems like both of them are from different planets and they came to play football with us mortals,” Rakitic said. “Both of them are among the best players ever in their positions. You try to enjoy it as much as you can, to learn from them.”
Iniesta is regularly classed among the greats of the game and as a defining influence on Spain’s success, but Modric’s talents remain relatively unsung.
Perhaps, in part, it is because Iniesta’s brilliance has been backed up by achievements on the world stage — he scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final — while Modric has not hit the same heights with Croatia.
Modric owns four Champions League titles from his six years at Real Madrid, and has also won a La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
But since making his Croatian debut in March 2006, in a friendly against Argentina, he has twice tasted disappointment in the group stage of the World Cup, either side of a failure even to qualify in 2010.
At the European Championship, Croatia fell at the first hurdle after the group phase in 2008 and 2016 and did not make it out of their group in 2012. “Modric would probably be getting more attention than he is right now if he was a German or Spanish player,” Croatia defender Dejan Lovren said last week. “He would
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Croatia (4-3-3): Subasic; Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Strinic; Rakitic, Brozovic, Modric; Rebic, Mandzukic, Perisic Croatia have won all three of their games so far in Russia, which is their longest ever streak of victories in the competition.
Six of Croatia’s seven goals in the World Cup have been scored in the second-half. Also, five of their last six shots on target have found the back of the net. Denmark reached the knockout stages for the fourth time in five appearances after 1986, 1998 and 2002. However, they made it to the quarters only once, back in 1998 when they lost to Brazil.
maybe even be a Ballon D’Or winner. But because we are a smaller country, he does get less attention than he deserves.”
Modric has never even made it into the top three of football’s Venue: Nizhny Novgorod
Denmark (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Dalsgaard, Kjaer, Christensen, Larsen; Schone, Delaney; Poulsen, Eriksen, Sisto; Jorgensen. Croatia won Goal scored Croatia: Denmark : Drawn 7 6 Sony Ten 2, Ten 2HD, Sony Ten 3, Ten 3HD, Sony ESPN,
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most prestigious individual award but, after scoring twice in Croatia’s opening three games in Russia, there is a chance for him finally to put his stamp on a major tournament.
biggest change for Brazil at this World Cup is not on the field, or on the training ground, or even in the dressing-room. It’s on the team sheet. For the first time since 1974 Brazil have arrived at a World Cup without a player better known by his nickname than his given name. Brazilian players usually go by one name but while they might all sound exotic to foreign ears, there is a big difference between those who use their given names and those better known by their nicknames.
This year there are no little coins (Tostao in Portuguese), no superheroes (Hulk), and none of the seven dwarves (Dunga, or Dopey). In their place are Fred, Douglas and Marcelo, names that would not be out of place in a London accountant’s office.
The slow death of the Brazilian nickname is a consequence of football becoming more corporate and less irreverent, said Marvio dos Anjos, sports editor at Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Globo.
From an early age, players now aim to become brands and that is harder if you are named after a body part, such as Bigode (Moustache); a nationality, such as Alemao (German, because he was blonde and blue-eyed); or a colour, like Branco (White, because he was the only white player in a team of Afro-Brazilians).
“Agents and the directors of football clubs have stopped players from using nicknames,” Dos Anjos said.
“If your name is Hulk then you will be painted green and made to look like your name. It is a way to neutralise any irony or folklore and make them seem more serious.”
Had seriousness been a factor in years gone by the story of Brazilian football would be very different.
Instead of Pele, a nonsensical name he picked up as a child, the record books would be filled with the legend of Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Garrincha, who was named after one of the birds he so loved, would be known as Manuel dos Santos, a name as common in Brazil as John Smith is in England.
And rather than chant the name of Zico, one of their most illustrious successors, fans would sing the praises of Arthur Antunes Coimbra.
But, Brazilian supporters might not care what their players are called if they win their sixth World Cup title.