2018 World Cup Golden Ball winner Luka Modric bids farewell to his World Cup career with another medal after Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in their third-place playoffs on Saturday to secure the bronze medal in Qatar.
Goals from Joško Gvardio and Mislav Oršić in minutes 5 and 42 secured the result in what was an exciting battle for the bronze which included an almost instant response by Morocco’s Achraf Dani who leveled things in the 7th minute before the lead was restored and victory ultimately assured by Croatia.
While Modric didn’t score on the day the Croatian captain’s influence remained and ever percent force on the flow of the game like, teammates, fans and even the opposition watched with savor as they experienced some of the last competitive moments in a Croatian jersey.
Despite not lifting the ultimate prize the 2019 Ballon d’Or winner has certainly left his mark on world cup football history by leading Croatia to consecutive semi-finals, including a finals appearance to be the second most consistent team in the last two editions.
The Real Madrid midfielder who is winding down to the end of his playing career will also end as one of the more decorated players in the tournament.
He has now earned a silver medal after finishing runner-up to France in 2018, a bronze this year (2022) following Croatia’s third place along with his Golden ball trophy in 2018 after being voted the best player of that tournament.
A fitting curtain call for the Cup career of one of the all-time greats who helped elevate the standard of the football of country whose first World Cup appearance came in 1998.
A good setup for the finals on Sunday will see the one last dance by another all-time great when Argentina takes on France.
