“The end of my career is getting closer” – Modric provides honest reflection after Croatia heroics

Luka Modric has admitted that there is some uncertainty about his future at club level and whether he will continue playing.

Modric earned earned his 201st cap for his national team in Croatia vs. Ghana, getting an assist on the winning goal which booked their place in the round of 32. Portugal are the opponents that await, with Modric gearing up to face current team-mate Rafael Leao and potential future colleague Goncalo Ramos.

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He was interviewed after the match at Lincoln Financial Field by Filippo Maria Ricci, a journalist for La Gazzetta dello Sport. Modric spoke about the ongoing World Cup and a little bit about his future, amid all of the speculation. MilanVibes relayed his words.

Luka, how do you feel?

“What matters is that we are here too. And it wasn’t a given. Qualification was our minimum objective; elimination would have been a failure, and we achieved it. We’re growing.

“We started badly against England, we grew against Panama  – a hard-fought victory, but still a victory – and even more so against Ghana, our best match. And we’ll improve even more.

“We’re ready, we know our worth, we’re used to giving everything and always fighting, and if you add the quality we have in abundance to this strength, this mentality, the reward comes.”

Some people had doubts…

“Not me. I said, and I’ve always believed, that we’d get better as we went along, and I was right. Now a new tournament begins, a great one, the one we like. We have to have fun, and then what happens will happen. We have nothing to fear, and our rival won’t be happy to challenge us.”

You had a lot of pressure on you…

“Yes, and that’s not good. It’s pointless. After the two great World Cups in 2018 and 2022, people expect things from us that may not be realistic, but that’s partly our fault. We’ve accustomed them to it. And we’ve also become accustomed to the fact that we can beat anyone.

“All of these things put extra pressure on ourselves, which affects our game. Now, however, our self-confidence is growing – we’ve lifted an unnecessary burden because what we’re doing is incredible.”

And you?

“The same. I enjoy every moment, every training session, every match. I know I’m getting older, and the end of my career is getting closer. I try to enjoy it as much as possible, but it’s not easy because, especially in the national team, the pressure is enormous.”

The first goal against Ghana was scored by Petar Sucic, who is 18 years younger than you…

“He played a phenomenal match and showed he’s the present, not the future, of this national team. Kudos to him for what he’s been doing since joining the team. May he keep it up.”

Two problems for you, set-pieces and hydration breaks…

“The return after breaks is an issue we need to analyse, but I don’t feel like saying it’s a problem. No one likes to concede goals like that from set pieces, but then we scored one ourselves, so I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.”

The most recent reports suggest that Modric is open to listening to what the new coach Ruben Amorim has in mind for him, but that no decision has been made regarding staying at Milan, going elsewhere or even retiring.