Croatia coach, Zlatko Dalic, has said his influential captain, Luka Modric shouldn’t retire from the national team after the ongoing World Cup in Qatar.
The 37 year old Modric made his 161st appearance in the 3-0 loss to Argentina on Tuesday which ended Croatia’s hope for a first World Cup title.
During the game, he was taken off and it looked that could be the last time he would wear the Croatian jersey but Dalic who has been with the team since 2017 thinks otherwise as he wants the Real Madrid legend by his side till 2024 European Championship.
The 10-time Croatian footballer of the year won the Ballon D’or and the FIFA Golden Ball in 2018 as he captained his national team to the World Cup final – which they lost 4-2 to France.
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“We have the Nations League and an excellent generation who reached two semi-finals,” he stated.
Dalic said that Modric would make the decision on international retirement “on his own” but added that “surely the whole world would miss him if he retires from the national team, and I hope he won’t decide to do that.
“Luka Modric showed he is not only a great player, he’s a great professional, a great sportsman,” Dalic said.
Early in the tournament, Modric hinted that he would like to continue at Real Madrid for an additional season due to the club’s rule that only players over 30 receive yearly renewals, His current contract is set to expire in the summer.
“Of course, I want to retire in Madrid; I’ve said that many times,” Modric said. “You can’t say anything for 100 percent, but that’s my idea, and it’s a dream for me.”
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