Modrić's Masked Defiance: The Croatian Legend Gears Up for One Final World Cup Dance
This time, it really is the end. Luka Modrić (41, AC Milan) is set to take the stage at his fifth career World Cup. Not even a fractured cheekbone could stand in the way of the Croatian legend's final challenge.
The Croatian Football Federation announced on the 18th via its official website that "head coach Zlatko Dalić has unveiled the preliminary squad ahead of the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States," revealing both the 26-man final roster and a 7-man standby list for the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup.
Croatia have been drawn into Group L for this tournament, alongside England, Panama, and Ghana. The national team will gather at the end of this month, complete their domestic training camp, and then face Belgium on June 2 and Slovenia on June 7 in friendly matches (local time) before flying out to Washington, D.C. In the group stage, they will open their campaign against England before facing Panama and Ghana in succession.
The name that catches the eye above all others on the squad list is, of course, captain Modrić. He is once again expected to take the helm of Croatia's midfield in this tournament, partnering the likes of Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City), Petar Sučić (Inter Milan), and Mario Pašalić (Atalanta).
Modrić is, quite literally, a living piece of Croatian football history. With 196 international caps to his name, he holds the all-time appearance record for the national team — and even past the age of 40, he continues to perform as a regular starting midfielder in a top European league, defying the passage of time with his enduring quality.
This tournament is shaping up to be the true "last dance" for the maestro. Beginning with the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and excluding the 2010 South Africa edition for which Croatia failed to qualify, he has graced four consecutive World Cup stages — Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022. In particular, he was the central figure in Croatia's fairytale run to the final in 2018, when they claimed a historic runner-up finish.
Yet his path to North America was, at one point, shrouded in uncertainty. Late last month, in a clash against Juventus, Modrić suffered a violent collision with midfielder Manuel Locatelli, resulting in a devastating diagnosis of multiple fractures to his cheekbone. He was forced to go under the knife, and concerns mounted that his World Cup dream might evaporate altogether.
But Modrić refused to give up on his final stage. He continued to train diligently while wearing a protective facial mask, focusing entirely on regaining his condition, and ultimately earned the nod from Dalić in time for the final call-up. He is expected to take to the pitch at the World Cup itself with the protective mask still in place.
https://kr.pinterest.com/yugiyu6/
https://ko.gravatar.com/yugiyu5
https://www.blogger.com/profile/18023705374745514848
https://profile.hatena.ne.jp/yugiyu5/
https://www.twitch.tv/yugiyu6/about
Coach Dalić expressed his unwavering faith in his captain: "Modrić is training with the facial mask on, and his physical condition looks good. If anything, this break may have done him some good. We'll have to monitor his condition a bit more, but I've never doubted him for a moment. He will arrive at the tournament in top form, I'm sure of it."
Indeed, Modrić was already on the bench on the 17th when AC Milan traveled for their Serie A Round 37 away clash against Genoa. He is reportedly eager to return to the pitch as soon as possible — mask and all — to help his club in their late-season scramble for league position. His recovery, according to recent reports, is also progressing very positively.
This is hardly Croatia's first brush with such a scene. Back at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, defender Joško Gvardiol famously donned a black protective face mask after suffering a broken nose and still featured prominently throughout the tournament. Even if Modrić makes a full recovery, the likelihood is that he will still wear a mask as a precaution. In essence, Croatia will have produced a "masked warrior" in two consecutive World Cups.
For Korean fans, the image is far from unfamiliar. South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) similarly wore a black protective face mask at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, helping write the dramatic story of the Bento-led squad reaching the Round of 16. Son had undergone surgery for an orbital fracture in October of that year, but through sheer willpower, he saw out the entirety of the World Cup, which kicked off just two months later. It is precisely this kind of story that has the football world watching with bated breath as Modrić embarks on his fifth — and final — World Cup journey.