Luka Modric: 200 caps, a legacy and one last dream in an illustrious career

In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (1:00 am, French time), in Toronto, Luka Modric will take another step into history. When he steps onto the pitch against Panama for Croatia’s second group match at the 2026 World Cup, the Vatreni captain will become only the fourth male footballer ever to reach 200 international appearances, after Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Bader Al-Mutawa from Kuwait.

Twenty years after his debut for the national team, at 40 years old and wearing a protective mask, Modrić is about to join a club as exclusive as it is legendary.

But this 200th cap comes in a special context. Against England on Friday, Modric was a shadow of his former self.

Substituted in the 58th minute after conceding a needless penalty as early as the 9th minute - the first penalty he’s ever given away in his career - he seemed weighed down by months of hardship.

In April, during a Serie A clash between AC Milan and Juventus, a duel with Manuel Locatelli left him with a complex, multi-fragmented fracture of the left zygomatic bone. After emergency surgery at La Madonnina clinic in Milan, he began a race against time to be fit for what looks like his last tournament with Croatia. His physical preparation inevitably suffered; a week of complete rest leaves little room for error when you’re approaching 41.

'Luka is struggling, he wants it, but he can’t do it like before'

The Croatian press hasn’t held back. The daily Jutarnji List wrote: "It’s clear that Luka is struggling, he wants it, but he can’t do it like before. Modrić needs to pull himself together if the Vatreni want to hope for victory." The editorial team even questions their maestro’s future in this American World Cup: "So many times in 199 matches, he was the best, and now he’s one of the worst. Today, the main question is: what can Modrić do? Can we count on him for this World Cup, at least at his usual level?"

The daily 24 Sata refuses to jump to conclusions: "Luka Modric, the greatest Croatian footballer of all time, deserves special attention. Yes, he’s no longer at the level we’re used to, but that’s normal as he enters his forties. However, this same Luka has just had an excellent season in one of the world’s toughest leagues."

The tabloid also reminds us that the same crowd criticising him now was ready, before the match, "to see him crush the English single-handedly." After the defeat, Modrić himself gave a fighting speech: "We have to move on, we have two games left. I’m sure things will get better and we’ll reach our minimum goal."

'Thank God, he’s still with us'

To understand what this 200th cap means, you have to go back to March 1, 2006. That day, in a friendly against Argentina, a 20-year-old midfielder - overlooked by many scouts in his youth for physical reasons - made his first appearance.

Since then, Modric has scored 29 goals for Croatia, led his nation to the 2018 World Cup final in Russia - where he was named the player of the tournament and then to third place in Qatar at age 37. In March 2021, against Cyprus, he became Croatia’s most-capped player, surpassing Darijo Srna. With five World Cups played, he joins a select group in football history.

Zlatko Dalic, his coach since 2017, made sure to calm things down before the match against Panama: "We’ve achieved a lot together over the past ten years. As captain of my team and my right hand on the pitch, he means a lot to us. We have a few older players alongside Luka who guide this generation. We also have young players, and they should be happy to have him by their side. He shows them how to work, how to fight for the Croatian shirt. His main quality is that he never gives up. He’s the leader on and off the pitch. Thank God, he’s still with us."

Words that sum up the aura of the man who put Croatia on the map and is one of the last in the current squad to have experienced both World Cup runs.

A scene shown in the Netflix documentary Captains after the 2022 World Cup perfectly illustrated Modrić’s role in the dressing room.

Before the World Cup, he noticed that Dominik Livakovic, brilliant for Dinamo Zagreb, seemed blocked and less confident whenever he played for the national team.

Modrić took his goalkeeper aside and tried to reassure him: "I don’t see your progress with the national team. Is it because of the pressure? I think it’s because you don’t project confidence, and that affects the whole team. Everyone makes mistakes - tell me one person who doesn’t. Why can’t you make one? I think the problem is you’re afraid, and that only makes things worse.

"You’re a great goalkeeper. You know that, right?" After that conversation, Livakovic was freed. In Qatar, he conceded only three goals in the group stage, then was decisive in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, directly contributing to the Vatreni’s third-place finish.

'His presence makes us all better'

Josip Stanisic, one of the new generation and starting right-back at 26, put into words what the dressing room feels about Luka Modric: "That number - 200 appearances - is unreal. From day one, whether he was the main man or not, he’s always been the same with everyone. He’s stayed humble despite everything he’s achieved. That’s something people on the outside don’t see or know."

Luka Sucic, one of the many players tipped as Modrić’s successor but who has yet to take his place in the starting XI, goes even further: "Luka has been my idol since I was a kid. Sharing the pitch with him for the national team is indescribable. He spends a lot of time advising us, the younger players. He gives us confidence just by telling us to play our football, without pressure. His presence makes us all better."

Josko Gvardiol, who earned his first cap in 2021 while Modric was preparing for his fourth World Cup, explains perfectly what he means to the Vatreni: "When you join the national team for the first time and find yourself in the same dressing room as Luka Modric, it feels like a dream. He’s our leader. Just watching him train, seeing his work ethic at his age, pushes you to give 200% on the pitch. He leads by example without needing to say much."

A 200th with a dream in mind

Croatia have no room for error. After the opening defeat to England, the Vatreni absolutely must beat Panama this Wednesday to keep their fate in their own hands. And for that, they need a great Modric - the one who sets the tempo, breaks the lines when needed, and provides a liberating framework for the young talents.

The new generation, including Martin Baturina and Petar Musa, who both scored against England, aren’t yet ready to carry the team on their own. The torch hasn’t changed hands. It’s still in Modric’s.

Behind the question of captaincy and succession lies another, more personal reality: Luka Modric has never won a title with Croatia.

Finalist in 2018, third in 2022, best player of a tournament he didn’t win - his individual record is staggering, but the leader of a golden Croatian generation inevitably regrets not having won a trophy for a nation capable of bringing a million people to Zagreb to celebrate second or third place at a World Cup.

At 40, this 2026 World Cup is likely his last chance to close that chapter. Not a "last dance" in the nostalgic sense, but a final opportunity to complete his career as the greatest player in Croatia’s history.

This Wednesday in Toronto, he will make history for the 200th time in a Croatian shirt. That round number sums up twenty years of loyalty to a nation of four million people whom he has carried, almost single-handedly, onto the world’s biggest stages.

But Modric has never been content just making history. He has always wanted to shape it.

Follow Croatia's clash vs Panama here.