Croatia's last-minute heartbreak ends Luka Modric's storied World Cup career

For once, though, luck wasn't on Croatia's side. A minuscule touch from a Croatian player in the build-up of the goal ruled Gvardiol offside, and the team's umpteenth magical knockout-round equalizer was chalked off for good. Croatia lost the game, and world soccer lost one of its most captivating international players.

A fitting final opponent

This Round of 32 matchup between Croatia and Portugal looked tantalizing from the jump. The two countries meet often in UEFA Nations League play but had never faced off in a World Cup setting until they took the field in Toronto. They share many things, but their greatest common ground is the deference they have for their legends: Croatia rides hard for 40-year-old Modric while Portugal lionizes 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. The two players are mythic figures in their countries, and they're mythic figures to each other, too: they played together for six years at Real Madrid and won six Ballon D'Or awards between them.

At their advanced ages, future World Cups are far from a guarantee. Whichever player lost this fixture was likely to leave the World Cup stage for good.

"I've had the privilege of sharing a dressing room and daily life with Cristiano," said Portugal midfielder Vitinha before the match. "That's been a pleasure. I'd have liked to spend more time with Luka Modric as well.

"From what little I've seen, he seems like a very kind and friendly person. But tomorrow, one of those journeys has to come to an end. And I hope it's Luka Modric's."

An uncertain future

Modric spent the 2025-26 season playing club soccer for Serie A's AC Milan (where he played alongside U. S. Men's National team star Christian Pulisic.) Modric joined Milan on a one-year contract with an optional extension, but he and the club have yet to announce whether that extension is confirmed. That leaves Modric in pure limbo: out of the World Cup with Croatia and not yet confirmed for club soccer in 2026-27.

A true legend

No matter where Modric ends up, he'll go down in history as one of the finest midfielders the sport has ever seen.

His strength? Pairing intelligence with mind-bending technical skill.

Brazilian midfielder Casemiro compared Modric to Zidane and remarked that both "see things that we wouldn’t even see in slow motion." English striker Stan Collymore called him "practically peerless." Argentinian World Cup winner Jorge Valdana said he "dignified football." 

All were correct — and none were exaggerating. That's the magic of Modric. And while it's a shame Croatia couldn't pull off another remarkable World Cup save to keep his magic alive a little longer, it's been a privilege to witness it for all these years.