News Focus
- Luka Modric will earn his 199th cap for Croatia against England in Dallas
- The 40-year-old playmaker first faced the Three Lions in October 2006
- Croatia eliminated England from the 2018 World Cup at the semi-final stage
- The midfielder is likely to retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup
Luka Modric is preparing to face England for the tenth time. The Croatian captain will lead his country in Dallas. This match marks his 199th appearance for the national team.
The 40-year-old first played against the Three Lions nearly two decades ago. That match took place in Zagreb in October 2006. At that time, Tony Blair was the British Prime Minister. Arsenal had just moved to the Emirates Stadium. The social media platform Twitter was only three months old.
England fans remember that game for a famous mistake. Defender Gary Neville passed the ball back to goalkeeper Paul Robinson. The ball hit a bump on the pitch and bounced over the keeper’s foot into the net. A billboard at the stadium was showing adverts for the comedy film Borat at that exact moment. Croatia won the match 2-0.
Modric played the full game that night. It was his 11th appearance for his country. That victory began Croatia’s rise as a major force in world football.
The two teams met again one year later at Wembley Stadium. Croatia had already qualified for the European Championship. England only needed a draw to qualify. However, Croatia won 3-2. That defeat became famous when photographers captured England manager Steve McClaren holding an umbrella on the touchline.
The most painful defeat for England came in 2018. Croatia beat the Three Lions in the World Cup semi-finals in Moscow. England took an early lead, but Croatia scored an equaliser and won in extra time. They reached the final before losing to France.
Now Modric is much older. He will turn 41 in September. Croatia currently use a defensive system with three centre-backs. They lost a recent warm-up match against Belgium. Many expect England’s speed to cause problems for the Croatian defence.
Despite his age, Modric remains a key player. He has not announced his retirement, but many expect him to stop playing after the 2026 World Cup. He will try to inspire his team to one more victory over England. Given his record, nobody will be surprised if he succeeds.