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Croatia captain Luka Modric has refused to comment on his future with the national team following their 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal defeat.
The Vatreni fell to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina in their last-four clash on Tuesday (December 13). Modric tried hard to bring his side into the game, but the 2018 World Cup finalists were undone by Lionel Messi's penalty and a brace from Julian Alvarez.
Many fans seemed to believe the ongoing FIFA World Cup would be the five-time UEFA Champions League winner's final act in a Croatia jersey. However, Luka Modric has refused to shut the door on his international career just yet.
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Asked after the defeat to Argentina if retiring was on his mind, the 37-year-old replied (as quoted by @MadridXtra on Twitter):
"My retirement? I don't know, we'll see. This is not the time to talk about this. We have a bronze medal to win now."
Croatia will meet the loser of the second semifinal between France and Morocco in the third-place playoff on December 17. Les Bleus and the Atlas Lions will clash horns on Wednesday, December 14.
Should he participate in the third-place playoff, it would mark Luka Modric's 162nd appearance for the Vatreni. The Real Madrid veteran made his debut for his country all the way back in 2006, notably in an international friendly against Argentina.
In 161 matches for Croatia, he has scored 23 goals and laid out 25 assists, guiding them to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. It was a tremendous achievement for a team that had exited the 2006 and 2014 editions of the World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 in the group stages.
Luka Modric was croatia's best player at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
While he did not score or assist at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Luka Modric was the driving force behind Croatia's run to the semifinals.
He formed a superb midfield triumvirate alongside Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic that helped the Vatreni dominate the centre of the park. The trio were a big reason for their team pulling off a win, albeit on penalties, over a more-fancied Brazil team in the quarterfinals.
Overall, Modric recorded a superb passing accuracy of 88% across six matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He averaged a key pass and 2.2 fouls won per contest, while also creating two big chances overall for his teammates.
The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner did his bit defensively as well, averaging 1.3 interceptions and 2.3 tackles per match.
