Top 4 Luka Modric Moments at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Perhaps, the biggest party in Croatian history. The day after the Croats lost the World Cup final to France in Moscow, over half a million people took to the streets of Zagreb to receive their triumphant heroes.

The team bus pushed through ecstatic crowds en route the Ban Jelacic square where the players took to the stage and were greeted as National heroes -in the middle, stood Luka Modric, the winner of the Golden Ball, and by some margin, the beating heart of a team whose journey to the World Cup final was as uncertain as Kylian Mbappe switching to Real Madrid last summer.

The Real Madrid midfield maestro -an object of ridicule in Zagreb only a few weeks before the World cup- through a string of hypnotic highlights, reclaimed his status as the "dazzling superstar" of Croatian football.

Let's browse through the moments that defined Luka Modric at the 2018 World Cup.

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#4 Croatia 3-0 Argentina, Group Stages

By unanimous decision, this was the most eagerly anticipated game in the 2018 World Cup group of death. The Croats had dispatched Nigeria with ease in the opening fixture, but Argentina's failure to beat Iceland raised the stakes ahead of Matchday two.

The first half had been goalless but very intriguing, Argentina and Croatia still stood an equal chance, but the next 45 minutes proved quite the event for both sides. Willy Callero's failed chip gave Zlatko Dalic's men the lead on a platter of gold. The South Americans still had a fair chance to share the spoils, but their hopes and that of Diego Maradona were dashed in the 80th minute.

Luka Modric, the man doubling as Croatia's captain, key player and passing playmaker, picks the ball 25 yards out, drops a shoulder to confuse Nicolas Otamendi, before curling beautifully beyond the despairing gloves of Willy Caballero.

2-0 Croatia, 10 minutes to go, but of course, you know, that it was Modric's delicious effort that put the game beyond the Argentines, and that the rest, from that point in the game, is history.

#3 Round of 16: Croatia 1-1 Denmark [3-2 Penalties]

Croatia's reward for topping the so-called group of death was an intriguing round of 16 clash with the Scandinavians, but this time, the leadership of Luka Modric and the burden of responsibility would jeopardize the hopes of the Croats.

Just so we're clear, Croatia's hero on the night was Danijel Subasic, who saved three of Denmark's penalties, but there's a reason this game remains a major World Cup highlight for Luka Modric.

This was Croatia's first knock-out tie since 1998. In the second half of extra-time, when Mathias Jorgensen brought down Ante Rebic to gift the Croats a penalty and the chance to save themselves the uncertainty of a Penalty shootout; Modric for the first time in the tournament, put a foot wrong.

Although The Real Madrid man eventually scored in the victorious shoot-out, his extra-time penalty miss mirrored Croatia's ordeal at the Euro 2008, when Modric missed in a shoot-out heartbreak against Turkey.

For a brief nervous moment, Croatia's hero became the villain.

#2 Quarter-Final: Croatia 2-2 Russia [4-3 Penalties]

Perhaps the most dramatic, most suspense-filled clash of the tournament, blood and excitement pumping through the veins of 44,287 spectators at the Fisht Olympic stadium, yet, a hundred and twenty minutes was not enough.

While eventual Champions France managed to seal all victories in normal time, Croatia had to get through two shootouts and a further extra-time to book a place in the final, but the Quarter-final against Russia proved the most exhausting -physically and psychologically.

Six of the seven goals conceded by Russia at the World Cup had come through Set-pieces, and the man behind one of those was Luka Modric, whose perfect corner-kick found Dermagoj Vida for Croatia's second of the night.

Russia equalized and forced penalties, which the Croats eventually won. Truthfully, he wasn't Croatia's best player that day, but at that moment when the Croats needed his creative genius the most, Modric delivered the perfect assist.

#1 Golden Ball

Even if it was rigged, it could not have gone to anyone else.

Luka Modric, the Midfield Supremo at the heart of Croatia's unlikely but inspiring run to the 2018 World Cup final, stood side by side Kylian Mbappe; the best young player of the tournament, who of course, was privileged to be sharing the same podium with an Immortal.

Neymar, and Mohamed Salah, had been the pre-tournament favourites to end the Messi-Ronaldo divinity, but the unsuspecting influence of Luka Modric wasn't just profound, it was statistical perfection at best -most minutes by a Croatian, more step runs, most passes, most dribbles.... could there have been a more comprehensive display of genius?

Before the World Cup final, there was a trending picture on Twitter, of Luka Modric with a brilliant caption along the lines of "360 minutes of knock-out football, two penalty shoot-outs, broken bones, bruised knees, exhausted souls. Dear FIFA, give Croatia their things".

It summed up Croatia's deep-seated resolve against defeat -yes, it was a team game, but of course, the spirits in the Croatian camp had been lifted and sustained by the unmatched brilliance, and entrancing leadership of Luka Modric.

Thus, even though the Croats didn't get their things, Modric got his, and for the people of Croatia.