'Still the best': Netizens hail 'evergreen' Modric as he plays 4th World Cup for Croatia

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric became the oldest player to play a World Cup match for Croatia when he took the field against Morocco in the Group F opener on Wednesday. Modric is the captain of the Croatia team that finished runners-up in the last edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. This is Modric's fourth World Cup appearance for his country after experiencing the marquee event for the first time in 2006. 

In 2018, Modric became the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the Ballon d'Or award in more than a decade. At age 37, Modric remains Croatia's vital player in Qatar and is showing no signs of slowing down. Despite Morocco holding Croatia to a goalless draw, Modric was named the man of the match courtesy of his attacking style of play and brilliant distribution of passes. 

Meanwhile, netizens have flooded social media with posts hailing Modric for his performance at his fourth World Cup for Croatia. Here's a compilation of tweets lauding Modric as he displayed amazing form in the first game against Morocco.  

Modric says Croatia have become cautious after Argentina's loss

Modric on Tuesday described Croatia's 2018 World Cup journey as an "unforgettable memory" but noted that they will have to put it aside for now and concentrate on the job ahead of them. Modric also said that they have become cautious after what happened to Argentina on Tuesday. Argentina suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of lower-ranked Saudi Arabia in their opening match of World Cup 2022. 

"Whatever we have been through at the World Cup in Russia is an unforgettable memory, an indelible memory. But we need to put it to one side for now. This is a new tournament and we have to look at it that way. We are quite cautious and what’s happened today (Argentina’s loss) makes us even more cautious," Modric said on Tuesday. 

Croatia is slated to lock horns against Canada in their next group stage outing on Sunday, November 27. Croatia is currently ranked first in the Group F points table followed by Morocco, Belgium, and Canada. 

Image: Twitter/CroatiaTeam