Luka Modrić’s first England meeting in 2006 carried an absurd Borat cameo and a 2-0 Croatia win—and it was the start of an era that turned Croatia into a knockout force. Now, almost 20 years later, the 40-year-old playmaker is set for his 199th appearance for
The ball bounced wrong on the edge of the six-yard box, and for a split second the stadium in Zagreb looked like it had been hijacked by pop culture.
England’s goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, missed Gary Neville’s backpass. Then the grin and moustache of Sacha Baron Cohen—playing Borat—appeared on the advertising boards at Maksimir Stadium. as if the world had decided to underline the moment with a joke. It was 11 October 2006, and Croatia won 2-0 with Luka Modrić playing the whole match.
For Modrić, it was more than just another international night. That victory was already his 11th cap. His first cap had come earlier that year in a friendly in which Lionel Messi scored his debut goal for Argentina. The footballing details were easy to miss at the time—Arsenal had just moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium. Italy had been newly crowned world champions. and Pep Guardiola retired as a player after a six-month spell in Mexico with Dorados—but the win set something in motion.
In retrospect. it marked the beginning of a process that would transform a national team from a “tiny country” into one of the most successful in the world. Modrić didn’t lead immediately the way he would later. For a while, the young midfielder didn’t have a key role. Still. the match felt like the start of a long arc that would eventually bend Croatia’s identity around the kind of stubborn mentality that doesn’t care who the opponent is.
There’s no “Modrić generation” the way there is for other teams, because players come and go. Modrić is the constant—an almost time-bending presence, remaining while the rest of the cast changes.
At some point, he made the team his own. Through leadership, through an indestructible never-say-die mentality. Croatia’s World Cup history during the era that followed is one of the clearest reflections of that: at the past two World Cups combined. they won seven knockout games without beating. or even outplaying. anyone in 90 minutes before succumbing to the eventual winners on both occasions.
England helped build the team too, becoming part of the repeated pattern between the two countries. Since that first meeting in October 2006, they played eight more times. There were wins, losses and draws. Modrić missed only one of those matches—due to a broken fibula. That absence came during the 5-1 defeat in 2009. when Fabio Capello’s team handed out the kind of result that lingers.
Two games stand out more than the others.
A year after the Borat incident came the “wally with a brolly” game at Wembley in 2007. Croatia had already qualified for the Euros and had nothing to play for. while England only needed a draw to qualify as well. Instead, the visitors—led by Slaven Bilic—beat England anyway, and that win quickly became legendary. It wasn’t just a result. It reshaped the psychology of the team and gave them a massive confidence boost.
Then came the World Cup itself. where Croatia’s quality was obvious. but the Modrić mentality didn’t always look fully formed. In Russia. when Modrić agreed to a transfer from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham before the Euros. Croatia stormed the group with three wins. But they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Turkey in the most shocking of ways. Croatia took the lead after 119 minutes, only to concede a last-moment equaliser and lose on penalties. Modrić missed that match.
His role in the next defining England moment was different.
In the 2018 World Cup semi-final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Croatia overturned an early England lead and beat them in extra-time to reach the final against France. Modrić didn’t seem to have a key role in that match either, at least not on the surface. But by then. he was already a decorated leader—a player who had carried the team through years of ill-advised coaching appointments and bitter underachievement. It was in Russia that Croatia were managed by Zlatko Dalic. who was the first national team coach to really connect with Modrić.
Now the rivalry is closing in on its own anniversary.
Almost 20 years after Croatia and England first met, the 40-year-old playmaker is ready to face England again. It will be his 199th appearance for his country.
On the surface, he’s not what he once was—and neither is Croatia. If the World Cup warm-up defeat by Belgium was any indication. with the match chosen specifically as preparation for Thomas Tuchel’s team. Croatia are expected to play with a back three. The plan would mean sacrificing their own attacking capacity for defensive stability. Still. the concern is familiar: can that be enough if England bring speed and energy the way they have throughout this era?.
Modrić will be 41 in September. He won’t say it, but the implication hangs there anyway: he is likely to retire after the World Cup.
So the question isn’t just whether Croatia can find another knockout edge over England.
It’s whether the person who has spent two decades tormenting them can deliver one more, in Dallas—where a history of late twists and hard answers will finally meet what comes next.
Luka Modrić Croatia vs England 199th appearance Borat incident 2006 Zagreb 2018 World Cup semi-final Dallas World Cup