Modric bows out from Qatar but not from World Cup folklore

Croatia's run to the semi-finals of a second consecutive World Cup was nothing short of remarkable for the small Balkan nation and even Tuesday's 3-0 defeat by Argentina does not overshadow their achievements on football's biggest stage.

At the forefront of the majority of those achievements was 37-year-old midfielder Luka Modric, who despite the defeat produced yet another top-class display in the middle of the park.

It was perhaps the international end for yet another one of football's greatest as Modric would be on the wrong side of 40 by the time the next World Cup arrives.

The Real Madrid midfielder would feel a bit upset looking back at his international trophy cabinet as the midfielder has won everything at club level with the reigning La Liga champions, including five UEFA Champions League titles.

Despite this, for the odd four million Croatians back home, Modric would forever be an instrumental figure in the country's footballing folklore, perhaps its greatest-ever protagonist.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has been at the focal point of almost everything that Croatia has achieved since participating in the 2006 World Cup. With his instrumental genius, Modric, who has played four World Cups, has anchored the midfield for Croatia in every major tournament, including four European Championships.

Reaching the last four in Russia and Qatar was barely conceivable six years ago. Croatia were a team in near disarray, their fans were fighting each other at Euro 2016 and the leadership of the Croatian FA faced corruption allegations.

The appointment of Ante Cacic, a former TV repairman, as head coach had only fanned the flames of discontent.

Fast forward to Qatar, where Croatia entered the tournament as 2018 runners-up with an ageing squad led by 37-year-old Luka Modric and with Zlatko Dalic, who replaced Cacic before the 2018 tournament, at the helm.

Coming through their group with a win over Canada and draws against Belgium and surprise semi-finalists Morocco, conceding only one goal along the way, the Croats showed they were again a force to be reckoned with.

They were no longer the explosive attacking team of 2018 that stunned England in the semi-finals before losing to France in the final, but Croatia matured into a well-oiled machine where each player knows what needs to be done to get the result.

Their midfield of Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Modric looked so solid that teammate Josip Juranovic said it was "safer than having money in the bank", while 20-year-old defender Josko Gvardiol pulled the strings at the back.

Croatia got past Japan in a shootout in the Round of 16 before delivering one of the shocks of the tournament by eliminating five-time champions Brazil in the same manner.

In another display of mental toughness, Croatia had conceded an extra-time goal to Brazil's Neymar but dug their way out of trouble by scoring a 117th-minute equaliser through Bruno Petkovic.

Before Tuesday's 3-0 loss to Lionel Messi's Argentina, Croatia had needed penalties or extra time in five of six knockout matches at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

They won all four of their penalty shootouts.

A tiny nation of four million, Croatia may not have won a World Cup but they have emerged as a major force on the global stage. With the end nearing for stalwarts like Modric, and the upcoming talents spearing through in the form of players like Gvardiol, Croatia would feel their future is in good hands.