Modrić's Final Tournament
Zlatko Dalić named Luka Modrić in Croatia's World Cup squad without hesitation. At 40 years old — still at Real Madrid, still playing — Modrić is named for his fifth World Cup and what will certainly be his last. The announcement was made on May 20 and generated immediate global attention: the 2018 World Cup finalist and Ballon d'Or winner gets one more tournament.
What Modrić gives Croatia is not pace or physical dominance. It is intelligence, positioning, the ability to read a game two passes ahead of everyone else. Croatia will manage his minutes. But when he's on the pitch for the critical moments — and Dalić has always known when those moments are — Croatia are a different proposition. The opening match against England in Dallas on June 17 is a repeat of the 2018 semifinal, which Croatia won in extra time. That history makes the fixture immediately significant.
Gvardiol — The Transition
Manchester City's Joško Gvardiol, 22, is the player who will define Croatian football for the next decade. One of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, technically exceptional, and already with Champions League experience. He gives Croatia a defensive foundation that can compete with any team in the tournament.
Group L — England, Ghana, Panama
Croatia opens against England (a rematch of the 2018 semifinal they won), then faces Ghana and Panama. A group Croatia should advance from. The question is whether a squad that has been gradually transitioning from the golden generation can find the performances that took them to two consecutive World Cup semifinals. Modrić's presence gives them a psychological edge that statistics cannot fully capture.
NYC's Croatian community in Astoria's 36th Avenue Balkan corridor will be watching every match. The June 17 England opener — two of NYC's largest European communities watching the same match from opposing sides — will be one of the most animated split-venue watching experiences of the group stage.