Had you paid $2bn (£1.6m) to host the 2022 World Cup, which face would you want enhancing your product on Sunday? In order of global interest, you might toss a Messi/Mbappe-sided coin for the golden shot. A picture of either holding aloft the trophy goes twice around the Milky Way, Qatar forever the shimmering backdrop to the greatest story ever told.
After that, Morocco’s historic ride offers meaty consolation. Croatia? Sorry Luka. As much as we admire the mighty Modric, Croatia is the story with the least traction, which is half their charm and what makes them such a dogged threat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final. Neither favourites nor favoured, they just keep coming. “We are raised as fighters,” said goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, the saver of four shootout penalties against Japan and Brazil. “We spare no efforts. We are giving our best always.”
Whilst others offer the same commitment, there is a collective spirit born of historical circumstance that seems to imbue Croatia with a superhuman capacity for sticking at it. Though Wales and Uruguay have marginally smaller populations than the Balkan state’s 3.9m, there is a powerful sense of identity associated with Croatia from which the team derives improbable reserves of strength and belief.
And at the centre of the enterprise is the diminutive Modric, a footballer of seemingly inexhaustible reserves of locomotion and grace. Modric is the connecting tissue through which everything flows, the regulatory mechanism controlling the pace of Croatia’s game, and which four years ago in Russia completely overwhelmed Messi’s Argentina in the group stage.
The architect of the national effort, coach Zlatko Dalic, is a figure of immense calm. When he accepted the role in 2017 he never imagined he would be sat here articulating how it feels to be taking charge of a second consecutive World Cup semi-final. The Modric-driven journey to the final in Russia, was, Dalic believes, a restating of the David and Goliath myth. “We gave small countries the right to dream,” he said. “They were encouraged by our example. Now others are living their dreams.
“Morocco is no exception. With Spain and Portugal defeated, they have earned the right to dream and to hope. But we have our own dreams too.” Indeed. Striker Ivan Perisic, second in rank only to Modric, said victory over Argentina would represent the most significant moment in Croatia’s history.
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“For me the semi-final against England was our greatest match. Brazil here is the second. After four years to repeat such success with a new national squad is quite fantastic, a great success. A win against Argentina, however, would make it the greatest of all time for Croatia.”
The outcomes to which Perisic refers were made possible by prior foundational results. One such was the 3-0 win against Argentina at the group stage in Russia that alerted the world to Croatia’s understated power. Four years on facing a regenerated Argentina in a semi-final is something to be savoured not feared, said Dalic.
“Let’s enjoy it. We are playing the great Argentina led by the great Messi. They are highly motivated. We analysed the match with Holland. We saw what they did. Messi is in great shape. His will is connected with the players. They are assertive, compact and feisty. They did not expect Holland to make a comeback. That was a warning for them.
“We know how they play, where they want to take the game. I’m an optimist by nature. I trust my players. We will continue to play our game and hope it yields results.” The reference to Argentina’s approach was probably not incidental. “It was difficult, many duels and many non-footballing behaviours. I hope this will not be the case (against us).”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had prepared a speech to deal with a question he knew was coming. And answer he did for the deportment of his team in the ill-tempered, often bitter quarter-final, a contest flush with the bad boy stereotype held by Europeans to be synonymous with his country.
“We played the way we had to play,” he said. “It was the same for both teams. That’s football. Some games things can happen. Arguments at the most challenging times. That’s why there is a referee, to make justice. We need to put an end to this idea that Argentina has this sort of behaviour, that we are bad losers. We lost to Saudi Arabia and said nothing. I’m not convinced of this unsporting behaviour idea. The referee blows the whistle and things end. We respect all teams. Croatia now.”
Messi and Modric are the astral features around which this semi-final orbits. From each both teams derive their power. The romantic ideal demands the ultimate end for arguably the greatest player the world has seen, a victory for Messi en route to consummating his career on Sunday. But Croatia don’t think like that, and in Modric they have an underdog with a lethal bite.
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