Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to leave Qatar on a high after the European side failed to reach a second consecutive final.

Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, came into the World Cup as one of the favourites but they face a big roadblock in the semi-final on Tuesday with 2018 runners-up Croatia, who proved too much for the other title contenders, Brazil.

Real Madrid stalwart Luka Modric after yet another fine performance against Brazil in the quarter-final of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar revealed that he sees glimpses of his club mentality in the Croatian side.

Ever wonder how your favourite footballer rose to success? For many footballers, it was not as simple as being scouted or joining a football academy where their only concern was the sport. Many footballers have a life filled with harsh memories, losses, financial struggles, and displacement. Their stories are inspirational as they persevered and came out of their hardship for themselves and their families. Here are some of the inspirational stories which haunt some of our favourite footballers.

Adored by football fans all over the world, rivals and supporters alike — Luka Modric is one of the most revered names in modern football. Easily up there amongst the all-time great midfielders, this Croatian is a shining example of a true leader. He may not look like much from the outside but on and off the pitch, he demonstrates all the qualities of a true leader.

After winning the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in 2010, it quickly became clear that Qatar would have to pull a rabbit out of its hat to successfully stage football’s showpiece event. The largest concern at the time was whether players could even perform in the searing summer as the Mi

If surprise 2018 runners-up Croatia take the World Cup by storm again in Qatar, in the thick of it this time will probably be Mateo Kovacic, one of the beating hearts of their midfield.

Real Madrid will be without this year's Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and the 2018 victor Luka Modric for this week's Champions League tie in Leipzig, coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a Monday press conference.

Carlo Ancelotti described Luka Modric as "immortal" after his outstanding display in Real Madrid's 4-1 LaLiga win over Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Modric pulls the strings as Real breeze past Celta Champions Real Madrid got their second consecutive win of the new LaLiga season with a comfortable 4-1 victory at Celta Vigo on Saturday.

As Casemiro leaves for ‘a new challenge’, both Kroos and Modric left him emotional letters, published by Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca. Both letters are shared here for the readers of The Daily Star:

Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has signed a one-year contract extension with Real Madrid and will stay at the European champions at least until June 2023, the club announced on Wednesday.

Real Madrid are confident going into the Champions League final against Liverpool and will count on their big-game experience but there is no firm favourite in Paris, according to midfielder Luka Modric.

Real Madrid's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was named winner of the 2018 Ballon d'Or on Monday, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's and Lionel Messi's decade-long hold on the prestigious award.

Luka Modric ended Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's decade-long domination of football's individual awards by being crowned FIFA's best player of the year on Monday.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah had all fought for UEFA’s Player of the Season, which Modric won on August 30 and the three players will once again fight for top-place finish in another award ceremony after they were revealed as finalists for Best FIFA Football awards with the winner to be revealed on September 24.

Croatia captain Luka Modric beat competetion from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Eden Hazard to win the golden ball as the best player in the World Cup even as his side lost the final of the showpiece event 4-2 against France.

"You don't have to be a giant to play football, I'm happy with where I am. I am happy with where I am and I never cared what anyone else said, it only further motivated me." says Modric.

The Croatia captain Luka Modric carries his excellent club level form that helped Real Madrid secure their 13th UCL title earlier in May to this World Cup as the Croats are now very close to achieving the ultimate glory in Russia.

Croatia captain Luka Modric puts in a man of the match performance to lead his side to a penalty shootout victory over hosts Russia.