After scoring one of the goals of the tournament and upstaging Lionel Messi by leading his team to the top of their group, Croatia captain Luka Modric hopes to fulfil a dream that began when he watched his nation record a best ever World Cup showing.
"It was a huge advert for Croatia, all the world finally knew about us," the 32-year-old midfielder reflected a couple of years ago of that 1998 run to a third-place finish. "I began dreaming about trying to reach that level one day."
On Sunday, Modric leads Croatia in a last-16 tie they are favourites to win against Denmark, whose main threat is another slight and silky midfielder, Christian Eriksen.
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More from 2018 World Cup:
Last-16 guide and predictions: France end Argentina and Lionel Messi's hopes
Day 17 updates - last-16 gets under way with France v Argentina
Missed chances and slow starts: Assessing the Arab sides at World Cup 2018
Lionel Messi and Argentina train ahead of France showdown - in pictures
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Croatia are brimming with confidence after winning Group D at a canter with a perfect record, including a 3-0 thumping of Messi's Argentina that included a sublime long-range strike from Modric.
The Real Madrid player also gave Messi a lesson in converting spot kicks, scoring his against Nigeria on the same day the mercurial Argentine infamously missed one against Iceland.
Such has been his influence, when some were suggesting he might soon be fading into the twilight, Croatia defender Dejan Lovren suggested Modric deserved to win the Ballon d'Or.
"He is one of the best in the world right now," Lovren said. "Modric would probably be getting more attention than he is right now if he was a German or Spanish player."
No Croatian has ever won the annual award for the world's best player although Davor Suker finished second in 1998, the year Croatia lost to hosts France in the World Cup semi-finals.
A visionary passer and fleet-footed dribbler, Modric came to global prominence when he joined Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League in 2008. He has kept his form with Real Madrid's Uefa Champions League-winning sides since joining them in 2012.
Unlike some other creative geniuses, Modric also busts a lung to help defend - a quality that endears him to both fans and coaches.
"He's the engine that makes us go," Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic said before the tournament. "He's also a captain who leads by example. He always gives his maximum, sets high standards with his attitude, aggression and energy on the pitch, and with his behaviour off it."
Disappointed with his personal performances in Brazil four years ago, Modric has already more than made up for it but now wants to go further and surpass the Croatian "Class of 1998" that first inspired him as a boy.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
