Luka Modric's Croatia debut, 20 years on, ahead of 200th cap | OneFootball

Luka Modric, now 40, is poised to win his 200th Croatia cap against Panama on Wednesday at 1am. According to L'Équipe, his international story began 20 years ago against Argentina in Switzerland, in a friendly that finished 3-2.

On 1 March 2006 at Parc Saint-Jacques, Basel, 13,138 watched a star-studded friendly. Ivan Klasnic, Dado Prso, Igor Tudor and Dario Simic lined up opposite Carlos Tevez, Hernan Crespo, Juan Roman Riquelme and Esteban Cambiasso. The youngsters stole it, Lionel Messi scored his first international goal on his sixth cap, and Modric, then 20 and later the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, stood out.

Back then Niko Kovac wore the headband, the number 10 and the armband. Modric, still at Dinamo Zagreb, took the number 14 on his first call-up from coach Zlatko Kranjcar, with Nico Kranjcar stationed behind the front two. Starting in a 3-4-2-1 beside Kovac, now Borussia Dortmund coach, he quickly impressed with his touch and clarity.

Jerko Leko, a late substitute and former Monaco midfielder, recalls Modric playing as if he already had around 20 caps, mixing technique with simplicity and respecting the game. He even declined a post-match shirt swap, preferring to keep his own as a memento.

Croatian media hailed his display, rating him among the evening's standout performers. He made way for Ivan Leko in the 84th minute.

That debut became a calling card for a career that has brought 10 major tournaments, split evenly between World Cups, including a final and a third place, and Euros. Leko felt his talent was evident yet his rise could not have been predicted, and that he progressed quickly and gained confidence. He is set to become the fourth player to reach 200 caps, following Messi, Bader Al-Mutawa and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Source: L'Équipe