"I did not have to persuade him," said Slaven Bilic. That one line tells you everything about where Luka Modric stands with Croatian football — and where Croatian football stands without him.
Bilic named Modric in his Nations League squad on Monday. On September 26, when Croatia travel to face Czech Republic in their Group A opener, the midfielder will win his 203rd international cap at 41 years old. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 233, has played more international football among active players. Messi, who retired from Argentina duty last week, ended on 207.
How Croatia are managing him
Bilic isn't throwing Modric into every match. The plan mirrors what AC Milan are doing with him at club level — manage the minutes, protect the body, get the best out of him when it counts.
"He will play at a pace that suits both him and us, similar to his rhythm at Milan," Bilic said. "We have to respect that, and it will be the best for everyone."
That's a sensible approach, because Croatia's group is brutal on paper. They face World Cup holders Spain and England alongside Czech Republic in a Nations League run from September to November. These aren't games where you can afford a half-fit midfielder playing on sentiment.
The Nations League group picture makes Croatia's qualification odds tricky — Spain are a near-certainty to take top spot, which means Croatia are likely fighting England for second. Whether Modric can influence those crunch matches, even from the bench, is the real question.
What this says about Croatian football
Modric returned from his fifth World Cup having started all four games and crossed 200 caps. Croatia went out in the round of 32 — a 2-1 loss to Portugal, ended by a disallowed goal in the 109th minute. A brutal exit for a generation of players who gave that country some of its best international football.
And yet here he is again. He signed another club season with Milan in July. Bilic called it up without a fight.
At some point Croatia will need a future without Modric. That moment is getting closer. But it is apparently not September 26.
