Modric plans to play for Croatia past 41st birthday

Luka Modric, a 41-year-old Croatian footballer, is set to continue his international career despite the customary retirement from play after the age of 40. The Croatian Football Association (FA) announced that Modric will participate in upcoming Nations League games, including matches against England. This decision comes as Slaven Bilic, the former West Ham manager, returns to the helm of the Croatian national team, having guided Modric's early international career between 2006 and 2012.

Modric began his senior international career in March 2006, shortly before Bilic's first appointment as Croatia's manager. He has since amassed 202 caps for his country. Initially, Modric was set to retire following Croatia's elimination from the 2022 World Cup at the 32nd minute by Portugal. However, his continued participation in international football brings joy to Bilic, who expressed his optimism for working together again after 14 years.

Bilic praised Modric's contributions to Croatia, both on and off the pitch, and emphasized his ambition to maintain Croatia as a top-performing team. Modric, who currently plays for AC Milan, won the Golden Ball at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, leading Croatia to the final. He also played a crucial role in Croatia's third-place finish in the 2018 World Cup in Qatar.

Modric's presence was instrumental in Croatia's quarter-final run at the 2018 Euro, held in Austria and Switzerland. The Croatian team's next international matches will be against Czech Republic on September 26 and Spain on September 29, followed by a home game against England on October 3 in the Nations League competition, with a return game at Wembley on November 12.