Luka Modrić has once again complicated the retirement plans of football fans everywhere, confirming that he will remain available for Croatia as the midfield legend prepares to enter his 41st year of existence. According to the latest confirmation from the Croatian Football Association, Modrić will continue representing his country in the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign, ending speculation that the 2026 World Cup might have marked the final chapter of his international career. Reuters reports that the veteran is set to remain available for Croatia after the tournament, while UEFA records him as having surpassed 200 senior international appearances.
MODRIĆ APPARENTLY HAS NO INTEREST IN NORMAL RETIREMENT PLANS
For most footballers, turning 41 would normally be considered a reasonable moment to start discussing retirement, grandchildren and the peaceful art of watching matches from a comfortable chair. Luka Modrić, however, appears to have received none of those instructions. Born on September 9, 1985, he is still 40 as of today and is set to turn 41 in just a few days, meaning Croatia may soon have a 41-year-old international midfielder continuing to operate among players young enough to have grown up watching him play.
The midfielder’s decision is hardly surprising given the extraordinary length of his international career. Luka Modrić made his Croatia debut in 2006 and has become the country’s most-capped player, while his leadership was central to Croatia’s run to the 2018 World Cup final and their subsequent semi-final appearance in 2022. UEFA currently lists him with more than 200 international appearances, a statistical category in which the word “veteran” is beginning to look like an understatement.
NATIONS LEAGUE NOW HAS TO DEAL WITH THE MODRIĆ PROBLEM
Croatia’s next assignment will provide another opportunity for Luka Modrić to demonstrate that Father Time may have filed several complaints against him without receiving a response. Croatia are in Nations League Group A3 alongside Czechia, Spain and England, with their league-phase fixtures beginning against Czechia on September 26 before matches against Spain and England follow.
For opponents, the announcement therefore carries an amusingly serious message: whatever retirement rumours existed, they should probably be deleted from the tactical briefing. Modrić is still available, still officially part of Croatia’s plans and still capable of bringing his trademark experience to the midfield. At this point, opposing teams may soon stop asking when Modrić will retire and start asking whether Croatia has quietly registered him as a permanent national monument.
For OGM News FC, the importance of the story is simple: Luka Modrić is not ready to close the Croatia chapter just yet. With the legendary midfielder approaching 41 and another Nations League campaign awaiting him, football fans should watch closely because the Luka Modrić international story has apparently been renewed for another season—and at this rate, the retirement announcement may require its own retirement first. Stay tuned to OGM News FC for future updates.
