Luka Modrić shines with 67 touches in Croatia’s World Cup exit against Portugal

At 40 years old, Luka Modrić played what is almost certainly his last World Cup match on July 2, 2026. He covered ground, won duels, made 11 interventions, and racked up 67 touches across roughly 105 minutes of football. Croatia still lost 2-1 to Portugal in the Round of 32.

The match, played in Toronto, had everything a scriptwriter would order: a legendary player on the back nine of his career, a reunion with former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo on the opposite side, and a late equalizer that would have forced extra time. Then VAR arrived, reviewed the goal, and disallowed it. Croatia’s tournament was over.

What Modrić actually did out there

67 touches across 105 minutes works out to roughly one touch every 94 seconds. For a central midfielder whose job is to dictate tempo and connect play, that’s a meaningful level of involvement, not a cameo.

The 11 interventions reflect defensive engagement, the kind of tracking back and pressing that a player coasting on reputation typically skips.

Three duels won is a modest number in isolation, but duels at this stage of a World Cup, against a Portugal squad built around athleticism and pressing, carry a different weight than a group stage encounter against a lower-ranked side.

The match itself, and the call that ended it

Croatia trailed Portugal for much of the match before pulling back to 2-1. A late equalizer briefly gave Croatia life. VAR reviewed the goal and ruled it out.

Portugal advance from the Round of 32 and will face Spain in the Round of 16.

What this means for Croatian football, and for Modrić’s legacy

Modrić turns 41 in September 2026. The math on a 2030 World Cup cycle is not impossible, but it requires a suspension of disbelief that even his most devoted supporters would struggle to maintain.

This was, in all reasonable likelihood, his final appearance at a World Cup. He leaves that stage with a resume that includes a 2018 Ballon d’Or, five UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid, and a World Cup final appearance with Croatia.

Two players who won multiple Champions League titles together at Real Madrid, now on opposite sides of a World Cup knockout match in their 40s. Portugal needed the win more in the standings sense. Portugal got it.

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