The World Cup in Russia is the last chance of Modrić’s generation to achieve a result consistent with their quality.
Leaders such as Danijel Subašić (33), Luka Modrić (32), Vedran Ćorluka (32) and Mario Mandžukić (32) are the veterans of the current national team. Ivan Rakitić (30) is also one of the team’s senior players who has represented Croatia for over a decade, reports Index.hr on June 12, 2018.
“My appearance in Russia could be my last performance for the Croatian national team in major competitions. I’ve been on the national team for 11 years. I want to see what’s going to happen and then make a decision. I do not know if I will continue. My wish was always to give the maximum because defending my national colors makes me proud. I will make a decision after Russia,” said Ivan Rakitić to Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca.
Rakitić made his debut for the national team at 19 years old against Estonia as part of the European qualifications in September 2007, under the leadership of then-coach Slavic Bilić. In his national team career to date, Rakitić has recorded 91 appearances and 14 goals. He played at the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland in 2008, the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine in 2012, and the European Championships in France in 2016. He also participated in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Before the start of the World Cup, he highlighted Croatia’s strengths in an interview for Marca.
“We have good players who play for important clubs. Our veterans are strong. Coach Zlatko Dalić is an important dialogue, as he is closely connected to the players and is constantly communicating with us. He has clear and high-quality ideas, and I’m convinced that Ante Rebić will be the discovery of the World Cup,” said the powerful midfielder in the peak of his career.
Rakitić noted that he was happy to play against Lionel Messi, a longtime teammate of his at Barcelona in Spain. After the first match against Nigeria (June 16) and before their third encounter against Iceland (June 26), Croatia will face Argentina (June 21st).
“No one has found a formula against Lionel Messi. Nobody. You need to enjoy the spectacle against Argentina and look past the best player in the world. It is special to compete against Lionel Messi, but he also knows that we are eager to win against him,” concluded Rakitić who emphasized that he considered Spain as the favorite of the upcoming World Cup.
