Modric says he will continue playing with Croatia after the World Cup in Qatar

The 37-year-old captain says he will continue his international career after Croatia take third place at the tournament in Qatar.

Croatia captain Luka Modric is not quite ready to hang up his football boots yet.

The 37-year-old midfielder, shortly after leading the national team to victory in the third-place World Cup play-off in Qatar, said he will continue to play for Croatia in the Nations League matches next year.

“About my future, I don’t know if I will be [playing] until the [2024] Euro in Germany, we’ll see,” he told BeIn Sports after Croatia’s 2-1 win over Morocco at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Saturday.

“I have to go step by step. I am enjoying the national team, I feel happy, I still think that I can perform at a high level and I want to continue at least until the Nations League”, said the Read Madrid player.

“After that, there will be more time to think about the Eurocup, but now it is to go step by step and continue at least until the League of Nations, and then we will see.”

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic praised Modric’s “fantastic job” in Qatar.

“He is our captain, he is our big boss,” he said.

“He played fantastic this tournament. He is 37 years old, but he played like a 20/25 guy. He is our leader. Everyone follows him,” Dalic added.

“Some people think this is the end, but I think he will stay in Croatia for a long time.”

Croatia assistant coach Ivica Olic also said he was “100 percent sure” Modric would be in the squad if he was fit.

Spain, Italy and the Netherlands also qualified for the Nations League final four, with the semifinals scheduled for June 14 and 15, 2023, and the final on June 18.

A draw on January 25 will determine the semifinal pairings.