AL DAAYEN, Qatar -- When Luka Modric made his international debut for Croatia in March 2006, at the age of 21, Argentina and a 19-year-old Lionel Messi were his opponents. That day, Modric won the friendly encounter 3-2, Messi scored his first international goal and it was the beginning of a career-long rivalry for club (Real Madrid vs. Barcelona) and country.
Little did Modric know that 16 years later, his World Cup career (and possibly his international career) would end at the hands of the same player and opposition with a 3-0 semifinal defeat.