Luka Modric led Croatia to the bronze medal on the World Cup on Saturday and revealed he’ll prolong his worldwide profession into 2023 in an try and win the Nations League. The 37-year-old received his 162nd cap within the 2-1 win over Morocco, 4 years after serving to his nation to the World Cup runners-up spot behind France. Croatia will now try and win the Nations League title subsequent June within the four-team finals additionally that includes Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

“That’s the plan,” mentioned Modric when requested if he intends to maintain taking part in worldwide soccer.

“It would be a nonsense not to play in the Nations League, and then we’ll see how to proceed. I definitely want to stay for the Nations League.”

Croatia had been defeated by a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina within the World Cup semi-finals however Modric insisted that his staff have cemented a spot amongst the heavyweights of the game.

“We achieved something major for the Croatian football. We wanted the gold, we were close,” he informed broadcaster HRT.

“In the end, we return to Croatia as winners. Croatia is not a miracle that appears every 20 years. We proved that we are constant, that we cannot be seen as dark horses but as a football power.”

Even although Modric intends to maintain taking part in at worldwide degree, coach Zlatko Dalic admits that point is ticking on different senior gamers.

“It’s the end of a cycle. It’s the last World Cup for some older players,” mentioned the coach with one eye on the qualifying event for Euro 2024 which kicks off in March.

“But we have very good young players who give hope, (Josip) Stanisic, (Mislav) Orsic, many players who are on the bench. We have a very good team for the future.

“Croatia don’t have anything to worry with this era. What awaits us is the League of Nations, and the {qualifications} of the Euro.”

Meanwhile, fireworks lit the sky above the Croatian capital of Zagreb and many other towns in the country that joyfully celebrated the win in the third-place play-off.

“Croatia is on hearth! Tears, songs, delight and pleasure all through our homeland!” read the Vecernji List daily paper online edition.

Long, happy night’

“An extended, completely happy evening is forward Croatia.”

The nation of fewer than four million people won their third World Cup medal since independence in 1991. In France 1998, Croatia were third and at the 2018 World Cup in Russia they reached the final.

Dalic added that he would “dedicate victory to a person who  began all this”.

“To (Miroslav) Ciro Blazevic. ‘Boss’ that is for you! I might win 5 medals, however you’ll at all times stay the ‘coach of all coaches’.”

He referred to legendary coach Blazevic, 87, under whom Croatia won bronze in 1998.

“Three World Cup medals for our tiny nation is a serious achievement. I’m so proud, nicely accomplished ‘Fiery Ones’,” said Marin Lovric, 32, who watched the game at a Zagreb bar.

On Sunday, the capital will organise at the main square a welcome for the squad, similar to 2018 when they returned from Russia.

At the time more than 550,000 people cheered the team during its parade on an open-top bus from the airport to the main square.

Since the independence, Zagreb has only once seen a larger crowd — for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1994.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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