LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Luka Modric pulled his shirt up over his face as he trudged over to the sideline.Croatia’s red-and-white-clad followers acknowledged the unhappy significance of the second and rose as much as applaud the diminutive midfielder who might be their nation’s biggest ever participant.Argentina’s boisterous supporters quickly adopted go well with at Lusail Stadium, honoring an opponent who is probably going showing at his final World Cup.Substituted within the 81st minute on Tuesday, along with his workforce trailing by three objectives, it successfully marked the tip of Modric’s World Cup period. Croatia ended up dropping to Argentina 3-0 within the semifinals, 4 years after the workforce misplaced to France within the remaining.Modric was somber as he was changed by Lovro Majer earlier than calmly taking his seat within the dugout. There was no grand gesture to the group or outpouring of emotion for a person whose understated brilliance can nonetheless be ignored regardless of every little thing he has achieved.“We simply wished to be once more within the remaining,” Modric mentioned, “however sadly we’re not.”The second most well-known 37-year-old on the World Cup goes residence, a couple of days after the opposite one.Modric is identical age as former Actual Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, however as each males strategy the twilight of their trophy-laden careers, the distinction is stark. That was notably evident main as much as and throughout the World Cup.Whereas Ronaldo hogged the limelight along with his explosive eve-of-the-tournament interview with Piers Morgan, Modric expressed himself on the sector.After main Croatia to the ultimate in Russia, he was once more the inspiration as a nation with a inhabitants of about 4 million made it to semifinals for the second straight World Cup.In the meantime, Ronaldo, amid the distraction of his exit from Manchester United and doable switch to a membership in Saudi Arabia, ended up benched and in tears as Portugal’s hopes had been ended by Morocco within the quarterfinals.In Croatia’s quarterfinal match, Modric performed his half in eliminating Brazil — and Neymar. However he couldn’t do something to cease Lionel Messi on his private mission to lastly win soccer’s greatest trophy. Messi scored the opening aim from the penalty spot on Tuesday, after which produced a bit of magic to arrange the second of Julian Alvarez’s two objectives.However Messi wasn’t the one iconic determine on show at Lusail Stadium.Absolutely regarded by many as Croatia’s best, Modric additionally ranks alongside one of the best midfielders to ever play the sport. A five-time Champions League winner with Actual Madrid, he additionally received soccer’s final particular person prize, the Ballon d’Or, in 2018.And his performances in Qatar present he nonetheless has extra to provide. He could but play once more for his nationwide workforce on the 2024 European Championship with one remaining bow for his nation. And who would rule out extra trophies with Actual Madrid?“Properly, maybe that is the tip for the technology on the World Cup. A few them are at an age the place it is going to be onerous to play on the World Cup in 2026. We are going to wait and see,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić mentioned. “I believe a variety of gamers will end off at Euro 2024.”Wherever Modric’s story goes from right here, his standing as a World Cup nice is safe.___James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson___AP World Cup protection: https://Fifanews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports