Nothing could separate Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. They had just won their third consecutive Champions League at Real Madrid. Modric then led Croatia to the finals of the World Cup. Meanwhile, Ronaldo finished the season with 44 club goals.
Football’s highest individual honor – the Ballon d’Or – was contested by two men. Modric won, with Ronaldo later admitting he deserved it more.
Even after eight years there is nothing left to bring them together. They will head into the Round of 32 between Croatia and Portugal. Together, they are the oldest outfielders left in the tournament, increasing their combined age to 81. For one of them, potentially, it will also be a final appearance on football’s grandest stage. That’s where the symmetry ends.
Because while one is bending time to his will, the other has become its victim.
Rough start
Croatia opened the tournament with a 4-2 win over England, but followed that up with consecutive victories over Panama and Ghana, with Modric at the center. In the first of those games, the 40-year-old’s 69 accurate passes were bettered by no player. It was not a separate metric. He attempted the most line breaks among his teammates and essentially opened up Thomas Christiansen’s five-man defense.
The performance was fitting, as it came in his 200th appearance for Croatia. Defying age, the midfielder was flying after the match – almost literally, as he was thrown into the air by jubilant team-mates, whose shirts read: ‘Infinite legacy.’
Over the years, Ronaldo’s own legacy with Portugal has seemed limitless. Now, the expiration date is long. In Croatia’s camp, Marin Pograncic gave an informal speech about how privileged and lucky the team is to have Modric as captain. Across the corridor, Portugal’s Joao Felix was answering questions about why Ronaldo would wear the armband instead.
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After Modric became the oldest player ever to get an assist in a men’s World Cup match, his coach Zlatko Dalic would praise: “Luka was really fantastic. He knows it’s his last World Cup and he’s doing his best.” Ronaldo might not, but his coach, Roberto Martinez, is certainly trying to convince him otherwise.
Ronaldo has played every second of Portugal’s campaign and has yet to create a single chance. With 19.4 passes per 90 minutes, Ronaldo ranks below Diogo Costa, whose sole purpose is to prevent goals. (AP Photo)
Numbers game
The data, however, paints a very different picture. No Croatian has averaged more passes per 90 minutes than Modric. No one created more chances. If you want to find Ronaldo’s relevant figures in Portugal’s metric, save a few seconds by starting from the bottom.
He has played every second of Portugal’s campaign and has yet to create a single chance. With 19.4 passes per 90 minutes, Ronaldo ranks below Diogo Costa, whose sole purpose is to prevent goals. Ronaldo has completed just 65 passes in 300 minutes – just four fewer than Modric managed in the Panama match alone.
Differences in status may explain some of the contradictions, but they cannot explain everything. Modric also excels in physicality – an aspect Ronaldo has always prided himself on. His average speed (6.2 km/h) and distance at top speed (3.25 km) are both higher than Ronaldo’s (5 km/h and 2.19 km respectively).
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An even bigger indicator is the difference in performance in this 2022 World Cup. Despite being four years older, Modric is covering 770 meters more than he did in Qatar, while moving at an average speed of 0.7 km/h. Ronaldo went the other way. He is covering 1.5 kilometers less per game than four years ago — a dramatic drop at the elite level — while his average speed has dropped by almost a kilometer per hour.
Croatia’s Luka Modric (10) celebrates during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana, Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Apart from two goals against newcomers Uzbekistan, Ronaldo has little to show for this World Cup. Modric, even when not on the scoresheet, is undeniably the most influential figure in his team. Each metric shares a common conclusion — Modric is one of the most involved players on his team. Ronaldo is the lowest. The effects cannot be greater than they already are. And yet, football cared little for statistical consensus.
Modric knows this better than anyone.
For six seasons, his first instinct after receiving the ball was almost subconscious: when in doubt, find Cristiano Ronaldo. For six seasons, all he’s known is that it’s true: Ronaldo will save you.
Ronaldo needs to save himself first in Toronto. From the inevitability of age, the inevitability of time. His contemporary Lionel Messi is opposed to this. The next era of football behind him – Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior. Ronaldo, once the benchmark against which every superstar was measured, no longer fits naturally among them.
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If Portugal are to stay alive, their captain will have to step up. Even at the cost of his friend.