In the green field, Croatia, a small country with a population of less than 4 million, beat Morocco in the third-place match of the World Cup with a thrilling score of 2-1, writing the third glory in its soccer history. 37-year-old midfielder Modi Ricci, who stepped on this stage for the fourth time in this crucial final week, not only gained the honor of 1 silver and 1 bronze, but also won the World Cup Golden Ball Award for his outstanding performance. More importantly, he led the Croatian team to become a "superpower" in the soccer world, and closed the World Cup with a perfect gesture. After the match, Modić announced that he will continue to play for the national team, aiming for the UEFA Europa League trophy in the coming summer!
Croatia have finished third on their debut since their independent participation in World Cup 98. This is their sixth appearance in the final week of the tournament, and Modi has been involved in four of them. 2006 and 2014 saw them stop at the group stage, but last time around, Modi led his team to a historic run to the final, and although they failed to win the tournament, he was honored as the best player of the World Cup. In this year's World Cup, Modi started all 7 matches and added another bronze medal to the national team. To summarize the four World Cups, Modi played a total of 19 matches (17 starts), captained the team 14 times, and contributed 2 goals and 1 assist.
At the end of the third-place game, Modi Ricci, who bid a tearful farewell to the semi-finals, was all smiles after the game, dancing with his daughter in the middle of the field and presenting her with the bronze medal as a gift. He said: "We are eager to win the title, despite the regrettable result, but we should be proud of the bronze medal. Croatia is not a once-in-20-years miracle, but a regular in international competitions, and we should be considered a soccer superpower."
Modi Cali, 37, had been rumored to retire after the World Cup, but has announced that he will at least play in the summer's UEFA Nations League final week: "Retirement? I will definitely play in the UEFA Europa League, Croatia is in the last four and after the UEFA Europa League I will think about the future of the national team." Croatian leader Daljevic also said that he expects Modjevic to continue to fight for Croatia.In June's UEFA quarterfinals, Croatia will compete with Spain, Italy and the Netherlands for the title, and is expected to win the first major international tournament pennant in Croatia's history.
