Luka Modric needs a Ballon d’Or-worthy game to defeat England

After playing two straight 120-minute games, Luka Modric and his tired legs need one more strong game to overcome England in the World Cup semifinals.

Line up behind the long line of tourists and slowly make your way into Moscow’s ornate St. Basil’s Cathedral, one of the most recognizable structures in Russia, and you’re immediately confronted by intricate patterns and centuries-old religious icons.

In many ways, this massive church could be a metaphor for Croatia as they prep for Wednesday’s semifinal clash against England. Croatia, too, will need to utilize intricate patterns (the passing kind) and need icons (secular ones) if they want to defeat England at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, located roughly five miles south of Red Square.

“Getting so far has given us strength and energy,” Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic told reporters on Sunday. “It would have been a shame to spend a month in Russia and never have come to Moscow. Now that we are here, we’d like to stay for the rest of the week.”

The Croatians aren’t in the Russian capital to see the sights. They’re here to make history. This World Cup has produced a series of unexpected stars after the players everyone expected to shine (see: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar) fizzled out earlier in this tournament. Croatian playmaker Luka Modric is one of those stars. The Real Madrid midfielder’s two goals and one assist so far tell only a very small part of the story.

In a tournament where individuals have mattered little, Modric is an anomaly. His passing, pace and stamina reveal truly how important he has been for Croatia over the course of the past three weeks. For example, Modric’s pass-success rate has been 86 percent, while he’s been dispossessed of the ball an average of just 1.6 times per game, according to WhoScored.com.

Even those stats aren’t enough to describe Modric. You can’t keep stats when it comes to intensity and passion. Overcoming adversity appears to motivate Modric and his teammates most at this tournament. In reaching the semifinals, they’ve made history by equaling the dazzling Croatia run from the 1998 World Cup, when the team ultimately took third place.

“It makes us extremely happy and proud to have reached the semifinals of a World Cup after 20 years,” said Modric. “We took a difficult route and we were particularly unlucky at previous tournaments, like the Euros, but we have done well here. Hopefully, we can go a step further than in 1998. We have a great team, great staff and great coach.”

What Modric and his teammates also have are lots of injuries and plenty of fatigue after playing back-to-back 120-minute games (plus penalty shootouts). The heavy physical and mental toll from the matches against Denmark and Russia could very well favor England when the teams meet on Wednesday.

Modric is one of those players who makes those around him better, marshaling the midfield alongside Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic for one of the best two-man midfield combos in the game. The 32-year-old ran himself ragged for the entire 120 minutes against Russia on Saturday in Sochi during the quarterfinals. He even sprinted for balls in that extra time session, still enough in the tank to try and create just one more opportunity to win the game. He’ll need to put in a repeat performance against England, who are rested and confident after easily overcoming Sweden to get to the last four.

“We expect a very difficult, tight and demanding match against England. Every match at this World Cup has been that way,” Modric said. “We have to enjoy this moment and then we have to prepare for England. We watched their win over Sweden and we saw how good they are from dead‑balls. We’ll have to focus more on defending from set pieces … We’ll have to improve that element of our game.”

As for Modric, he’s put in a showing at this World Cup worthy of the Ballon d’Or. He’s played better than Messi, Neymar and even his Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo, who crashed out of the tournament after Portugal fell to Uruguay in the round of 16.

Next: England show they can use their heads in Sweden victory

Modric said he isn’t worried about personal accolades. Instead, he’s now laser-focused on recovering over the next four days and getting to the World Cup final.

“No, I’m not thinking about it,” Modric said, as a smile came across his face. “The most important thing, for me, is that my national team succeed.”

It’s true the race for this year’s Ballon d’Or, as the Spanish sports daily Marca recently noted, is wide open. It’s also true that Modric, who won the Champions League this past May, has for years been an unsung hero at Real Madrid. He’s now finally getting the attention he deserves on the world’s biggest stage.

It remains to be seen if the fatigue proves to be a factor for Modric and his teammates or whether Croatia can overcome one more obstacle en route to the final. The Three Lions, who have the tournament’s second-youngest roster with an average age of 26, stand in the way of Modric getting one step closer to etching his name as one of the game’s greatest global icons.