A Nation of 3.8 Million. A Legend of 200 Caps.
Croatia needed a win. Luka Modric made sure they got one. On the occasion of his 200th international cap, the 40-year-old captain inspired Croatia to a vital 1-0 victory over Panama at BMO Field in Toronto, securing their first points of the 2026 World Cup and keeping their knockout hopes very much alive.
Substitute Ante Budimir delivered the decisive moment in the 54th minute. A precise cross from Josip Stanisic found Budimir at the back post, and he finished cleanly to break the deadlock. Panama had threatened throughout the first half, pushing Croatia back and testing goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic with a series of dangerous chances. None of them went in. Livakovic was immense when it mattered.
Modric started, wore the number 14 shirt, and ran the game from the centre of the pitch for 81 minutes. His numbers told their own story. 78 passes completed at a 88 percent accuracy rate. One big chance created. One key pass. Four duels won. The man defined by elegance and intelligence delivered exactly that, on the biggest stage, at the age of 40.
Panama exit the group stage without a point. Their World Cup ends in Toronto.
The Company He Now Keeps
The milestone Modric reached against Panama places him in the most exclusive company in football history. Only four male players have ever appeared in 200 or more international matches. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the list with 230 caps. Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa follows on 202. Lionel Messi sits on 201. Modric is now fourth, the first Croatian to enter that elite club.
The names alone illustrate the scale of what he has achieved. Ronaldo and Messi have defined the greatest era in football history. Al-Mutawa has served Kuwaiti football across three decades. Modric slots in alongside them as a 2018 World Cup finalist, a Ballon d’Or winner, and a five-time Champions League champion.
His senior debut came on June 1, 2006. Nearly two decades later, representing a nation of just 3.8 million people, he lines up at his fifth World Cup still pulling the strings in midfield. No other player has achieved what he has done for such a small footballing nation on such a consistent global platform.
Croatia now sit third in Group L with three points. Their final group game determines whether they advance. Modric will be there. He always is.
For full Group L standings and World Cup coverage, visit KCPredict. Full match stats and Modric’s 200-cap breakdown are available at Sofascore.