Croatia's Luka Modric joins Ronaldo and Messi in historic club

Starring in his fifth career World Cup, Croatia midfielder Luka Modric became just the fourth men's player in history with 200 appearances for his national team.

Modric joins Cristiano Ronaldo, Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa and Lionel Messi as the only men to hit the milestone. Ronaldo is the all-time men's leader with 230 after his appearance on Tuesday, June 23, while Messi made his 200th appearance in Argentina's first World Cup match.

The 40-year-old Modric made his national team debut in 2006 and played in that summer's World Cup in Germany, helping the team qualify for every tournament since. The Croats finished runner-up to France in 2018 and then took third place in 2022.

One of the greatest midfielders of his generation, Modric began his career with Dinamo Zagreb and joined Tottenham in 2008. After four seasons in England, Modric made a big-money move to Real Madrid and ended up spending 13 years with the Spanish giants, winning the UEFA Champions League six times.

"He is my right hand on the pitch," said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic, who has led the national team since 2017.