Falling short will sting but, if this is the end for the Croatia midfielder, the past three weeks have only served only to enhance his legacyIt began in Basel, an era ago, with a Lionel Messi goal. Only Luka Modric will know whether it wound down, in this monstrous and dystopian supplement to Doha, with exactly the same thing. At the end there was a hug from an old clubmate, Ángel Di María; then a more meaningful conference, arm around the younger man’s shoulder, with his dear friend Mateo Kovacic. Neither of them had been able to do quite enough this time and that is an achingly rare lament.Modric and Croatia have long exceeded whatever should naturally be expected and,...
It was like looking through a window of the past at a squad full of familiar faces. They were still too strong for ChelseaThe world, we are told, is in a state of chaotic and unprecedented flux.Technology is changing our lives at a frightening rate. All across the globe, societies are fracturing and falling apart. The destruction of the planet is accelerating before our eyes. Every passing week seems to bring new ruptures, new shocks, new disfigurements. Continue reading...
Fifa got the Luka Modric decision right at the Best awards but naming Marta as the women’s best sends the wrong signalsFifa’s annual Best awards were held in London on Monday and it is fair to say they have created much debate. I can see why and no more so, in my opinion, than in regards to the women’s prize. Marta is one of my favourite players, and one of the best players I’ve had the privilege of coming up against, so I say this with the greatest respect: there are other players who were in a much stronger position to be named the best female player of 2018. Related: Luka Modric and Marta win Fifa player of the year...
Luka Modric’s departure from England felt insufficiently mourned, yet his performance against Atlético marked him out again as the world’s best midfielderThen there were two. On Tuesday night inside the giant shiny-plated Armadillo that is the Juventus Stadium, as the lights dazzled and thrillingly loud American brat-rock split a hole in the sky, 10,000 Italians held up 10,000 plastic cards to spell the word “Cardiff” in vast shimmery letters. This is, in all likelihood, the first time this has ever happened, and probably the last too.A day later in Madrid as thunderstorms cleared the streets after midnight people in the city centre bars could be heard yelling and chanting and, in one side street off the Calle de Toledo, singing with...