Luka Modric Addresses Retirement Rumors as Croatia Faces Euro 2024 Exit

Luka Modric has made it clear that he has no immediate plans to retire, even as Croatia teeters on the edge of elimination from Euro 2024.

The 38-year-old midfield maestro made history by becoming the oldest goalscorer in the European Championship, netting a goal against Italy just 33 seconds after missing a penalty. Despite Modric's efforts, Italy managed to secure a 1-1 draw with a late injury-time equalizer, dashing Croatia's hopes of advancing past the group stage.

With only two points from three matches, Croatia's chances of moving forward as one of the four best third-placed teams are slim. Earlier this month, Modric extended his contract with Real Madrid for another year but remains uncertain about the length of his future playing career.

"I’d like to keep playing forever, but there probably will come a time when I have to hang up my boots," Modric commented following the draw with Italy. "I’ll keep playing on, but I don’t know for how much longer."

When asked if this match could mark his final appearance for Croatia, Modric replied, "We’ll see, it’s not the time for those stories now."

In another interview, Modric described the draw against Italy as "cruel" and criticized the decision to add eight minutes of injury time. "Football can be cruel, as it was shown to us today. We didn’t deserve that late goal. I don't know where the referee found eight minutes of injury time. We fought like lions, but football was unkind to us today."

Regarding his record as the oldest goalscorer in the European Championship, Modric stated, "The title means nothing to me when it didn’t help the team. We conceded two goals in the final moments. It’s hard to describe, and it will take time to come to terms with this."