Modric makes late push 8 May 2006 by FIFAworldcup.com "We can live with the big boys" ran the headline in one Croatian newspaper after Zlatko Kranjcar's team secured a morale-boosting 3-2 friendly win over Argentina on 1 March. Beating the much-fancied South Americans undoubtedly raised confidence levels throughout the Croatian camp ahead of first-round tests against Brazil, Japan and Australia at the FIFA World Cup, but that newspaper headline appeared particularly applicable to young midfielder Luka Modric who, on his interna- tional debut, showed on that Geneva night that he could indeed "live with the big boys". The Dinamo Zagreb starlet was making his first senior appearance in the ab- sence of the injured Robert Kovac and rewarded coach Kranjcar's faith in him with a fine display in the centre of midfield alongside Niko Kranjcar and Niko Kovac. Indeed Modric's performance prompted Kranjcar to muse that his team had not only won a game that night, but also "won a player". 'Excelled at every level' Speaking to FIFAworldcup.com, the Croatia coach sang the praises of Modric when he said: "Luka has come through our U-17, U-19 und U-21 squads and ex- celled at every level. He has caught the eye with his talent and I called him into the squad against Argentina because Robert Kovac was injured – that is why I played him. "It was very difficult for him. He was mentally drained because it was his first match, but he grew into the game very well, gave a good account of himself and combined well with Niko Kranjcar and Niko Kovac in the midfield. I am very happy with him. It was very important to see that I can count on him. As well as winning the game, we also won a player." The new boy can now harbour realistic hopes of a place in Croatia's FIFA World Cup squad and a trip to Germany would cap a memorable 12 months for Modric, following a successful first full season at newly crowned national champions Dinamo Zagreb. Eye for goal The 20-year-old, who started his career at Zrinjski in neighbouring Bosnia- Herzegovina, joined Dinamo from his previous club, Inter Zapresic, midway through the 2004/05 season, but featured only four times for his new employers before the summer break. Since August, however, Modric has been a mainstay in a Dinamo team, who secured the Croatian league title by beating Osijek on 6 May. He has impressed not just with the quality of his midfield play but also with a scoring rate of a goal every four games. Among his seven strikes there have been some significant goals too. He gave Dinamo the perfect start to the second half of the season by netting the winner at reigning champions Hajduk Split on 12 February. He was also on target in the 2-2 draw away to their closest rivals Rijeka on 29 April as Dinamo closed in on the title. After a successful season with his club, things could get even better for Modric in the weeks ahead. Given the way he took his elevation to the senior Croatia side in his stride, it seems a bright future beckons at international level and Croatia coach Kranjcar is confident he has what it takes to con- tinue his rise. "He is very talented, with a strong presence and organisational qualities," said the coach. Music to the ears of Croatia fans – and no doubt to Modric too. -- █ ███ ███ █ █ ███ ███ █ █ █ ███ ███ ▇ █▂▂ █▂▂ █ █ █▂▂ █▂█ █ █ █ █▂▂ █▂▂ █▂█ █▂▂ ▂▂█ ███ ▂▂█ █ ▌ ███ █▂▂ █▂▂ ▂▂█ ～ M i h a j l o v i c ～ --

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