and are set to square off at Toronto Stadium tomorrow with a spot in the last 16 at the on the line. The high-stakes showdown will be contested by a pair of European heavyweights led by veteran virtuosos whose mind-boggling physique is standing the test of time and then some: Cristiano Ronaldo and .
The Balkan nation’s evergreen talisman is poised to rack up his 202nd cap fresh from becoming the oldest player in FIFA World Cup™ history to provide an assist, having teed up a team-mate last Saturday at the age of 40 years and 291 days. With 83 minutes on the clock in the Vatreni’s group-stage curtain-closer against Ghana and the sides level at 1-1, Croatia’s captain fantastic delivered a devilish outswinging corner that was expertly nodded home by Nikola Vlašić to secure the spoils and progress to the knockout stage. Modrić remains very much at the peak of his powers and is primed to deliver at the game’s top table.
Weighing in at a little under 10.5st (66kg), the pint-sized playmaker’s standout attributes include his breath taking balance, awe-inspiring agility, colossal coordination and supreme stamina. Meanwhile, his low centre of gravity enables him to shield the ball from muscle-flexing opponents, turn on a sixpence and perform directional changes at breakneck speed.
His light frame reduces the strain placed on his muscles and joints as he darts about the pitch purposefully. What’s more, he possesses impressive strength, which comes to the fore when he receives the ball facing his own goal, rides challenges and retains possession in the tightest of spaces. In short, the midfield maestro has succeeded in turning his seemingly frail physique into a powerful tool, with his every move dictated by his ability to always be a step ahead of the game.
In an interview conducted last year with the now defunct Spanish digital sports newspaper Relevo, Vlatko Vučetić, an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb who has served as Modrić’s personal trainer since 2012, shared the three goals that the pair set for the lightweight linchpin: to maintain his fitness levels, prevent injuries and extend his career. He told of how Modrić harboured ambitions of playing the game he loves until he hit 36. Now, at the age of 40, he continues to strut his stuff in one of Europe’s major leagues and captain his country.
Vučetić revealed that the engine-room orchestrator, whose exploits provide a reminder of the old adage that age is merely a number, completes a 45-minute workout before being put through his paces in training. He carries out this routine religiously on 350 days of the year. The pre-session programme involves exercises using resistance bands and work to build arm and shoulder strength, as well as core and leg work.
The fitness academic underscored the importance of following such a regime beyond the age of 30, when the loss of muscle mass requires an increased workload. Speaking when Modrić was 39, Vučetić noted that his client boasted a metabolic age below 30, which owes much to the seasoned campaigner’s unwavering commitment to a fitness regime that encompasses injury prevention, rest and variable training loads.
However, Modrić’s on-field longevity is only partly down to his physique, with his trusted fitness coach highlighting the role played by his impressive cognitive attributes and motor intelligence, i.e. his ability to make decisions in a flash and read the game. Modrić avoids wasting valuable energy thanks to the fact that he very rarely arrives late on the scene. Before he has even received the ball, he has scanned his surroundings, adjusted his body position and devised a plan of action. The silky schemer only breaks a sweat when he really needs to.
His enviable game understanding reduces unnecessary involvement in play and the temptation to cover ground for the sake of it. The Balkan baller’s know-how has more than made up for his inevitable loss of pace over the years. Although lung-bursting runs and devastating darts are no longer such a feature of the talented trouper’s game, he has not lost any of his ability to dictate the tempo, provide team-mates with passing options and drive his side up the pitch. When fatigue sets in, his tantalising technique remains as polished as ever, which enables him to make an indelible mark on matches right up until the final whistle.
Modrić has clocked up over 1,150 competitive appearances at club and international levels during a glittering career that has spanned over two decades. After embarking on his journey in his homeland with Zrinjski Mostar, Inter Zaprešić and then Dinamo Zagreb, for whom he lined up 128 times, the diminutive dynamo secured a move to Tottenham, where he featured on 160 occasions. After shining for the North Londoners, he checked in at Real Madrid, where he added 597 matches to his tally across a stellar 13-season stint.
He captured a jaw-dropping 28 trophies with Los Blancos, including six UEFA Champions League crowns. After swapping the Spanish capital for Milan last June, he chalked up 37 appearances in his maiden season with I Rossoneri. After earning a maiden cap for his country in March 2006, he has gone on to run out for the national team no fewer than 201 times. He is currently gracing a fifth edition of FIFA’s flagship men’s event after having cut his teeth on the stage 20 years ago on German soil. Despite the passing of time, the evergreen extraordinaire remains every inch the talismanic figure he was in his younger days.
According to injury history data published by specialist websites, Modrić has barely suffered any serious muscle injuries throughout his showstopping career and has been a regular fixture in the middle of the park, which is so often the exception rather than the rule for midfield performers. He has been sidelined through injury for a grand total of 250 days, a figure that pales into insignificance when we consider that he has been in the professional ranks of the game for some 7,000 days.
The veteran has missed some 60 matches due to time spent on the treatment table. What’s more, a single injury accounts for a decent number of the days he was forced to sit out: a thigh issue suffered in 2014. Indeed, the majority of his absences owed to isolated niggles that arose during the first half of his career. In more recent years, he has barely had to contend with any fitness worries, beyond the odd knock here and there, such as the broken cheekbone that he sustained in April.
Modrić returned to action before the end of the Serie A season, sporting a protective mask, and was fighting fit by the time the North American showpiece rolled around. The next test for the Croatian skipper’s slight but battle-hardened body is a bout with European powerhouses Portugal. The Vatreni’s chances of checkmating the Iberians will depend heavily on whether they manage to gain the upper hand in the middle third, withstand the opposition’s pressure and up the tempo at the right time. Their number 10, whose longevity is all down to his genetics, discipline, injury prevention work, intelligence and adaptability, is sure to be at his string-pulling best in his country’s quest to grace the last 16. At the ripe old age of 40, he still commands a starting berth for club and country and continues to produce performances for the ages on the game’s grandest stage.
Sources: FIFA Official
