Luka Modric will celebrate his 41st birthday on Wednesday, but he has no immediate plans to end his international career.
The Croatian Football Federation has confirmed, external that its captain wants to remain with the national side for the forthcoming Nations League fixtures, including the match against England.
His choice comes as Slaven Bilic returns to the managerial role. The former West Ham coach previously supported Modric during the early stages of his international career while leading Croatia from 2006 to 2012.
Modric made his senior international debut in March 2006, shortly before Bilic first took charge of Croatia, and he has now represented his country 202 times.
Many expected him to retire from international duty following this summer’s World Cup, where Zlatko Dalic’s team were eliminated by Portugal in the round of 32.
Bilic said he was delighted by Modric’s decision. The coach was in charge of Croatia when they prevented Steve McLaren’s England team from qualifying for Euro 2008.
He added that everyone understands the value Modric provides to Croatia, both during matches and away from the field.
Bilic also said he was eager to work with the midfielder again after 14 years, explaining that they share the ambition of keeping Croatia successful and competitive with the world’s leading teams.
Modric, now an AC Milan player, received the Golden Ball at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after inspiring Croatia to the final, where they were defeated by France.
Four years later, he was also a member of the Croatian squad that secured third place in Qatar.
Having contributed to England’s memorable failure at Wembley during the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Modric went on to help Croatia advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
Croatia’s next international matches will take place in the Nations League, with an away game against the Czech Republic on 26 September followed by a meeting with Spain on 29 September.
They will then welcome England on 3 October before travelling to Wembley for the return match on 12 November.
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