IT IS Argentina vs Croatia – it is Lionel Messi vs Luka Modric.
A place in the World Cup final is up for grabs when the two nations face off this evening.
And for both sets of fans, their hopes of glory largely rest on their iconic talisman, their influential captain and their idolised figurehead.
But for the two veterans and global stars, they know this is likely their last shot at World Cup glory with their respective nations.
So, how do Messi and Modric compare?
Modric is the slightly older of the two – 37 to 35 – and an inch taller than the 5ft 7ins superstar.
But despite being slightly younger, Messi has played more matches in his professional career with 1,001 (831 club matches and 170 international caps) whereas Modric is on 945 (785 + 160).
Of those, 26 have been against each other – 22 of them El Clasicos but also in the Champions League last year and at the World Cup in Russia.
Modric has 12 wins, Messi has nine with five draws.
Unsurprisingly, the Argentine forward is way ahead on career goals scored compared to the Croatian midfielder.
Messi’s penalty against Holland in the quarter-final was his 95th international goal and 790th overall – while Modric is way back on 120.
The left-footed wizard boasts 11 league titles (ten for Barcelona, one for Paris Saint-Germain) while Modric’s six are evenly split across Dinamo Zagreb and Real Madrid.
Messi also has more domestic cups (7-3) but former El Clasico rival Modric boasts more Champions League winners medals with five to Messi’s four.
And with both men desperate to lead their side to World Cup glory in Qatar, it would be Modric’s first-ever international trophy with Croatia whereas Messi won the Copa America at long last in 2021.
Croatia’s run to the 2018 World Cup final and Champions League glory in the same year saw Modric crowned Ballon d’Or winner.
That ended the ten-year duopoly between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but normal service resumed in 2019 and 2021 with the ex-Barca superstar collecting his sixth and seventh crowns, extending his record haul.
And that status as one of the greatest footballers of all time is reflected in his wages and social media popularity.
Modric earns around £315,000 per week at the Bernabeu but Messi’s reported wages are more than double, if not treble, that figure at PSG.
And the Argentina legend has more than 14 times the number of Instagram followers with a whopping 388m compared to Modric’s 26.5m.
But all the stats, numbers and history can be put to one side at 7pm this evening when the two legends of football step out at the Lusail Stadium in front of 88,000 supporters knowing they will lead their adoring nations into the World Cup final with a win.
For Messi, it is the one trophy missing from his eye-watering collection.
He has already said this will be his last World Cup and after losing the 2014 final to Germany, this could be his perfect farewell.
For Modric, he too has tasted defeat in the biggest match in the game as France were crowned champions four years ago.
In his forties by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America, even for the ageless midfield maestro this will be his last chance to promote himself as one of the best midfielders to grace the grass.
Argentina won the Copa America at long last in 2021
Modric was on the losing side in the 2018 World Cup final
