How Modric and Croatia continue to defy the odds
The child displaced by war who won six Champions League titles and a Ballon d'Or - how Luka Modric and England's opponents Croatia continue to defy the odds.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"I was freaking out. Of course, I didn't know he was going to become the Luka Modric down the road."
— Romeo Jozak , Athlete
"He did say 'do you know you and the army [Modric spent a year doing national service] are the only ones that cut my hair'."
— Romeo Jozak , Athlete
"[But] some had relatives killed in the war and those things stay inside of you."
— Romeo Jozak , Athlete
Key People
Locations
All Coverage
The child displaced by war who won six Champions League titles and a Ballon d'Or - how Luka Modric and England's opponents Croatia continue to defy the odds.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
Duran's incredible double edges Celtic closer to Champions League
Camilo Duran scores two excellent goals for Celtic in the first leg of their Champions League play-off against Austria's LASK, finding the top corner with a volley and curling an effort past Lukas Jungwirth in the visitors' goal.
August 19, 2026 at 09:00 PMIreland's World Cup hopes alive after win over NZ
Ireland's women looked no further than the success of the country’s athletes and swimmers over the past 10 days to inspire them to a first Hockey World Cup pool win in eight years.
August 18, 2026 at 12:31 PMDuran stars as Celtic ease to comfortable win over LASK
Celtic take a huge step towards the Champions League as two stunning Camilo Duran strikes help carve out a commanding first-leg play-off lead against LASK.
August 19, 2026 at 09:28 PMBodo/Glimt in strong position following first-leg win at NEC
Last season's Champions League fairytale side Bodo/Glimt look set to qualify for this year's edition of the competition after winning 3-1 away at NEC Nijmegen of the Netherlands.
August 19, 2026 at 09:29 PMHow 'hugely impressive' Villa teen Madjo took fight to PSG
Match of the Day's Nedum Onuoha and Stephen Warnock analyse 17-year-old Brian Madjo's "hugely impressive" goalscoring performance for Aston Villa in their 2-1 defeat by PSG in the UEFA Super Cup.
August 12, 2026 at 10:35 PMEngland beat Wales to finish top of World Cup pool
England underline their credentials as potential Hockey World Cup winners by sealing top spot in Pool D with an 8-2 win over Wales.
August 19, 2026 at 12:41 PM