World Cup stats

All you need to know about the Messi vs Modric rivalry, from their careers in club football to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

The first time these two magicians of football met on the international stage, it was 2006 in a friendly. Croatia ran out 3-0 winners in that group game, with Modric on the scoresheet, in a result that would see them make it all the way to the final before being beaten by France. Both Argentina and Croatia have locked horns previously, three times in a friendly and twice at the World Cup. The two greats will see their countries face each other for just the third time in World Cup history on Tuesday (13 December). It is possible that this is the last time either of these players will feature at a World Cup for their country, but who will get a second chance saloon and who will be forced to bow out at the final hurdle? [Lionel Messi](https://olympics.com/en/athletes/lionel-messi) and Luka Modric are two of the greatest players to ever grace [football’s](https://olympics.com/en/sports/football/) world stage, and now they’re on the brink of captaining their nation to a [FIFA World Cup 2022](https://olympics.com/en/sport-events/2022-fifa-football-world-cup-qatar/) final.