Xinhua News Agency, Doha, December 14 (Reporters Xiao Yazhuo, Dong Yixing) Lucerne Stadium, 35-year-old Messi moves to 37-year-old Modric , hugs and greets this great opponent.
On December 13, Croatian player Modric (right) was in the game with Argentina player Messi. Photo by Li Ga, Xinhua News Agency reporter
html In the World Cup semi-finals ended on the evening of 13, Messi led his Argentina team to beat Modric's Croatia 3-0, and continued to move towards the highest honor of the football world; and the older "Magic Flute" was replaced in advance in the game. Although it received standing ovation from opponent fans, it was difficult to comfort the regrets and unwillingness of the veteran's ambitions.Messi and Modric's 27th head-on match ended with Messi's victory, but their story starts 16 years ago.
On March 1, 2006, a seemingly insignificant international football friendly match was held in Basel, Switzerland. The attendance rate of , St. Jacob's Park Stadium, , is less than half. You can also see snow that cannot be cleaned in time after heavy snow.
On April 12, 2011, Modric attended the pre-match press conference. The two sides of the
match are the Croatian national team and the Argentina national team. The late then- Croatia coach Kranichar ranked a 20-year-old young midfielder into the starting lineup. The young man was Modric, who played for Dynamo Zagreb in the Croatian domestic league. This game was his first appearance in the adult national team.
. On the other side, there is a super star who is attracting attention from the world football team. 18-year-old Messi has gained a foothold in the starting lineup of the giant Barcelona in La Liga in most of the season, and has also become a regular visitor to the Argentina national team in the past six months.
Two future Golden Ball gentlemen met unexpectedly.
On June 3, 2006, Argentina national team player Messi (right) is in training. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Qi Heng
In that game, Modric and his Croatia team won 3:2, but Messi's personal performance was even more eye-catching. In the sixth minute, he intercepted the ball in the frontcourt, led all the way to the edge of the penalty area and scored his first goal with his signature left-footed shot. Two minutes ago, he also assisted his teammate Tevez to score a goal that equalized the score.
One goal and one assist, Messi lost the game, but won more attention, and people are looking forward to what height this seemingly thin player can reach. As for Modric, apart from the Croatian media, not many people have paid attention to him. It was not until he entered the Premier League two years later that he became known to Tottenham Hotspur . Becoming a legendary midfielder will be a matter of joining Real Madrid later.
It was after Modric switched to Real Madrid that the two began to fight more. When everyone focuses on the twin stars of Messi and g Ronaldo (C Ronaldo ), in the game, because of position, Modric is the one who directly matches Messi in more time.
On December 18, 2019, Barcelona team player Messi (left) competed with Real Madrid team player Modric. Xinhua News Agency /Reuters
Along with the strength of the two clubs, Real Madrid and Barca , the two handsome young men of that year have gradually grown into football legends. Needless to say, Messi's extraordinary skills and countless honors have made him stand at the top pick of the "King of Football" candidate, waiting for the World Cup to complete the final crown; and the more low-key and simple Modric has also used ten years of diligence and hard work to connect his name with top midfielders such as Zidane , Xavi , etc., breaking the monopoly of "Merrell Ronaldo and winning the Golden Ball Award is the best proof.
At the club level, Messi and Modric have had more than 20 head-on conversations. The most recent one was in the 8th final of last season's Champions League . Messi and his club's new owner Paris Saint-Germain met Real Madrid on a narrow road.In that duel, Messi also left a classic scene where he dribbled the ball forward and Modric chased and returned to defense. In the last World Cup group stage, Croatia also met Argentina. At that time, " grid team " won 3:0.
may be the will of heaven in the dark. After 16 years of the first fight, the two met again, and this stage became the highly anticipated World Cup semi-finals.
On December 2, 2019, the 2019 "Golden Globe Award" was announced in Paris, France. Messi (right) took over the trophy from the last "Golden Globe Award" winner Modric. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Aurelian Morisal)
Messi and Modric put on the captain's armband, their faces faded from their childishness, leaving only the edges and corners polished by time; their teammates around them have already changed wave after wave, and even in that game that year, there was an Argentine right-back named Scaloni who sat on the bench for the whole game, and now they have become the head coach of this Argentine national team.
Every previous contest seems to have become the prelude to the semi-finals of the World Cup on December 13, 2022.
Like 16 years ago, Messi once again contributed one goal and one assist, but unlike 16 years ago, this time Argentina won. In the showdown with Modric, Messi won perhaps the most important one.
On December 13, Argentine player Messi (top left) and Croatian player Modric (top right) greeted each other after the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu
The final whistle sounded, and the two hugged each other and greeted each other. Afterwards, Messi joined the carnival of Argentina teammates, singing and dancing with the Argentine fans on the scene; on the other hand, Modric comforted every teammate, led everyone to the sidelines, waved to the Croatian fans on the scene, and then covered his face and disappeared into the player channel. But for Croatia, which has a population of only about 4 million, reaching the semi-finals for two consecutive World Cups is already a great achievement that has been recorded in history. Modric and his players can leave the Lucerne Stadium with their heads raised.
Just before the start of this game, when the Croatian team stepped on the field, the Chinese song " Lonely Brave " sounded on the spot. The lyrics also seemed to lay the main theme of the game, "Who said that the hero is standing in the light."
This night, Messi and "Magic Flute" had frustrated, but no losers.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-