Luka Modrić has picked the date, the stadium and the opponent. On 6 October, in Split, against Spain, the man who captained Croatia to a World Cup final and three medals overall will walk off an international pitch for the last time.

The decision was communicated privately, not staged from a podium. Following reporting by Gazzetta dello Sport, Croatian outlet tportal set the venue and the date, reporting that Modrić met Bilić in Zadar and made clear the Poljud fixture would be the farewell. Poljud seats more than 30,000, and Split is one of Croatian football’s most storied grounds.

The symmetry runs deep. Bilić was appointed Croatia coach on 13 July 2026 after Zlatko Dalić’s departure, returning to a job he first held from 2006 to 2012. Bilić took charge of the Vatreni only months after Modrić’s senior debut under Zlatko Kranjčar, and gave the young playmaker much of his early international grounding. Now he will hand him the exit.

The World Cup goodbye Croatia did not want

Modrić did not pick October as his exit. The draw did. Croatia’s 2026 World Cup ended in the Round of 32 on 2 July, beaten 2-1 by Portugal in a match that swung on VAR in stoppage time. Ivan Perišić opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. Cristiano Ronaldo levelled from the penalty spot in the 68th. Gonçalo Ramos headed in the winner deep into stoppage time in the 94th, and a late Croatian equaliser was chalked off in the 103rd on an offside call by the finest of margins.

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That defeat closed the door on the one trophy he never won. Modrić has six Champions League titles at Real Madrid, the 2018 Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award from the same year. The World Cup, taken to a final in Moscow, has stayed out of reach.

202 caps, 29 goals, still no gold medal

In Croatia’s group stage in June, Modrić became only the fourth male player to reach 200 international caps, joining Cristiano Ronaldo, Bader Al-Mutawa and Lionel Messi. He is the first Croatian to get there. He now stands at 202 appearances and 29 international goals, with 32 assists on top.

Milan first, Croatia second

Retirement from Croatia is not retirement from football. AC Milan officially extended his contract on 23 July 2026, tying him to San Siro until 30 June 2027.

“I’m thrilled to continue to be part of AC Milan, where you’ve made me feel welcomed and loved since the very first day,” Modrić wrote on Instagram, in a message carried by beIN Sports.

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“After a season below our expectations, the desire to bounce back is immense.”

The plan, according to Italian reporting, is to give the last professional season fully to Ruben Amorim’s Milan, without international windows to interrupt it. First, though, comes Poljud.

Three fixtures before the Split goodbye

Croatia play Czech Republic away on 26 September and Spain away three days later. Then come England at Rijeka on 3 October, behind closed doors under a UEFA sanction, before the 6 October return at Poljud, which is the date circled on the calendar. If the reporting holds, it will end with a full stadium on its feet and their captain walking off a national team pitch for the last time.

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