Ronaldo Reveals Conversation With Modric After Portugal Defeated Croatia
By Sabiu Abdullahi
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has disclosed what he told Croatian midfielder Luka Modric after Portugal’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Portugal recovered from a goal down to book a place in the Round of 16 after a tense encounter against Zlatko Dalić’s side.
Croatia took the lead in the 53rd minute through experienced forward Ivan Perisic. Portugal later responded in the 68th minute when Ronaldo converted a penalty to level the score. The goal marked Ronaldo’s first strike in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
The match appeared set for extra time before substitute Goncalo Ramos scored a late winner with a header in the 94th minute to seal qualification for Portugal.
Croatia thought they had forced the game into extra time after Josko Gvardiol found the net in the 103rd minute. However, the effort was ruled out for offside.
After the final whistle, Ronaldo was seen speaking with Modric, his former teammate at Real Madrid. The Portuguese star later explained that he praised the Croatian midfielder for continuing to compete at the highest level despite his long career in football.
Ronaldo said, “I played many years with Modrić, it’s great to see him still playing at top level.
“I told him: congrats Luka, good luck for the future of your career”.