Luka Modric added another appearance to his record-breaking international career on Tuesday, coming off the bench in the 81st minute of Croatia’s 4-1 loss to Spain in Seville to reach 204 caps. The 41-year-old now sits just three appearances behind Lionel Messi, putting the Croatia captain on course to become the second most-capped men’s international player in history.
Messi currently holds 207 caps and will add one more on October 6, when he makes his farewell appearance for Argentina against Benin at the Estadio Monumental. That match will close out his international career, freezing his final tally at 208 and leaving Modric with a fixed target to chase.
Croatia still has four Nations League games left this year: England in Rijeka on October 3 and the rematch with Spain in Split on October 6, followed by a trip to Wembley to face England on November 12 and a home game against Czechia in Osijek on November 15. If Modric features in all four, he would draw level with Messi at 208 by the end of the year, leaving the record to fall in 2027 at the earliest.
That timeline will depend on how Slaven Bilic handles his captain’s workload. The Croatia boss has been rotating Modric through this demanding window with an eye on his club commitments at AC Milan, where he is under contract through June 2027, but the midfielder made clear to Bilic and the Croatian Football Federation after the World Cup that he remained available to represent his country.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s record remains a distant target
Catching Cristiano Ronaldo, however, looks like a different story. The Portuguese forward leads the all-time list with 234 caps, 30 more than Modric, and unlike Messi, he has no plans to step away from the national team.
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Ronaldo sat out Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway, but he could add up to four more appearances this year against Denmark on October 1, Norway on October 4, Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17.
With both players at 41 and still active for their countries, the gap is unlikely to shrink as long as Ronaldo keeps getting minutes under Jorge Jesus, and he has offered no timeline for his retirement. “Is it possible? Yes. Is it very likely? Yes. But will it happen? No, I don’t know,” Ronaldo said ahead of Portugal’s Nations League opener against Wales, leaving Modric in need of both Ronaldo walking away and several more years of international football of his own to close the gap.
