Unthinkable as it now seems, Luka Modric had every reason to spend most of his career hating the World Cup.
As a 20-year-old, he got off the bench twice in 2006 as Croatia went out of the group stage by finishing behind Australia. His country did not qualify in 2010. Four years later, he arrived in Brazil as a Champions League winner, one of the best midfielders in the world, surely destined for better fortunes. A 3-1 loss to Mexico in game three sent them packing.
"My memories from Brazil are not nice," he recalled two years on. "I didn't play well. Maybe I was too tired after a long season. When I look back at the competitions I played in for Croatia, that was my worst performance."
The World Cup, it is often said, boasts a capacity to bring about change unlike any other sporting event. That certainly applies to Modric. He will take to the pitch for Friday's final in Moscow as the best player at football's grandest event, three man-of-the-match awards to his name after three group-stage wins and three extra-time ordeals in the knockouts.
From Pelé of 1958 to Andres Iniesta of 2010, tournaments have often 'belonged' to the greats. If that's the case, Russia 2018 belongs to Modric.
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