Luke Modric is one of the all-time footballing icons, and the fact he is still performing at the highest level at the age of 39 is a testament to his professionalism.
In most matches he plays, the midfielder is the oldest player on the pitch.
However, that won’t be the case this weekend when his Croatia team take on Scotland in Zagreb.
Former Celtic star Craig Gordon will hold that honour, set to take his place in Steve Clarke’s starting eleven after injury forced Angus Gunn out of contention.
Gordon was already a 31-year-old veteran when he joined the Bhoys in 2014. He went on to make 242 appearances in all competitions and win 12 trophies.
He was famously part of Brendan Rodgers’ Invincibles side in 2016/17, with the iconic shot of him celebrating Tom Rogic’s Scottish Cup Final winner burned into the memory of every Celtic fan.
Now 41, on the verge of turning 42, he is remarkably still going. Battling through a serious broken leg injury suffered in 2022, the goalkeeper made a comeback to once again be relied upon for current club Hearts and Scotland.
Luka Modric on ‘excellent’ Craig Gordon
Modric was on press conference duties for his country on Friday and was asked about Craig Gordon’s longevity and what keeps a player going well beyond average retirement age.
The Real Madrid star said, “I know Craig Gordon from before. He’s an excellent goalkeeper. It’s a great thing for both him for Scotland that he is still playing.
“It’s going to be nice that there will be somebody actually older than me on the pitch.
“It’s love for football and for Croatia [that keeps me going]. For me, playing for the national team is something special.
“It is the highest of honours, and that’s what motivates me to play my best.”
Modric asked about Champions League threat facing Celtic
Over 20 years ago, Modric made his debut for Celtic’s December opponents, Dinamo Zagreb, where he established himself as one of the brightest young talents in European football.
Since then, when new potential comes through the club, they are inevitably compared to the six-time Champions League winner.
Midfield standout Martin Baturina, 21, is the latest to be labelled as the ‘next Luka Modric’.
In Friday’s press conference, the veteran was asked about his international teammate and if his talent will shine through against the Bhoys.
Modric responded, “We’ll see. He’s a great talent. He needs to work, he needs to train well. He needs to work really hard in the training sessions.
“I believe that he’s going to become a key player for the Croatia team in the future like I was, like I am.
“He has a lot of potential, a lot of quality and a lot of talent. Most of all, he needs to keep on working and improving every day.”
Despite his young age, Baturina has already made 132 appearances for Dinamo and is regularly linked with big-money moves to the richest leagues in Europe.
Primarily a central attacking midfielder, Baturina is in red-hot form with two goals and seven assists from his 12 matches so far this season.
His elite threat was on full display on matchday two of the Champions League, scoring and creating another in the Croatians’ 2-2 draw at home to Monaco.
He’ll be a key danger man to nullify if Celtic are to have hope of picking up a result in Zagreb later in the year.
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