Given recent history of exports, you just hope Jagušić isn't just another hybrid 8/10 from the HNL who will be lost in the churn of terrorismo when he inevitably reaches T5 leagues, but that left of his generates enough end product/set-piece threat to make increased scope feasible. Wand of a foot.

(I am also now obliged to reserve all commentary in relation to Hajduk turning Modrić down, and how it serves to further represent the club's footballing identity. 🫣)

Midfielders who can mesh the creative and the practical are Croatian football's most profound export, yet we ourselves still fall foul of overly-pragmatic approach and profiling in this regard. One need only watch the HNL on a weekly basis or the Croatian NT post-Rakitić. It probably won't change.

No player in the history of this sport has dominated it without the ball to Modrić's degree, both as a result of his innate spatial awareness and his ability to cover the ground, which only amplified the majesty of his technique. It makes the discussion of risk/reward easier to digest for coaches.

The tipping point of football becoming physicality-pilled as space compresses/expands has long been a personal focus, but the one thing that made Modrić exceptional for that kind of profile, and underpinned his sheer completeness in contrast to Xavi, Pirlo, et al. was his abnormal stamina and motor.

"The mind is the most important thing in football and it always will be." - Luka Modrić

"Football isn't just power and height, and who knows what. It's much more than strength and power alone, that you have to be 1.9m tall, that you have to run 100m in 11 or 12 seconds. It is about your brain, technique and feeling. In football today, again people are trying to force-feed aggression."

"The stigma I wasn't strong enough followed me to Dinamo, to England, to Real Madrid - it pretty much followed me until I won the Ballon d'Or. Then there was the acceptance that ok, maybe this is it...my opinion of myself wasn't like that. It's another thing if I thought I was too small or weak."

I can't tell you what I had for dinner last night but I can explain to you with extreme detail and clarity where I was, what I was doing, what I said and the sheer tension I felt in this moment almost 20 years ago. I didn't watch sport for nearly six months after this trauma.

Absolutely smacked myself the last 2km and walked into 5 degree fresh air felt like a new man

Al ono kad izlaziš na friški zrak

Klasična Rijeka, manje udarca s više posjeda ali na koncu brrrrrrr-ali

Would be intrigued to see by game state; along with Iwobi being moved into midfield, Fulham game last night felt like another example of simply sitting off after taking the lead. 🧐

Nisam znao jel sam bio na Maksimiru ili u Donbas, no čak sam znao da mi neće ništa past na glavu s krova. 😇

Molite za me #prijava ⚽️

The three most anticipated words in niche kids film podcasting!