Cristiano Ronaldo revealed what he told his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric after Portugal beat Croatia in the World Cup Round of 32: ‘I love to see you again.’
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal eliminated Modric’s Croatia from the World Cup Round of 32, securing a 2-1 win on Thursday.
Ronaldo levelled the score with a penalty kick in the second half, while new Milan signing Gonçalo Ramos netted a late winner from a cross from Rafael Leao.
Portugal will face Spain in the Round of 16 next Monday, while Modric made his final World Cup appearance yesterday.
Ronaldo: ‘I hope Modric continues to play’
“I played with Luka for so many years; we are nearly the same age,” Ronaldo, a former Juventus star, told Fox Sports at full time.
“I think he’s a legend of football; he is still a legend of football as he is still playing very well. With high qualities, unbelievable. I just said to him so many times, ‘Luka, congratulations on everything, I love to see you again, wish you all the best for the next years of your career. It was nice to play against him once again.”
Modric is technically without a club after his contract with Milan expired on June 30, but the new Rossoneri coach Ruben Amorim is expected to talk to the Croatian star in the coming days to explore whether he wants to play for one more season at San Siro.
🥺 ¡EL ABRAZO DE DOS LEYENDAS! Cristiano Ronaldo se rinde ante Modric: “He jugado con Luka muchos años, es una LEYENDA. Siempre le digo: felicidades por todo, me alegra verte de nuevo amigo”. El respeto eterno. 😭❤️🇭🇷🇵🇹 #Cristiano #Modric #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/gYsA7ADNZ3 — (fan) El culer (@el_culerRM) July 3, 2026
Talking in the mixed zone later on, Ronaldo added: “I hope he [Modric] continues to play.”
🇵🇹🥰 Cristiano Ronaldo après #PORCRO : “J’espère que Modric continuera à jouer”#beINFWC2026 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/54eUNKA60x — beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) July 3, 2026
Source: Football Italia
