Croatia will take on Argentina in an unprecedented FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Semifinals on Tuesday night, December 13 at the Lusail Stadium.
The two nations will depend on their key talismans to deliver them to the proverbial promised land.
All eyes will be on Argentina's captain and striker, Lionel Messi, as well as Croatia's magician, Luka Modric.
The duo will try to lift the only piece of silverware missing in their long football careers.
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Both No. 10s have faced each other on various occasions with a majority in La Liga with their most recent meeting in the Champions League pitting PSG and Real Madrid.
At the national level, Croatia has an upper hand after outsmarting La Selección in a 3-0 clash in the 2018 World Cup held in Russia.
Modric was present on the score sheet.
Messi is the county’s captain and also Argentina’s most-capped player at 170 heading to 171. He has won the FIFA U-20 World Cup, one Olympic gold, one CONMEBOL Copa America and one Finalissima with Argentina.
In 24 World Cup appearances, Messi is the only player to register an assist in five World Cups.
At the World Cup, Modric is the first player to score three penalties in shootouts. Modric holds the Croatian record of most capped player at 160 with 23 goals.
At the World Cup Modric made the most appearances for Croatia (17).
When Modric was making his debut for Croatia in March 2006, Messi scored his first Argentina goal during a friendly match between the sides in which Croatia won 3-2.
The two team captains' World Cup experience is almost the same as both have played and lost in a World Cup final and were then awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.
This happened to Messi at the 2014 edition in Brazil and to Modric at the 2018 edition in Russia.
It happened to Messi at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014 when Argentina lost to Germany in the final, and to Modric in Russia in 2018, when Croatia lost 4-2 to France in the final.
At the club level, both players have won the Spanish League titles, Champions League, UEFA Super Cups, FIFA Club World Cups and the Ballon d’Or.
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