Croatia captain Luka Modric has said he is proud of the "values" that his side showed after losing to Argentina 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup 2022, as well as claiming that "the world respects" them "a lot more after the loss".
"Everyone respects us more after loss. Our fans show the pride we feel to be in amongst the best four in the world. As in Russia in 2018, and now in Qatar, I'm a proud national side captain, which has shown once again strength, unity, courage and a fighting spirit for our Croatia", he shared on social media.
"These are values which cannot be changed when things get difficult. They are more important than that! On Saturday we'll be proud to continue that journey! Croatia above everything else", he ended by saying.
Croatia, runners-up in Russia in 2018, will play for third place in Qatar 2022 next Saturday in a match where they will go up against the losing side in this Wednesday's France-Morocco game.