Croatia captain Luka Modric, who turns 41 on Wednesday, has confirmed he will continue playing international football, including in upcoming Nations League fixtures against England. The decision was announced by the Croatian FA and coincides with Slaven Bilic's return as national team manager, the same man who oversaw the early years of Modric's international career between 2006 and 2012. It had been widely expected that Modric would retire from international duty after Croatia's last-32 World Cup exit to Portugal this summer.

Modric made his Croatia debut in March 2006 and has since won 202 caps, scoring 29 goals, while helping the side reach the 2018 World Cup final and finish third in 2022. Bilic said he was "extremely happy" at the news and looked forward to working with Modric again after 14 years apart. Croatia, whose captain now plays club football for AC Milan, face the Czech Republic on 26 September and Spain on 29 September before two Nations League meetings with England, in Croatia on 3 October and at Wembley on 12 November.