Refugee at six. Fifth World Cup at forty.

In December 1991, Serbian militia executed Luka Modrić's grandfather near Zadar. The boy who shared his name was six — soon a refugee in a Zadar hotel, playing football in the car park as shells fell nearby. On Wednesday he captains Croatia against England, a rematch of the 2018 semifinal he won, in his fifth World Cup at forty. From a refugee hotel car park to AT&T Stadium. Same ball. Same boy.