Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic on Monday appealed to star midfielder Luka Modric to stay amid growing speculation the captain will retire from international football.
Dalic's comments came a day after Croatia lost 5-4 on penalties to Spain in the Nations League final in Rotterdam. "We need him, this is a generation that still did not complete the job," Dalic told reporters after returning to Zagreb.
The Real Madrid player famously led Croatia to a second-place finish at the 2018 World Cup and third place at last year's tournament in Qatar.
Croatia had been chasing their first ever major trophy against a Spain team Modric, 37, knows inside out. On Monday, front pages across Croatia ran pictures of the dejected midfielder following the nail-biting defeat. "It was rather emotional for him yesterday," said Dalic. "Let him rest and he will tell us what he thinks," the coach added.