The dream of Croatia's greatest player is over (Part 1)

Luka Modric , Croatia's greatest ever player, was upstaged by arguably the best player of all time, Lionel Messi , as Argentina crushed his World Cup dreams.

After securing his country's second consecutive World Cup semi-final, the 37 -year-old Modric's side were swept 3-0 by South America.

Coach Zlatko Dalic boasted that Croatia had the " best midfield in the world " after knocking out Brazil in the quarter-finals, with Modric getting Mateo Kovacic and Marseille Supported by Lo Brozovic.

The midfield allowed a country of less than four million to consistently compete with the world's greatest teams, but they lost steam against a pugnacious Argentina.

The final stage

Dalic played down fatigue concerns after the last 16 and quarter- finals went to extra time, but there is a sense that Croatia are running out of tanks.

More Messi talent led to Alvarez's second goal, while Modric was replaced by Lovero Mayer in the final nine minutes - to the applause of nearly 89,000 spectators.

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who made his national team debut back in 2006 , is undoubtedly in the final stages of his illustrious career.