Modric has provided 14 assists to Ronaldo, but hasn't beaten him even once in ten years.

In the Round of 16 of the 2016 European Championship, Quaresma scored an extra-time winner. As the final whistle blew, Modric crouched on the turf in a daze, and Ronaldo walked over and pulled him up. That photo has been circulating on social media for ten years.

Now, the two are set to meet again on the turf in Toronto.

July 2, 2026, 7:00 PM local time, BMO Field. Round of 32 of the World Cup. Ronaldo is 41, Modric is 40. Twenty years ago in Germany, they were just greenhorns in their early twenties. Later, they were teammates at Real Madrid for six years, playing 222 matches and winning four Champions Leagues. Now, they play for their respective countries. Modric turns 41 in September, and this tournament is likely his last before retiring. Ronaldo hasn't said it outright, but this is his sixth World Cup, and everyone knows it's his final one.

Modric holds the world's most comprehensive manual on how to use Ronaldo. In six years at Real Madrid, he provided 14 direct assists to Ronaldo. He knows better than anyone when to make forward runs, where to run, and what finishing technique to use. He then brought that manual to the national team. According to Portugal's Record, the two have faced each other directly about a dozen times at both club and national levels, and Modric has never won.

The one who knows best how you move has never once beaten you.

Ronaldo also has his own messy accounts to settle. He scored twice against Uzbekistan in this edition, at 41 years and 138 days old, becoming the first male player to score in six consecutive World Cups. Including those two goals, he has racked up 10 goals in World Cup group stages. But he goes silent in the knockout rounds. In his first eight such matches, over 570 minutes, with 29 shots and nine chances created: zero goals, zero assists. The record-breaker with 232 national team appearances and 145 international goals has yet to score in a World Cup knockout match.

After a 1-1 draw with DR Congo in the group stage, reporters pressed Martinez: Why not substitute Ronaldo? He replied bluntly: "There is absolutely no logic in substituting the all-time top scorer." Good stats in the group stage can't hide the drought in the knockout rounds. Tonight, this account comes due.

The two teams have faced each other 10 times historically, with Portugal winning 7, drawing 2, and losing 1, scoring 19 goals and conceding 8. A statistical knockout. But they have never met in a World Cup before. Historical records are just a placebo. Dalic isn't buying it before the match: "Portugal is one of the favorites, but we have nothing to fear." Martinez is also playing it coy: "Coach Zlatko has been there for ten years, and Modric, Gvardiol, and Kovacic are all outstanding players."

The politeness of the pre-match press conference shatters as soon as the whistle blows.

Toronto has large Portuguese and Croatian diaspora communities. Croatia House opens its doors at 1:00 PM. This doesn't feel like a neutral venue; it feels like two immigrant neighborhoods fighting for territory. Modric just played his 200th national team match on this same turf during the group stage. Supercomputers give Portugal a 56% win probability. The winner advances to face Spain in the Round of 16; the loser books a flight home.

BMO Field hosts its final match of this World Cup tonight. The venue closes down. And two old men, aged 81 combined, close down here as well.