Incredible behind-the-scenes footage showed how Luka Modric inspired the Croatian star to join the elite group with Lionel Messi

Croatia captain Luka Modric will look to inspire his compatriots at Euro 2024.

And if his past is anything to go by, his nation could well be in contention in Germany thanks to his exceptional leadership.

Before the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, questions remained over teammate Dominik Livakovic and whether he would be No.1 for Croatia after some high-profile errors.

It got to the point where Modric stepped in and gave a superb pep talk to the 27-year-old, helping him to go on and become a hero at the World Cup at the end of 2022.

In the documentary “Captains”, released on Netflix, Modric told Livakovic, 27: “The most important thing is that our teammates feel that someone is behind them and that they have support.

“The goalkeeper’s situation is very special, you are alone. I wouldn’t tell you this if I didn’t care about you but I see that you are not progressing with the national team.

“Maybe it’s the pressure you’re under, maybe it’s not… but you radiate uncertainty and that rubs off on the team.

“Do you understand? Why can’t you make mistakes? We all make mistakes.

“I think your problem is that you’re afraid of making them… name a person who doesn’t make mistakes.

“I didn’t get here through fear, that just makes it worse. Look, you’re a great guardian. You know that, right?”

Some might call it tough love, but whatever it was, it seemed to work as Croatia reached the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual winners Argentina.

Along the way, they eliminated Japan and Brazil on penalties, where Livakovic proved his hero each time.

He made three penalty saves in the shootout, becoming the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to do so after former Portuguese star Ricardo and compatriot Danijel Subasic in 2018.

Croatia also took pre-tournament favorites Brazil to penalties in the quarter-finals, where Livakovic made an incredible 11 saves during regulation time.

This earned him a perfect score of 10/10 in L’Equipe, notorious for its low player ratings, making him the 15th player in history to achieve such a score, while also making a crucial save during barrage to help knock out the Selecao.

And there was also an intervention from Modric, who told Livakovic exactly where Casemiro would place his penalty.

While Casemiro signed for Manchester United last summer, Modric knew all about the defensive midfielder having played with him at Real Madrid for seven years.

However, despite his advice, Livakovic was unable to stop the Brazilian’s effort, although he thwarted another Madridista, Rodrygo.

“Did I help Livakovic with Rodrygo’s penalty? No, but I spoke to him about Casemiro,” Modric told El Chiringuito after the match.

“I know where he (Casemiro) would have taken his penalty. Livakovic went in the right direction but Case is too good.”

With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Modric will once again lead his country as they look to go further than their previous attempt.

While their last two World Cups saw Croatia reach the semi-finals and the final in 2018, where they lost to France, they were unable to replicate their success at Euro 2020 when Spain l ‘eliminated in a classic round of 16 encounter which ended 5-3 after extra time.

At 38, this could well be Modric’s last international tournament and the 2018 Ballon d’Or would love to win silverware with his country, having won it all at Real Madrid.