martin baturina is the player Igor Stimac sees stepping into Luka Modric’s role for Croatia, with the former coach saying the 23-year-old can carry the midfield once Modric is done. Stimac said Baturina has come through a strong second half of the season with Como and belongs in Croatia’s next wave.
Stimac names Baturina
“They have brought strength and ability to the team. Baturina comes off a good second half of the season with Como. We are convinced that once Luka is done, Baturina will be the one to put his feet into Luka’s big boots,” Stimac said while speaking on a video call from Mumbai, where he is a pundit for Zee5.
He also picked Petar Susic as another midfielder who can take on the running Modric has long carried. Susic is 22, while Baturina is 23, and Stimac said both can help Modric in a similar way to the support Rodrigo de Paul and Julian Alvarez gave Lionel Messi in Qatar.
Modric’s role at 40
Modric is 40 years old, and Stimac said he should still start because of how important he is to the team. “But I am not there talking to him to see how he feels and whether it is personally better for him to play the last 30 minutes. Luka is very reasonable. He will start on the bench for the sake of the team,” he said.
That is the friction point for Croatia: the captain remains central, yet the squad is already being shaped around what comes after him. Baturina, an attacking midfielder born in Switzerland, is being pushed into that conversation now rather than later.
Croatia’s injury load
Stimac said Croatia “are not in our best moment” because Josko Gvardiol, Modric and Mateo Kovacic are all coming to the World Cup after long injury breaks. Modric’s season ended in April after a cheekbone fracture that needed surgery, and Kovacic missed a chunk of 2025-26 with an ankle injury that also needed surgery.
Even so, he backed Croatia’s ability to absorb the pressure of a knockout run, saying, “Because few teams can handle pressure like us.” He also pointed to the opening in Group L, where Croatia face England in Dallas on Wednesday.
England, Ghana and Panama
Stimac said a loss against England can quickly raise the pressure because Ghana are a difficult opponent, while Panama “should be okay” if Croatia are at their best. He said Croatia must handle Harry Kane collectively, with the defensive midfielders protecting the space in front of him and the central defenders keeping him from getting into rhythm.
That leaves Baturina’s rise tied to the same problem Croatia have now: they need a midfielder who can do some of Modric’s work before the handover becomes unavoidable. Stimac has named him already.
