Angel Di Maria made a beeline for Luka Modric after Argentina's 3-0 win against Croatia in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Argentina reached their second World Cup final in eight years thanks to a penalty from Lionel Messi and Manchester City star Julian Alvarez's brace. They will now face either defending champions France or underdogs Morocco at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
Croatia skipper Modric was understandably gutted following his country's exit, yet Di Maria - who played alongside Modric at Real Madrid before joining Manchester United in the summer of 2014 - was on hand to comfort his former team-mate at full-time.
As most Argentina players ran on to the pitch to celebrate together, the experienced Di Maria checked on Modric first before joining his international colleagues. It was a classy move by the Juventus winger, who was left on the bench for Tuesday's game.
Di Maria scored Argentina's winner in the Copa America final victory against Brazil in July 2021 but, at 34, is no longer one of Lionel Scaloni's key players. Yet he won't mind too much, as he's just 90 minutes away from becoming a world champion for the first time.
Argentina have longed for a third world title. Di Maria and Messi are the only two members of the current squad to feature at the World Cup in Brazil eight years ago, when they lost 1-0 to Germany in the final. Sunday's game is a chance to avenge that defeat.
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"I am enjoying this a lot," Messi told reporters after Tuesday's victory. "I am feeling really good, I feel strong enough to face every match. The previous match was a big sacrifice. Today we were tired but we pulled out strength to earn the victory.
"We played very well, we preferred to play this way because we knew they would not have the ball. We knew we would have to run. We prepared in a very good way. I feel very happy in this World Cup. I am able to help the squad."
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic, who has confirmed he will remain in charge until after Euro 2024, added: "Nothing much needs to be said about Messi. The best player in the world and very good and very dangerous today. It is the true Messi we expected to see."
Modric, meanwhile, must decide whether to continue playing for Croatia or call it a day. The 37-year-old will be 38 when Euro 2024 takes place in Germany and may decide to continue for a bit longer yet. It seems unlikely he'll play at the next World Cup aged 40.
Dalic's post-match comments suggest Modric will be part of his squad if Croatia qualify. They are expected to reach the tournament, as they only need to finish in the top two of a qualification group that also contains Wales, Armenia, Turkey and Latvia.
Dalic said: "Perhaps this is the end of the generation of the World Cups, a couple have reached an age and have to see what happens in 2026. We have had a great team and this generation will finish off their career at Euro 2024."
