BORNA BARISIC completed his football bucket list just days after his 30th birthday. His next goals have yet to be set but time is on his side for club and country.
Three milestone moments - a Premiership title, a Europa League final and Champions League football - have come at Rangers. Last month, Barisic realised his World Cup dream as he helped Croatia to a round of 16 victory over Japan.
The left-back celebrated a notable personal landmark before heading out to Qatar but he doesn't feel, or look, as old as his passport states. In his heart and his mind, Barisic has more to offer and more to achieve.
A Premiership fixture with Dundee United on Sunday is the next one for Barisic to focus on and he should be in the prime of his career and at the peak of his powers as he attempts to recapture his finest form for Rangers after being reunited with Michael Beale at Ibrox.
"I cannot believe that I turned 30," Barisic said. "Honestly I don’t feel this. I feel like I’m only 25. That’s how I feel.
"In my body and my mentality, I don’t feel like I’m 30. Before when I heard that someone was 30 I thought they’d be finishing in another few years.
"But I don’t feel like that. I take a lot of care over my body every day. That’s not just happening this year, it’s been like that for the past seven or eight or years.
"I feel about 25. I’ve always done that. I think when you come to 30 sometimes it’s too late [to change] but I’ve always taken care of my body. I look at every detail so I believe that I’m only 25."
The time that Barisic spent in Qatar may have not have been as fulfilling as he had hoped for in terms of match minutes but it was an experience that he will cherish after playing his part in another memorable tournament for Zlatko Dalić's side.
A third place finish, secured thanks to victory over Morocco, was a fitting finale for the team. Thankfully for Croatian supporters and neutrals alike, it wasn't the last act for the class act that is Luka Modric after the captain vowed to play on until the Nations League fixtures in June.
"Modric is also a motivation," Barisic said. "His body isn’t the same as mine. They are not the same thing.
"But the thing you can see in the past few years that people are still playing at he highest level at 35, 36, 37.
"It’s very hard but they are all a motivation. There are many examples that it’s possible.
"Of course I’ve learned things from him but it’s nothing that I don’t do. It’s just about doing the highest level of everything."
The standards that Modric sets can be strived for by many but achieved by few and the 37-year-old remains a source of inspiration for those that play with him and those that will attempt to follow in his illustrious footsteps.
Barisic has his own legacy to leave. His move to Rangers in the summer of 2018 was transformative in terms of his career and the World Cup saw his own bar raised once again.
A series of celebratory events in his homeland delayed his return to Glasgow but he slotted back into the side on Monday as Rangers were held by Celtic in the second Old Firm clash of the season.
The 2-2 draw at Ibrox was a blow to Rangers' title chances. Barisic won't give up on that dream, however, and there are individual and collective targets that must be attained during the second half of the campaign.
“I feel fine," Barisic said. "The World Cup was perfect. I really enjoyed being there.
“I played only one game, it was 120 minutes. Of course, I would have liked to have played more but it was the manager’s decision.
“After the World Cup it was not easy to come back after five days break. So I spent some time with my family over Christmas and I came back here.
“I have trained hard. I knew everyone had a couple of days on me but you have to keep going. I feel ready to go again.
“I always dreamed about playing I the Champions League. I played in it this year. Even though it wasn’t the best for us I can say that I played.
"There are always other things that you want to achieve. You always want progress. I feel like I can play at a high level for years.
"I’ve a contract until 2024. We’ll see what’s going to happen. It’s for the future. I don’t want to talk about that now."
The focus at Ibrox must be on the here and now. The first five fixtures under Beale's guidance have been encouraging for Rangers but there is still plenty of hard work ahead, both on and off the park.
Barisic has been a solid, steady performer this season and has seven assists, one fewer than Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley, to show for his efforts during what has been a largely difficult and underwhelming campaign for Rangers.
The return of Beale will place greater emphasis on the full-backs once again and the tactical shift away from the blueprint that Giovanni van Bronckhorst employed could bring out the best in Barisic.
“I wouldn’t say I was frustrated," Barisic said when asked about his role under Van Bronckhorst. “But listen, for three years before I was going forward all the time and crossing a lot.
“I had a lot of freedom. But I wasn’t frustrated because it was the manager’s decision to play a certain way and you have to respect that.
“It’s down to you to adapt. But this system suits me better, I am more comfortable with it and I enjoy the freedom.
“I didn’t know the stats with assists. I didn’t know the other player had eight, don’t forget I am a full-back.
“It’s not always about systems you have to remember. Sometimes your crossing isn’t good and sometimes the strikers don’t score.
"Sometimes you are a little bit unlucky. So there are a lot of things you need to be top of the assists.
“I am not saying that because of our ex-manager I wasn’t able to assist. But it’s true if you’re going forward more then it’s easier for me to assist.”
It is fair to say that Barisic has gears to move through in the second half of the season. That is, of course, true for every player that Beale has inherited on his return to Ibrox.
Four wins and that Old Firm draw represent a satisfactory start to life in the dugout for the Englishman but performances and results must continue to improve if the progress is to be rewarded with silverware in the coming months.
“It’s true we have done some good things, it’s true there are areas where we need to improve," Barisic said. “But no one is a magician and it will take time.
“The most important thing when a new manager comes in is to see progress and I think that’s been the case.
“We need to be better than we were and I think we are in a better situation than we were.
“But we need to be consistent and play for 90 minutes. We all know that.
“We have improved already, but we have a lot still to improve on and I would say we need time.”
