Luka Modric made a beeline for Kylian Mbappe after Croatia's 1-0 Nations League victory against France at the Stade de France on Monday evening.
Mbappe, 23, rejected the opportunity to join Modric's Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, despite rumours suggesting he wanted to move to the Spanish capital. The World Cup winner signed a new three-year deal at Paris Saint-Germain instead.
Modric, 36, is a stalwart at the Bernabeu - making 436 appearances for the club during the last 10 seasons. The veteran is expected to become their new vice-captain following the departure of skipper Marcelo, with talisman Karim Benzema taking the armband.
Croatia won in Paris thanks to Modric's early penalty. The result means defending champions France can no longer with the current edition of the Nations League, which concludes next June. Croatia are second in the group, two points behind leaders Denmark.
It was the fourth meeting between the two nations since France's 4-2 victory against Croatia in the World Cup final four years ago. Mbappe enjoyed a breakthrough tournament in Russia, leaving the likes of Spanish giants Real envious of his incredible talent.
Mbappe scored 39 goals for PSG last season. He's found the back of the net 171 times for the capital club since his move from Monaco - initially on loan - in August 2017. The forward also has an excellent record for the national team, scoring 27 goals in 57 senior caps.
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And Modric appears to be a fan of Mbappe, approaching him after Croatia's win for a quick chat. It's unclear what was said between the two icons. The two are unlikely to ever play in the same team as Modric will be 39 when Mbappe's new contract expires.
Speaking about his own future in May, Modric criticised Mbappe for courting Real. The midfielder's contract was due to expire at the end of June when the comments were made, but he's now signed a new one-year deal to continue his love affair with the club.
Modric has won three La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues, the Copa del Rey and countless trophies since he left Tottenham in the summer of 2012. He is the only player other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or since Kaka in 2007.
"The club and I are talking, but we have a good relationship," said Modric when asked about his future. "I won’t do what Mbappe did, that’s for sure. But maybe the club will give that to me! No, I'm kidding. We have a lot of trust between us, we get along very well and what has to happen is going to happen."
On Mbappe, Modric added: "We didn't know anything. I didn't have any expectations. There was a lot of talk about this, for a year, but we didn't know anything; if it was going to happen or not, and that's why we have to close that issue and not talk more about that."
Modric went on to say: "We have a very good team with many players who can improve a lot, who have had a great season and they seem to value what we have here. Some of these players will become great stars in the future."
