The 2 teams Portugal and Croatia met on the morning of July 3rd, leaving a flood of emotions, from the pitch to everything around it. The match took place on the 1st anniversary of Diogo Jota's death. From the pitch to real life, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates, as well as football fans, have actions to commemorate the unfortunate player but live decently enough not to be forgotten.
And fate skillfully arranged when the match was also the final dance of a legend - Luka Modric. At the age of 40, Modric still ran, still contested and fought like he had done throughout his career. The match ended, even when there was still argument, Modric did not cry, did not raise his voice. He calmly welcomed "his moment".
That composure makes people even more heartbroken. People remember him - a colorless leader, a small heart in a thin body but with a resilient will. Modric is the type of person that even opposing fans do not utter words of hatred for, because of his dedication and pure kindness of someone who has gone through the suffering of war to understand life.
The memorable moment is probably the hug between Ronaldo and Modric. 2 men, 2 chapters of the great history of contemporary football, standing at the 2 ends of the battle line, but their hugs bring a sky of memories. Those are the years of side by side at the top and also the fierce confrontations in the national team jersey. Between them, overcoming the fierce competition of titles, there is always absolute respect and love.
Like Jota, like Modric, it is a way to live to be remembered. People are easily drawn into the race to glamour, superficial displays or temporary competitions, but Jota, Modric and many others, prove that one of the values of people is the position they are engraved in other people's hearts.
There is no need to try for a perfect facade to be praised, but dedication, self-respect for the work you do, is the sincerity and kindness that is sown to create that beauty. So that when leaving the "playground" - whether it is the World Cup football field or some stage in life - what remains is respect, appreciation and being remembered... Not the whole world is the people around you.
