Croatia’s World Cup gamble: can the Balkan battlers defy age
With a squad packed with veterans, Croatia face a World Cup acid test: can they defy the calendar once more or will the body finally betray them?
Kickoff Editorial
News & Analysis
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Guides, explainers and analysis for the first 48-team World Cup. Every story is human-reviewed, sourced and bylined.
- Human-reviewed
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- Updated through kickoff
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Kickoff XIRüdiger’s Madrid extension: a rare moment of certainty in
Antonio Rüdiger’s contract renewal at Real Madrid bucks the trend of uncertainty in world football, offering a rare snapshot of stability at a club where even legends now face exit talk.
Kickoff Editorial6 min read