New Delhi, July 2 -- The numbers are almost too strange to believe. One player, 41 years old. The other, 40. Between them, nine World Cups, ten Ballon d'Or trophies, and approximately half of the last 20 years of football's global conversation. Tonight at Rogers Centre in Toronto, at 7 p.m. Eastern, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric will share a football pitch at the World Cup for one of the last times either of them is likely to do so.

Portugal collected five points as Group H runners-up, Croatia six as Group L runners-up, though Croatia's body of work included a 4-2 defeat to Harry Kane's England, who looked like the tournament's most complete team in the opening three weeks.

None of those numbers are the point. What makes this match ...