Getting soaked to console Luka Modric
When the heavens above Luzhniki Stadium opened after the final and the rain hammered down onto the pitch, Grabar-Kitarovic stood firm as the rain soaked her Croatian jersey and congratulated each player and member of the Croatia staff, from coach Zlatko Dalic and his technical assistants to the fringe squad players
Croatian captain Luka Modric, already with the weight of disappointment in the shape of his runners-up medal hanging around his neck, stepped up to collect his Golden Ball award for the best player at the World Cup, yet another consolation prize.
The president saved her defining moment until last, as she wrapped her hands around the skipper's face and cried tears of pride as she consoled and thanked the mercurial midfielder. Heart-melting level: 100.
Declaring Croatia are 'on top of the world anyway' after the final defeat
Even in defeat the president managed to extract a collective sigh of admiration from the world's watching football supporters, when she dismissed the obvious pain of losing a World Cup final to proclaim that Croatia was on top of the world in any case.
“It doesn’t really matter if we win the gold or the silver. We’re on top of the world. And I’m so proud of my nation,” Grabar-Kitarovic told RT in the wake of the defeat to France.
Whatever the result of the World Cup final, one outcome of the tournament was clear for all to see: Grabar-Kitarovic's blend of cheerful chic, boundless energy and patriotism ensured she won first place in the hearts of football fans worldwide.
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