For years, England supporters have turned three simple words into one of football’s most recognisable chants.
āItās coming home.ā
It started as a celebration of football returning to the country where the modern game was codified, but over the years it became much more than that.
It became a symbol of English hope.
It became part of every major tournament.
And, depending on who you ask, it also became one of the easiest things for England’s opponents to mock.
Now Luka ModriÄ has reportedly entered that conversation.
And his comments about England, expectations and the famous āItās Coming Homeā slogan have allegedly left Harry Kane furious.
The reaction has immediately reignited memories of England’s painful encounters with Croatia and added another layer to the rivalry between two generations of European football.
Because when ModriÄ speaks about England, English supporters tend to listen.
And when Kane is involved, the conversation becomes even bigger.
ModriÄ knows exactly what England’s pressure feels like
Few midfielders understand the pressure surrounding England at major tournaments better than Luka ModriÄ.
The Croatian legend has spent years playing at the highest level of international football.
He has faced England in major tournaments.
He has experienced the pressure of knockout football.
And, most importantly, he knows what happens when expectations become enormous.
That is why any comments from ModriÄ about England’s famous confidence immediately attract attention.
For English supporters, āIt’s Coming Homeā is often a statement of belief.
For opponents, it can sound like a declaration that England already expect to win.
That difference in interpretation has created endless football debates.
And according to the dramatic storyline now circulating, ModriÄ’s latest comments went directly after that mentality.
The Croatian allegedly questioned whether England’s confidence should always be treated as a sign of certainty.
That was enough to get people talking.
But apparently, Harry Kane was not amused.
Kane has heard it all before
Harry Kane has been one of the faces of England football for years.
He has carried the captain’s armband.
He has broken scoring records.
He has played in European Championship finals.
He has represented England at multiple World Cups.
And throughout that journey, he has heard the same criticism repeatedly.
England talk too much.
England believe too much.
England supporters expect too much.
England say āIt’s Coming Homeā before tournaments are won.
For Kane, however, the slogan has never simply meant arrogance.
It represents hope.
It represents the belief that England can compete.
And perhaps most importantly, it represents the supporters.
That is why ModriÄ’s comments reportedly touched a nerve.
If the story is to be believed, Kane saw the remarks as another example of outsiders misunderstanding what the phrase actually means to English supporters.
The Croatia connection makes it even more personal
There is also history between ModriÄ and England.
The Croatian midfielder was one of the key figures when Croatia defeated England in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
England had taken an early lead through Kieran Trippier.
The country began dreaming.
The phrase was everywhere.
The final was suddenly within touching distance.
But Croatia fought back.
Ivan PeriÅ”iÄ equalised before Mario MandžukiÄ scored in extra time.
England’s World Cup dream ended.
And Croatia progressed to the final.
ModriÄ was at the heart of that Croatian team.
So whenever the English national team discusses tournament expectations, Croatia’s victory inevitably returns to the conversation.
For English supporters, it was one of those matches that remains difficult to forget.
For ModriÄ, it was one of the greatest moments of his international career.
That history gives his words about England an entirely different weight.
āIt’s Coming Homeā became the target
The phrase itself has an extraordinary history.
It came from the 1996 song āThree Lions,ā performed by comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel alongside the Lightning Seeds.
The song became closely associated with England’s Euro 96 campaign.
England hosted the tournament.
Expectations were enormous.
And the phrase āFootball’s Coming Homeā became part of the national atmosphere.
But England did not win.
Germany eliminated England in the semi-final on penalties.
Yet the song survived.
It returned at subsequent tournaments.
Then came the 2018 World Cup.
England went deeper than many expected and reached the semi-finals.
Once again, āIt’s Coming Homeā dominated the football conversation.
Croatia eventually stopped them.
The phrase survived anyway.
Then came Euro 2020, played in 2021.
England reached the final.
Once again, supporters believed.
Once again, the chant filled stadiums, pubs and social media.
And once again, England fell short.
Italy won the final on penalties.
The phrase became almost immortal.
Kane’s generation has carried the burden
Kane has been at the centre of England’s modern tournament generation.
He has experienced the highs.
He has experienced the disappointments.
He has watched expectations rise every time England produce a strong tournament.
He has also faced criticism when England fail to finish the job.
That is why the idea that England should stop believing before tournaments even begin is unlikely to appeal to him.
Players cannot control what supporters sing.
They cannot control social media.
They cannot control headlines.
But they can control how they prepare.
And Kane’s message throughout his England career has generally been about belief and ambition.
England are not supposed to enter tournaments hoping merely to participate.
They are supposed to believe they can win.
ModriÄ’s argument hits a familiar nerve
The dramatic version of the story suggests ModriÄ’s comments were essentially questioning the constant assumption that England will eventually win a major tournament.
That argument is not new.
Football supporters around the world have questioned England’s tendency to enter major tournaments with enormous expectations.
Some opponents enjoy mocking the āIt’s Coming Homeā slogan precisely because of the contrast between expectation and results.
But the problem is that the slogan does not actually guarantee anything.
It is a song.
It is a chant.
It is supporters expressing optimism.
And that is the argument Kane could make.
Fans are allowed to dream.
Players are allowed to believe.
And opponents are allowed to laugh when those dreams fail.
That is football.
The reported Kane reaction changes the story
What makes this particular storyline explode is the claim that Kane was furious.
Suddenly, the discussion is no longer simply about ModriÄ’s opinion.
It becomes a battle between two footballing cultures.
On one side is England’s belief that football can finally return home.
On the other is the perspective of a player who has repeatedly experienced the pressure of English football from the opposite side.
ModriÄ has seen England celebrate too early.
Kane has seen England suffer too late.
Both understand tournament football.
Both understand pressure.
And both understand how quickly football can change.
Kane’s response would be about more than ModriÄ
If Kane did respond strongly, it would probably not simply be because ModriÄ criticised a song.
It would be because the phrase represents something larger.
It represents the supporters who travel thousands of miles to watch England.
It represents children wearing England shirts.
It represents generations of fans who have spent years believing that one day England will finally lift another major international trophy.
Kane has been one of the players expected to make that dream happen.
That is a heavy responsibility.
And it explains why comments questioning England’s confidence can become emotionally charged.
England’s problem has never been a lack of belief
The bigger issue has always been converting belief into trophies.
That distinction matters.
England have produced talented generations.
They have reached major finals.
They have reached semi-finals.
They have had golden generations.
They have had world-class strikers.
They have had elite midfielders.
They have had some of the world’s best defenders and goalkeepers.
But international football is decided by moments.
A missed penalty.
A deflection.
A tactical decision.
A goal in extra time.
A save.
A red card.
One mistake can change an entire tournament.
That is why āIt’s Coming Homeā remains a chant rather than a prediction.
Nobody knows what will happen.
ModriÄ understands that better than most
ModriÄ’s career is built on the same reality.
Croatia’s extraordinary tournament record has not come from avoiding pressure.
It has come from surviving it.
The Croatian midfielder has experienced World Cup finals, semi-finals, extra-time battles and penalty shootouts.
He understands that believing you can win is only the beginning.
You still have to survive the moments.
That is perhaps why comments attributed to him about England would have such an impact.
When a player with his experience questions England’s famous confidence, people listen.
And when Kane appears to take exception, the story becomes irresistible.
The rivalry continues even without a match
Perhaps the most fascinating part of this entire saga is that England and Croatia do not even need to be playing each other for the rivalry to continue.
One interview is enough.
One comment is enough.
One mention of āIt’s Coming Homeā is enough.
Suddenly, supporters remember 2018.
They remember Trippier’s free-kick.
They remember PeriŔiĒs equaliser.
They remember extra time.
They remember MandžukiÄ.
And Croatian supporters remember the opposite.
They remember reaching the World Cup final.
They remember ModriÄ leading the midfield.
They remember defeating England when the pressure was at its highest.
Football never forgets.
Kane now faces another chapter
For Harry Kane, the story is also part of a larger personal journey.
He has already experienced disappointment with England.
He has already experienced major tournament heartbreak.
But he has continued.
He has continued scoring.
He has continued leading.
He has continued wearing the captain’s armband.
And he has continued believing.
That is why any suggestion that England should stop dreaming would likely be met with resistance.
The England captain cannot ask supporters to stop believing.
His job is to help turn that belief into something tangible.
And that is where the real drama lies
Maybe ModriÄ’s comments were intended as criticism.
Maybe they were simply observations about the enormous pressure surrounding England.
Maybe the reaction attributed to Kane has been exaggerated by the football world.
But the debate itself is real.
England will continue saying āIt’s Coming Home.ā
Opposing supporters will continue laughing when England fall short.
Players will continue insisting they believe.
And former opponents like ModriÄ will continue reminding everyone that belief does not guarantee victory.
That is what makes football so unpredictable.
The chant can fill a stadium.
The headlines can declare a new golden generation.
The supporters can dream.
But eventually, the players have to prove it on the pitch.
And perhaps that is the message buried underneath this entire ModriÄ-Kane saga.
England can say āIt’s Coming Home.ā
Croatia can laugh.
Kane can be angry.
But when the whistle blows, none of those words matter.
Only the football does.
And if England eventually do lift another major international trophy, the phrase that their opponents once mocked will suddenly sound very different.
Until then, however, every mention of āIt’s Coming Homeā is guaranteed to reopen the debate.
And with Luka ModriÄ on one side of the conversation and Harry Kane on the other, this particular football argument is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.