With the appointment of new manager Slaven Bilić, Modrić earned greater recognition at international level, scoring his first goal in Croatia's 2–0 friendly win over Italy on 16 August 2006 in Livorno.
In early August 2006, he was called up by the Croatian national team's new coach Slaven Bilić to be part of the team in their friendly match against Italy on 16 August 2006 in Livorno and appeared in the match as a second-half substitute.
In the beginning of the 2012–13 season, after the appointment of Slaven Bilić as a manager, Yanbayev lost his position in the starting XI to Andrey Yeshchenko.