Croatia NT media guide for the FIFA World Cup 2022

HRVATSKA CROATIA

Marijan Kustić | HNS President

Zlatko Dalić | Head coach

Croatian Football Federation | About us

Presidents, General secretaries and Head coaches

Croatian football history

Individual awards

Accomplishments & Awards

Croatians on top of Europe and the world

UEFA EURO 1996 ENGLAND | A masterpiece debut

1998 FIFA WORLD CUP FRANCE | They came, they saw, they amazed the world

1998 GOLDEN BOOT | Davor Šuker

2002 FIFA WORLD CUP KOREA/JAPAN | Three-minute frenzy not enough

UEFA EURO 2004 PORTUGAL | Effort present, reward absent

2006 FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY | Emotional rollercoaster without a happy-end

UEFA EURO 2008 AUSTRIA/SWITZERLAND | Haunting heartbreak

UEFA EURO 2012 POLAND/UKRAINE | Quality work undone by finalists

2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL | Opening festivities, closing calamities

UEFA EURO 2016 FRANCE | Old place, new fire

2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA | (Un)real

2018 GOLDEN BALL | Luka Modrić

UEFA EURO 2020 EUROPE | Refusing to disappoint

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE | It's no fairytale... or is it?

All competitive matches of the Croatia national football team in history

CROATIA @ WORLD CUP 2022 | Head coach

CROATIA @ WORLD CUP 2022 | Coaching staff

CROATIA @ WORLD CUP 2022 | Team

CROATIA @ WORLD CUP 2022 | Delegation members, Medical staff & Logistics

Croatian internationals

Fun facts

The Republic of Croatia | A Jewel on the Adriatic

Croatia | A Nation of Athletes

World Cup 2022 Match Schedule

Publisher: Hrvatski nogometni savez / Croatian Football Federation, Ulica grada Vukovara 269a, Zagreb

Editor: Tomislav Pacak | Graphic and Technical Editor: Nikša Martinac | Journalists: Marko Cvijanović, Borna Rupnik

Photo: Drago Sopta, Dražen Patarčić, HNS Archives, FIFA, UEFA

We are arriving to Doha full of optimism that the team is ready to make our fans proud and excited once again.

Dear football friends,

Four years ago, one nation showed to the whole world that football is not about the size of the population or the country Croatia became the smallest country since Uruguay in 1950 to reach the FIFA World Cup final, and during that unforgettable month in Russia, we captured the hearts of fans all over the world with our play, our unity, and our passion.

It seems like only yesterday we received our well-deserved silver medals, but a lot has changed in our team since then. After a big result, it is normal in sports to have a difficult period, but led by our great head coach, Zlatko Dalić, Croatia never had that let-down. As group winners, we qualified for UEFA EURO 2020,

The main protagonist is still the same – Luka Modrić is as good as ever, fresh off leading Real Madrid to another Champions League title, and ready to recapture the magic of 2018. With Luka, Mateo Kovačić, and Marcelo Brozović, Croatia has one of the best – if not the best – midfields in the world. Perišić, Lovren, and Vida are still here to provide experience and leadership. What’s changed since 2018? We have new depth, excellent young players who are ambitious, hungry, and full of energy We are excited to introduce this new Croatian talent on the biggest stage, with players such as Joško Gvardiol, Josip Šutalo, Borna Sosa, or Lovro Majer bound to have a positive impact on our team.

We are excited to be in Qatar, for the first World Cup in this part of the world. We are aware of different challenges leading up his tournament, but the World Cup is, more than anything, a elebration of football, and we hope to focus on football. We are illed to have another chance to show the joy, fervor, and unity hat our team plays with every time they step on the pitch to resent our country Therefore, we do not have any pressure her than to show that immense pride of representing Croatia a global stage – that is what the Croatian team is all about.

Let's enjoy another exciting football ride!

Marijan Kustić

President of the Croatian Football Federation

I am thrilled that today, I see the same passion, togetherness, and team spirit that we had in 2018.

It is impossible to start this preview about the upcoming FIFA World Cup without thinking about the previous one Russia 2018 will forever be inscribed in our memories and hearts because we experienced so much joy, emotion, and pride that we shared with the whole nation. We felt certain pain and sadness after the final loss against a great France team, but when we came back to Zagreb that heartbreak quickly went away. More than half a million people welcomed us as heroes, as winners, and only at that point did we truly understand the importance of our result in Russia for the whole Croatian nation.

A lot has changed since then – not only in the world, but in our team as well. Many of our key players retired from the team (Rakitić, Vrsaljko, Subašić) or from football in general – that includes Mario Mandžukić and Vedran Ćorluka, who are now important members of my technical staff. Those players were an integral part of the national team for a decade, and it would hurt any team to lose them.

However, I truly enjoyed working with the team after the World Cup, and especially since EURO 2020. We integrated a lot of young, ambitious, and talented players, and we developed

leadership off the pitch; he leads by example and makes sure that our team stays humble, yet forceful. When your captain is the first to work hard during training sessions, or wears his heart on the sleeve during the match, it is easy for everybody else to follow

Qualifying for the Nations League Final Four is an impressive achievement for us, and it gave us a big confidence boost ahead of the FIFA World Cup. There are not many teams who would be able to go to Copenhagen and Paris, and in a span of three days, beat Denmark and France. Those kinds of results prove that Croatia is, once again, capable of beating anybody when we are humble, respectful, disciplined, hard-working, and willing to sacrifice for the team.

We have a ton of respect for our opponents – Morocco, one of the best African teams year after year; Canada, who beat out strong Mexico and USA teams to top their qualifying group; and Belgium, which has been among the top teams in the world for the last 10 years. However, they will also have to deal with a difficult opponent – I believe that we will be at our best in Qatar, ready to make our fans proud, and remind neutral fans why they ed-and-white checkered team four years o again.

Zlatko Dalić

Croatia national team Head coach

službeni sponzor Hrvatske nogometne reprezentacije

HRVATSKI NOGOMETNI SAVEZ

CROATIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION

Founded: 13. 06. 1912

FIFA affiliation: 17. 07. 1941. / 03. 07. 1992 | UEFA affiliation: 17. 06. 1993

President: Davor Šuker

Most caps: Luka Modrić (155) | Top scorer: Davor Šuker (45)

FIFA World Cup - 6 final tournaments out of 7 competitions (since 1996)

EURO - 6 final tournaments out of 7 competitions (since 1998)

1/4 final Bronze medal group stage didnot qualify round of 16 Silver medal group stage group stage group stage group stage 1/4 final didnot qualify

round of 16 qualified

All time record: 355 matches; 187 wins - 93 draws - 75 losses; goal difference: 617:360

FIFA code: CRO FIFA World Ranking rd

Best ranking: 3 place - 1999 th Worst ranking: 125 place - 1994 th Current ranking: 12 place - 10/2022

Top scorers (20+): 45 Davor Šuker 33 Mario Mandžukić 32 Ivan Perišić 29 Eduardo da Silva 23 Luka Modrić 22 Darijo Srna 20 Andrej Kramarić 20 Ivica Olić

Most caps (100+): 155 Luka Modrić 134 Darijo Srna 116 Ivan Perišić 114 Stipe Pletikosa 106 Ivan Rakitić 105 Josip Šimunić 104 Ivica Olić 103 Vedran Ćorluka 100 Domagoj Vida 100 Dario Šimić

Tomislav Svetina

Executive Director

Vladimir Iveta HNS Secretary Neven Šprajcer Head of Competition Stipe Pletikosa Technical Director

Jurica Bodrožić Head of General Affairs

Petar Krpan Head of Football Development Ružica Bajrić Head of Finance and Accounting

Executive Committee of the Croatian Football Federation

top row: Ile Topuzović, member; Drago Lucić, member; Mato Kljaić, member; Josip Kuterovac, member; Đuro Bukvić, member; Darko Raić Sudar, member; Ante Kulušić, member; Davor Ivić, member; Božidar Šikić, member; bottom row: Nenad Horvatić, member; Mario Smodlaka, vice-president; Nenad Črnko, vice-president; Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović, first vice-president; Marijan Kustić, president; Slavko Prišćan, vice-president; Damir Mišković, vice-president; Robert Markulin, member; Tomislav Svetina, executive director Croatian Football Federation Management

Ante Cicvarić Head of Marketing and Promotion

Andrea Dokuš Head of Infrastructure and Investments

Jurica Jurjević Head of Safety, Prevention and Integrity

Tomislav Pacak Head of Communications

Josip Tomaško Head of International Affairs

Igor Pristovnik Head of Referees Department

Ivančica Sudac Head of Club Licensing

prof. dr. Milovan Zoričić 1912 - 1914

Vladimir Očić 1914 dr. Milan Graf 1914 - 1919 dr. Ivo Kraljević 1939 - 1941 dr. Rudolf Hitrec 1941 - 1942

Vatroslav Petek 1942 - 1944 dr. Rinaldo Čulić 1944 - 1945

Mijo Hršak 1945 - 1947 Lazo Vračarić 1947 - 1950 inž. Boris Bakrač 1950 - 1953 Vlado Ranogajec 1953 - 1957

Zvonimir Klobučar 1914 - 1918

Janko Justin 1918 - 1919 Fran Šuklje 1918 - 1919 Velimir Lamza 1939 - 1940

Julije Frangen 1939 - 1940 Bogdan Cuvaj 1939 - 1940 Mijo Hršak 1940 - 1941 Josip Šikić 1940 - 1941

Mirko Oklobdžij

Pero Splivalo 1959 - 1965 Luka Bajakić 1965 - 1966 Bruno Knežević 1966 - 1971 Ivan Kolić 1971 - 1976 Vlato Bogatec 1976 - 1978 Ljubo Španjol 1978 - 1981 Željko Huber 1981 - 1982 Dušan Veselinović 1982 - 1984 Milivoj Ražov 1984 - 1985 Adam Sušanj 1985 - 1986

dr. Mladen Vedriš 1990 - 1994

dr. Damir Matovinović 1994 - 1995 Đuro Brodarac 1995

Nadan Vidošević 1995 - 1996 dr. Josip Šoić 1996 - 1997

Branko Mikša 1997 - 1998

Vlatko Marković 1998 - 2012 Davor Šuker 2012 - 2021 Marijan Kustić 2021 -

Hugo Kinert 1918 - 1919

Jozo Jakopić 1939 - 1941 dr.Rudolf Hitrec 1941 Bogdan Cuvaj 1941 - 1943

Bernard Hügl 1943 - 1945

Bruno Knežević 1956 Leo Lemešić 1956

Valent Malović 1940 - 1941 Vatroslav Petek 1941 Julije Frangen 1941 - 1943 Mirko Oklobdžija 1954 - 1957 Vlado Bogatec 1957 - 1959 Boris Tepšić 1959 - 1962 Ante Pavlović 1962 - 1981 prof. Marko Jurić 1981 - 1990

Presidents General secretaries Head coaches

Franjo Wölfl 1956

Dražan Jerković 1990 - 1991 Stanko Poklepović 1992 Vlatko Marković 1993 Miroslav Blažević 1994 - 2000 Tomislav Ivić 1995 Mirko Jozić 2000 - 2002

Duško Grabovac 1990 - 1995

Ante Pavlović 1995 - 1996 Josip Čop 1996 - 1998

Zorislav Srebrić 1998 - 2012

Damir Vrbanović (executive director) 2012 - 2019 Marijan Kustić (executive director) 2019 - 2021 Tomislav Svetina (executive director) 2021 -

Otto Barić 2002 - 2004

Zlatko Kranjčar 2004 - 2006 Slaven Bilić 2006 - 2012

Igor Štimac 2012 - 2013 Niko Kovač 2013 - 2015 Ante Čačić 2015 - 2017 Zlatko Dalić 2017 -

OSTAVI SRCE ZA HRVATSKU!

Energija koja pokreće Hrvatsku

Newspaper article about the first unofficial match of the Croatian national team against Slavia in Prague (1907).

Croatian football history

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Long Croatian football history dates back to the end of the 19 century, when the English came to Rijeka to build a factory and in their free time played the first football matches on Croatian soil, although the Croats didn't participate.

The English industrialists have afterwards arrived to the Croatian city of Županja. Upon their arrival, they have started to employ local people, and then taught the young citizens of Županja their games, especially football. The English spent their after-work time playing with a small, round, compact leather ball. They passed the ball, kicked it around and soon they explained the rules of the game to the locals and finally left them the ball as a gift.

Football continued to be played in Županja, while the first football was found in 1979 in the Vladimir Nazor Street, in a typical bordercrossing guardhouse, approximately two centuries old. The ball was made from natural leather with flaps, one of which was missing. The owner inherited the ball from his ancestors, employed by the tannin factory founded by the English.

The first book about football, including the game rules, has been printed in Zagreb in 1896. An improved book of rules, along with explanations and guidelines, has been published in 1908. Football has been played by Croats through the gymnastic organization Croatian Falcon, while the first Croatian sports club committed to

football was the First Football and Sports Club Zagreb, founded in 1903.

Before the World War I, some English teams have visited Zagreb and Croatia, where they have been defeated by the Croatian club HAŠK, and after the World War I, the Split team played several matches against the teams of English battleship sailors, anchored throughout the Adriatic. Professional coaches arrived to Croatia in 1914 to train and lead Croatian teams.

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At the beginning of the 20 century, when first football clubs were founded in Croatia, football leaders wanted to found a national football federation, but the political circumstances didn't allow it. After the first public football game between HAŠK and PNIŠK, played in Zagreb in front of the University Library in 1906, the Croats developed even bigger desire to establish a national football federation. Three years later, the Croatian Sports Federation was founded.

In 1912, the oldest and most prominent football employees in Croatia, Milovan Zoričić, Zvonimir Klobučar, Ivan Pipinić, Hinko Würth, Dragutin Albrecht, and Branko Gavella, took over the stage to develop and improve football in Croatia. They can therefore be considered as some of the first members of the newly founded Croatian Football Federation.

SRCEM U IGRI, IGROM ZA SRCE.

ukas and Vladimir Beara, members of FIFA «Rest of the World» team in match against England 1953.

First match of the Croatian national team in modern history against USA in Zagreb on 17 October 1990.

Although the Croatian Football Federation has been founded in 1912, the Croatia national team played its first international matches already in 1907 in Prague against Slavia. HNS continued its work during the World War I and II, including the struggle for equality within the Yugoslav Football Federation. Thus, Croatia participated in a joint football history within the former Yugoslavia, and numerous Croatian teams participated in the European Cup/Champions League and other UEFA competitions, while Croatian players participated in European Championships and World Cups in Yugoslav colours. Among the top goalscorers of the 1960 UEFA EURO and 1962 FIFA World Cup was Croatia striker Dražan Jerković, while Josip Skoblar won a Golden Boot as a Olympique Marseille player in 1970/71.

With the establishment of the sovereign, independent and democratic Republic of Croatia in 1990, Croatian football also became independent and the HNS started to work on further development of the most popular sport in the country and the world. Croatia was admitted to FIFA in 1992, although a first admission dates back in 1941, while in 1993 Croatia was admitted to UEFA.

The first official Croatian international match after gaining independence was an October 1990 friendly between Croatia and USA, played at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Afterwards, Croatia was successful in the EURO 1996 qualifying, and later secured the quarterfinal stage. Two years Later, at the FIFA World Cup in France, the national team won the bronze medal. At the same tournament,

Croatia striker Davor Šuker, the curren president of HNS, was the top goalscorer wit six goals and has therefore won the Golden Boot award Additionally, Šuker is the top Croatian goalscorer in history with 45 goals (69 caps).

Twenty years after the great achievement in France, the generation led by captain Luka Modrić achieved the greatest success in the history of Croatian football by winning a silver medal at World cup in Russia 2018. The best promotion for Croatian football in Russia was the Golden Ball in the hands of Luka Modrić. No one was left indifferent, and no one ever will be, to Croatia's performances at Russian pitches and to the brilliance of the tournament's best player

They’ve tried in Austria at Euro 2008 (quarter-final), a trauma remained. They’ve tried in Poland/Ukraine at Euro 2012 and in Brazil at WC 2014, it didn’t work out. They’ve also tried it in France at Euro 2016 (1/8 final) Tears again In Russia they’ve finally succeeded.

In its short history since gaining independence, Croatia has secured 12 major competitions berths in 14 qualifying rounds, and has produced many successful and talented players. Today, they lead not only the Croatia senior national team, but also the very successful youth national teams, as well as top European clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, etc.

Mir osla v Ćir o Blaže vić, Head coach in France 1998.

Josip Skoblar

Dražan Jerković

Zvonimir Boban i Rober Prosinečki

Davor Šuker

Luka Modrić

Individual awards

Dražan Jerković

Joint top Goalscorer (World Cup)

Robert Prosinečki

Golden Ball (U-20 World Cup)

Zvonimir Boban

Silver Ball (U-20 World Cup)

Davor Šuker

2nd best Goalscorer (U-20 World Cup)

Robert Prosinečki

Best Young Player (World Cup)

Davor Šuker

Golden Player and Top Goalscorer (U-21 European Championship)

Davor Šuker

Team of the Tournament (EURO)

Davor Šuker

Golden Booth (World Cup)

Davor Šuker

Silver Ball (World Cup)

Davor Šuker

All Star Team (World Cup)

Luka Modrić Team of the Tournament (EURO)

Ante Pavlović

UEFA Order of Merit - Emerald

Mario Mandžukić

Joint top Goalscorer (EURO)

Zorislav Srebrić

UEFA Order of Merit - Diamond

Luka Modrić

Silver Ball (FIFA Club World Cup)

Luka Modrić

UEFA Team of the Year

Luka Modrić

Golden Ball (FIFA Club World Cup)

Luka Modrić

UEFA Best Midfielder

Luka Modrić

UEFA Team of the Year

Luka Modrić

Golden Ball (FIFA World Cup)

Luka Modrić Player of the Year (UEFA)

Luka Modrić

UEFA Best Midfielder

Luka Modrić

UEFA Team of the Year

Josip Skoblar

22nd place (Ballon d'Or)

Josip Skoblar

6th place (Ballon d'Or)

Zlatko Vujović 19th place (Ballon d'Or)

Robert Prosinečki 12th place (Ballon d'Or)

Robert Prosinečki 4th place (FIFA Footballer of the Year)

Robert Prosinečki 5th place (Ballon d'Or)

Alen Bokšić 4th place (Ballon d'Or)

Zvonimir Boban 24th place (Ballon d'Or)

Davor Šuker 17th place (Ballon d'Or)

Zvonimir Boban 23rd place (Ballon d'Or)

Davor Šuker 8th place (FIFA Footballer of the Year)

Davor Šuker 6th place (Ballon d'Or)

Alen Bokšić 13th place (Ballon d'Or)

Davor Šuker 7th place (FIFA Footballer of the Year)

Davor Šuker 2nd place (Ballon d'Or)

Davor Šuker 3rd place (FIFA Footballer of the Year)

Alen Bokšić 17th place (FIFA Footballer of the Year)

Ivan Rakitić 23rd place (FIFA Ballon d'Or)

Luka Modrić FIFA FIFPro World XI

Luka Modrić 17th place (Ballon d'Or)

Luka Modrić FIFA FIFPro World XI Luka Modrić 13th place (FIFA The Best) Luka Modrić FIFA FIFPro World XI

Luka Modrić 6th place (FIFA The Best) Luka Modrić 5th place (Ballon d'Or)

Luka Modrić

FIFA FIFPro World XI

Luka Modrić

Player of the Year (FIFA The Best)

Luka Modrić

Player of the Year (Ballon d'Or)

Ivan Rakitić 19th place (Ballon d'Or)

Mario Mandžukić 25th place (Ballon d'Or)

Luka Modrić

FIFA FIFPro World XI

Luka Modrić FIFA FIFPro World XI

Luka Modrić 29th place (Ballon d'Or)

Luka Modrić 9th place (Ballon d'Or)

Bronze medal @

FIFA World Cup France 1998™

Silver medal @ FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™

World Cups European Championships

UEFA EURO 1996 England: Quarterfinals

UEFA EURO 2004 Portugal: Group stage

UEFA EURO 2008 Austria/Switzerland: Quarterfinals

UEFA EURO 2012 Poland/Ukraine: Group stage

UEFA EURO 2016 France: Round of 16

1992

1994 1996

1996 2004 2008 2012 2016 2021 2018 2022

1998 2002 2006 2014

FIFA World Cup 1998 France: Third place

FIFA World Cup 2002 Korea/Japan: Group stage

FIFA World Cup 2006 Germany: Group stage

FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil: Group stage

FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia: Second place

Accomplishments & Awards

Croatian Olympic Committee award "Matija Ljubek”

FIFA Best Mover of the Year

Hassan II Trophy: Winners

Team of the Year (Croatian daily "Sportske novosti”)

State award for sport "Franjo Bučar”

Team of the Year (Croatian daily "Sportske novosti”)

FIFA Best mover of the Year

Korea cup: Winners

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

Team of the Year (Croatian daily "Sportske novosti")

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

Team of the Year (Croatian daily "Sportske novosti")

1999 1999 2001 2001 2005 2006 2007 2008 2008 2014 2015 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 X. UEFA Congress

tournament

Blue flower - Croatian National Tourist Board award

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

State award for sport "Franjo Bučar”

Charter of Republic of Croatia

Team of the year (Croatian Olympic Committee)

Best promoter of Croatia (Croatian Olympic Committee)

UEFA U17 EURO 2017 Final tournament

tournament XXXII. UEFA Congress

Final

UEFA Futsal Champions League Final Zadar 2021

UEFA TEP strategy meeting and UEFA Executive Committee meeting

Croatians on top of Europe and World Winners

UEFA EUROPEAN CUP / UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Robert Prosinečki (Red Star Belgrade)

Alen Bokšić (Olympique Marseille)

UEFA CUP WINNERS’ CUP (CWC)

UEFA CUP (UC) / UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE (EL)

Zlatko Čajkovski (Bayern, coach - CWC)

Mladen Ramljak (Feyenoord - UC)

UEFA SUPERCUP

Tomislav Ivić (Porto, coach)

Zvonimir Boban (Milan) Alen Bokšić (Juventus)

FIFA INTERCONTINENTAL CUP / FIFA CLUB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Tomislav Ivić (Porto, coach)

Alen Bokšić (Juventus)

Zvonimir Boban (Milan)

Davor Šuker (Real Madrid)

Dario Šimić (Milan)

Igor Bišćan (Liverpool)

Dario Šimić (Milan)

Mario Mandžukić (Bayern)

Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona)

Mateo Kovačić, Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)

Ivan Perišić (Bayern)

Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea)

Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Luka Peruzović (Anderlecht - UC)

Alen Bokšić (Lazio - CWC)

Mario Stanić (Parma - UC)

Ivica Olić (CSKA - UC)

Ivica Križanac (Zenit- UC)

Darijo Srna(Shakhtar - UC)

Ivan Rakitić (Sevilla - EL)

Šime Vrsaljko(Atletico M. - EL)

Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea - EL)

Kristijan Jakić(Eintracht - EL)

Runners-up

UEFA EUROPEAN CUP / UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

UEFA CUP WINNERS’ CUP (CWC)

UEFA CUP (UC) / UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE (EL)

1980 Ivan Buljan, Branko Zebec (coach) (HSV)

1995 Zvonimir Boban (Milan)

1997 Alen Bokšić (Juventus)

2002 Marko Babić, Jurica Vranješ, Boris Živković (Bayer)

2003 Igor Tudor (Juventus)

2004 Dado Pršo (Monaco)

2010 Ivica Olić, Danijel Pranjić (Bayern)

2012 Ivica Olić, Danijel Pranjić (Bayern)

2017 Mario Mandžukić, Marko Pjaca (Juventus)

2018 Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)

1985 Zlatko Kranjčar, Otto Barić (coach) (Rapid Vienna - CWC)

1994 Nikola Jurčević, Damir Mužek, Otto Barić (coach) (Austria Salzburg - UC)

1995 Robert Jarni (Juventus - UC)

1998 Zvonimir Soldo (Stuttgart - CWC)

2000 Davor Šuker (Arsenal - UC)

2015 Nikola Kalinić (Dnipro - EL)

2016 Dejan Lovren (Liverpool - EL)

2020 Marcelo Brozović (Inter - EL)

Alen Bokšić (Lazio)

Igor Bišćan (Liverpool) Dario Šimić (Milan)

Ivica Križanac (Zenit)

Mario Mandžukić (Bayern)

Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Alen Halilović, Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona)

Mateo Kovačić, Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Nikola Kalinić (Atletico Madrid)

Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea)

Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Robert Jarni, Davor Šuker (Real Madrid)

Niko Kovač, Robert Kovač (Bayern)

Dario Šimić (Milan)

Mario Mandžukić (Bayern)

Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona)

Mateo Kovačić, Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea)

UEFA SUPERCUP

1977 Ivan Buljan (HSV)

1998 Robert Jarni (Real Madrid)

2001 Niko Kovač, Robert Kovač

2009 Darijo Srna

2018 Luka Modrić

2019 Mateo Kovačić

2020 Ivan Rakitić

2022 Kristijan Jakić

FIFA INTERCONTINENTAL CUP / FIFA CLUB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1991 Mirko Jozić (Colo Colo, coach)

1994 Zvonimir Boban (Milan)

2022 Borna Barišić (Glasgow Rangers - EL)

UEFA EURO 1996 ENGLAND

A masterpiece debut

With the independence war in their homeland barely over, Croatia internationals were on a special mission in England, the cradle of football. They had to introduce their football-loving country to Europe and to the world, and to present the sheer class in Miroslav Blažević's team. Defeating World Cup runner-up Italy away in qualifying campaign, and finishing above the Azzurri, was certainly a good omen.

And Croatia did not disappoint, not in the least. Producing some of the historic European Championships moments, Croatia won its premiere, then sent the defending champions Denmark home, and even came close to upsetting future champions Germany in the quest for the semifinals stage.

Goran Vlaović was the hero of the clash of the debutants, outrunning Turkey defender Özalan in the 86th minute (1:0), and Davor Šuker's icing on the victorious cake against Denmark (3:0) is still ranked among the best goals of any major competition. Brilliant chip over Schmeichel made Croatia one of the talking points of the tournament.

With second round firmly in its hands, Croatia could afford to lose to Portugal (0:3), and was ready to create a sensation against the ever-winning Germans. Klinsmann penalty was a setback, but Šuker had more magic at his disposal. Soon after half-time, he beat Köpke with a masterpiece and it was all back to square one.

Minutes later, Igor Štimac was sent off, and Sammer was quick to convert a somewhat doubtful Germany move (1:2). Despite this scenario, Croatia returned home with a head held high.

The footballing public was now very familiar with the names of Ladić, Bilić, Jarni, Prosinečki, Boban, Asanović, Šuker, and other Croatian stars, and the more perceptive may have even realized what was about to happen in France.

1998 FIFA WORLD CUP FRANCE

Joining the world elite for the first time, Croatia has written a fairytale to be narrated over and over, a story that helped putting one small, emerging country onto the global map. In 1998, time stopped for a month for the people of Croatia, as their sporting idols embarked on a journey that made football the first topic of the morning and the last in the evening.

The French city of Lens became the focus of attention, as the young, football-crazed nation of Croatia awaited the premiere of its national team at the World Cup stage, after impressive EURO 1996 performance and scraping through a difficult qualifying campaign.

With Jamaican debutants as opponents, Mario Stanić signed up for the historic first goal. Earle's equalizer did not distract policeman hat-wearing coach Miroslav Blažević's troops. A pinch of Robert Prosinečki's magic and the first of Davor Šuker's goals generated three points.

Good became even better Summer heat torture under the French sun against the feisty Japanese was deadlocked until 77th minute, when Šuker once again proved his worth and Croatia made it two out of two, with a place in the knockout stage firmly in hand.

Thus, even better became excellent. Defeat against Argentina in the contest for the Group H top spot (0:1), therefore, was quickly forgotten.

And excellent soon became euphoric. Blonde-dyed Romanians in the Round of 16 were dealt with another Šuker sang-froid moment, in the dying minutes of the first half, to the anger of the helpless goalie Stelea.

Euphoric then became unbelievable. Stade Gerland in Lyon, adorned with an enormous red-white-and-blue flag, from that night on a sacred ground for Croatians, witnessed the fall of the ten-man German giant. Wörns sending off set the scene: for Robert Jarni to shoot from outside of the box to draw the first blood, for Dražen Ladić to produce one of the saves of the tournament, for GoranVlaović to extend the lead, and for DavorŠuker to put the icing on the cake.

Unbelievable became a dream fulfilled. Almost. Croatia was in the World Cup final for one minute. Just after the break of the semifinal showdown with France, Šuker stunned the hosts and Croatia dared to dream. With the dream to be thrashed by an unlikely figure, French defender Thuram. He revived the Les Blues scoring the only two international goals of his career, the immediate equalizer and the 69th minute winner, and Croatia could not recover What was left for heartbroken Croatia was to win the bronze medal at the Parc des Princes.

Mission was accomplished in an entertaining encounter with Netherlands, Prosinečki and Šuker finding the target. The deserved, long-lasting celebrations on and off the streets could now take their final shape. Croatia returned home for a hero's welcome, with the memories and pride to last for eternity

They came, they saw, they amazed the world

DAVOR ŠUKER 1998 Golden Boot

Davor Šuker, the current president of the Croatian Football Federation, carved in France his place in football history. Scoring six goals, he won the Golden Boot award and forever ranks among the greats like Ronaldo, Lineker, Rossi, Kempes, G. Müller, Eusebio, Fontaine, Kocsis and others that have accomplished this feat. To this day, Šuker is also the best goalscorer of the Croatian national team, with 45 goals in 69 matches.

Against Jamaica, Japan, and Germany he managed to squeeze the ball behind the opponents' goalkeepers, while against Romania he had to retake his penalty kick and kept his nerve, famously checking his pulse beforehand. Asanović splendidly put him through in the semifinal stage to calmly beat Barthez in one-on-one situation, and for his grand finale he found Van der Sar's opposite corner with surgical precision to claim the goalscoring title and win the bronze-medal match for Croatia.

2002 FIFA WORLD C KOREA/JAPAN

Three-minute frenzy not enough

Croatia qualified for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea ahead of Belgium, under the head coach Mirko Jozić, the successor of triumphant Miroslav Blažević, and the captaincy of the "golden generation" stars Davor Šuker and RobertJarni. However, the Japan adventure was brought to a halt in group stage already

The chequered team peaked during the three-minute frenzy against Italy in the second match, when Ivica Olić and MilanRapaić between 73rd and 76th minute cancelled Vieri's opener and secured a memorable 2:1 win.

Euphoria in the Croatian ranks and among the travelling fans, as well as those back in homeland, was not diminished by Italy's disallowed goals, and once again a lot was expected from the World Cup.

Back in business, after the opening defeat against Mexico - with Živković sent off and Blanco scoring from the penalty spot - Croatia was left to deal with the debutants Ecuador

The decider was not Croatia's finest hour, and none of the rare opportunities were made to count. The South Americans took their chance, Mendez finding the way to Pletikosa's net at the very beginning of the second half. Jozić's men never recovered and headed back home, though claiming the third place ahead of Ecuadorians on goal-difference, while Mexico and Italy progressed to the second round.

Joseph Anthony Didulica

Dario Šimić

Josip Šimunić Tomo Šokota Mario Tokić Stjepan Tomas Igor Tudor Vladimir Vasilj Boris Živković

Head coach: Otto Barić

UEFA EURO 2004 PORTUGAL Effort present,reward absent

Having missed the 2000 tournament in Belgium and Netherlands, Croatia struggled to reach its second European Championships, and had to eliminate the sturdy Slovenian neighbours in the edgy two-legged qualifying play-offs.

The prize was a Group B draw alongside Switzerland, France, and England, and the majority of Croatia's hopes and dreams were invested in the opening match with the Swiss in Leiria. Otto Barić's men had the upper hand, Switzerland had Vogel sent off and an occasional threat, but both teams had ultimately to settle for a single point (0:0).

The second task for Croatia was to prove itself against the current European champions France, encouraged by lastgaps victory over the English. In the first half, Tudor own goal gave the French the edge, but in the opening minutes of the second half Croatia reversed the course of the game.

Milan Rapaić converted a spot kick to equalize, while Dado Pršo's volley rocked Barthez and suddenly it was France the hunter, and Croatia the hunted. Trezeguet finally took advantage of Croatia defensive lapses (2:2) and the decision was to be made in the final round of matches.

France did its job against Switzerland, and England recovered from the Niko Kovač's early goal in Lisbon. A single Scholes goal, alongside Rooney's brace, left Croatia a mountain to climb. Tudor cut the English advantage in half, but it was Lampard to lower the curtain (2:4) on Croatia appearance in Portugal.

Marko Babić

Boško Balaban

Ivan Bošnjak

Tomislav Butina

Joseph Anthony Didulica Ivan Klasnić

Niko Kovač Robert Kovač Niko Kranjčar Ivan Leko Jerko Leko Luka Modrić Ivica Olić Stipe Pletikosa Dado Pršo Darijo Srna Anthony Šerić Dario Šimić Josip Šimunić

Mario Tokić Stjepan Tomas Igor Tudor Jurica Vranješ

Head coach: Zlatko Kranjčar

2006 FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY

Emotional rollercoaster without a happy-end

With the world stage set next door, in Germany, Croatia enjoyed plenty of support before and throughout the tournament, and another qualifying campaign without a defeat induced high hopes. Even though Croatia was to learn how to unfold the group stage against Brazil.

The title holders, star-packed Brazilians with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Adriano, had to rely on Kaka's excellent shooting technique and his ball in the Croatia's top corner just a minute before the break.

Lost match, interestingly, gained Croatia even more support: fantastic red-and-white fans at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin and Croatia's defiance through a very good performance earned Zlatko Kranjčar's team deserved praise, thus becoming a "World Cup darling" for many.

Another extremely hot day, as in France '98, awaited Croatia's clash with Japan. This time, there was no Šuker moment, as the match ended in a goalless draw, with Croatia missing golden opportunities in the first half, when Kawaguchi stopped Srna's penalty, and NikoKranjčar hit the crossbar afterwards.

The third outing matched the excitement level of the Brazil encounter Srna's brilliant free-kick in the opening minutes steered Croatia towards the finish line, but the persistent Australians never gave up. Moore equalized after Tomas handballed in the area, only for the captain Niko Kovač - who was to lead Croatia in Brazil 2014 from the benchto restore Croatia's lead, his ball crawling under keeper Kalac.

Socceroos' relentless pressure paid off again ten minutes before the end, when Kewell made it 2:2 and paved the way for the mayhem finale with three red cards in total, including the bizarre Šimunić scene. Referee Graham Poll showed him three yellow cards before sending him off. This emotional rollercoaster in Group F remains one of the unforgettable events in Croatia's football history.

Energija koja pokreće Hrvatsku

UEFA EURO 2008 AUSTRIA/SWITZERLAND Haunting heartbreak

Following the magnificent qualifying night at Wembley, where Croatia left England without a final tournament ticket, the enthusiasm surrounding Slaven Bilić's men was difficult to curb. And they responded in style, winning all three group stage matches.

The intense opening in Vienna against one of the hosts, Austria, was resolved by Luka Modrić's penalty after just four minutes (1:0). However, Croatia made their fans tremble in the closing minutes and Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa had to give a significant contribution.

A full redemption was staged four days later in Klagenfurt, against future finalists Germany In one of the best Croatia's performances in modern history, Löw's troops fell to Darijo Srna and Ivica Olić strikes, while Podolski's consolation goal (2:1) could not stop red-and-white celebrations and quarterfinal berth was already secured.

Therefore, Bilić gave an opportunity to his reserve squad against Poland, but the feedback did not alter: Ivan Klasnić scored the decider (1:0) at the beginning of the second half, and Croatia immediately shifted its focus back to Vienna, to a clash with Turkey.

An exhausting, bravely fought encounter by both sides was deadlocked for 119 minutes. Then, the kidney transplantation hero Klasnić found the net to spark Croatian rapture, but there was a cruel twist in waiting. With the last kick of the game, Sentürk managed to equalize and the devastated Croatians could not keep a cool head in the penalty shootout, leaving Turkey to progress to the so-close-yet-so-far semifinals. With the nation in tears, Slaven Bilić said that this match will haunt Croatia for life. Time, it seems, proves him right.

UEFA EURO 2012 POLAND/UKRAINE Quality work undone by finalists

With Slaven Bilić at the helm once again, and partially settling the scores with Turkey in qualifying play-offs, Croatia went to Poland to face Republic of Ireland and, as it turned out, future finalists Italy and Spain.

The tournament could not have started better for Croatia: Mario Mandžukić long-range header flew past Given after just three minutes, yet St. Ledger soon replied for the Irish. In another key moment, just before half-time, Nikica Jelavić restored the lead, and Mandžukić sealed the 3:1 victory soon after the break.

Croatia then stayed in Poznan for the Azzurri encounter, and witnessed a moment of Pirlo's free-kick magic, having to come from behind to salvage at least a point. Twenty minutes from time, Mandžukić appeared in the right place to beat Buffon (1:1) and simultaneously become one of the top tournament goalscorers with three goals, alongside Torres, Ronaldo,Balotelli,Gomez, and Dzagoev.

Requiring a win in Gdansk to reach the second round, Croatia did extraordinary well against the reigning champions, the Spanish Tiki-Taka untouchables, and had a glorious Rakitić's chance in the second half, as well as a clear penalty call on Ćorluka denied. In 88th minute, JesusNavas crushed what was left of Croatia hopes (0:1).

This unfortunate group stage exit was also the final act of Slaven Bilić's term as the national team head coach, and Croatian Football Federation turned to IgorŠtimac to begin the road to Brazil two years later.

2014 FIFA WORLD C

Opening festivities, closing calamities

After failing to qualify for 2010 event in South Africa - the first unsuccessful Croatian World Cup campaign - the nation had great expectations of Niko Kovač's men, starting with the desired upset against the Brazilian hosts in the opening match of the tournament.

In Sao Paulo, Croatia could taste the miracle in the opening minutes when Olić's ball to Jelavić was diverted by Marcelo into his own net. However, Neymar managed to equalize in the first half, and the disputed penalty in the second half gave Brazil the lead. Finally, Oscar scored in the added time to make it 3:1.

Disappointed, Croatia held its head high and returned to winning ways in the tropical Amazonian city of Manaus, against the tricky Cameroonians. Ivica Olić entered history books in the 11th minute, scoring 12 years after his first World Cup goal, and after the break Croatia took full advantage of Song's red card.

Ivan Perišić did all of the work for Croatia's second goal, and Mario Mandžukić then took the stage with a brace, scoring a header and a rebound for the final score of 4:0, the biggest Croatian win in a major tournament.

Thus, the decider for the second round berth was staged in Recife against the persistent Mexicans. Locked at 0:0 until the 72nd minute, Croatia conceded three goals in just ten minutes (Marquez, Guardado, Hernandez), and Perišić's consolation strike in the closing minutes could not change the outcome (1:3), nor cancel the ticket back home after the group stage.

UEFA EURO 2016 FRANCE

Old place, new fire

In 2016, Croatia returned to France, the country where a World Cup bronze medal was carved 18 years ago, as the greatest success of Croatian football to date. An excellent generation led by Modrić, Rakitić, Mandžukić, and others, under the helm of head coach AnteČačić, did not hide its ambition, and in the end it did not disappoint - on the contrary.

At the ninth major tournament since gaining independence, Croatia has shined in France. Fantastic goal from Luka Modrić at the start secured the deserved victory over Turkey (1:0), and another praiseworthy performance was seen against Czech Republic. Unfortunately, with Croatia leading 2:0, hooligans' riot made the Vatreni lack concentration in the closing minutes, allowing the Czechs to earn a draw (2:2).

This point, however, was enough to secure second round, but Croatia did not stop there. A brilliant, unforgettable victory over the defending champions Spain (2:1) fascinated the entire world. Not just by the outcome, but by the manner as well: without some of the key players such as Modrić,Mandžukić, and Ćorluka.

This was a victory of "Croatia in the making", as predicted by head coach Čačić, and the final proof of the bright future for Croatia national team. At this moment, Croatia was the story of the tournament. Many experts agreed that Croatia played the best football of the competition, and the homeland was living a rarely experienced dream.

Alas, the draw and fortune did not reward Croatia. In the Round of 16 encounter in Lens, Portugal found the extra-time goal to break Croatian hearts, and went on to lift the trophy

Despite this defeat, The Vatreni were welcomed in Zagreb by hundreds of fans, thrilled by their performances and the atmosphere witnessed in France.

National team's effort, unity, skill, success, and celebrations, as well as emotional scenes such as captain Srna's tears following the loss of his father and valuable recognition of extraordinary performances from many international sources have all become another magnificent chapter in the story of the Vatreni in France.

2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA (Un)real

Following Croatia's premiere at the 1998 World Cup in France, the whole country was quite certain that topping this historic bronze medal would be very, very difficult - perhaps even completely impossible.

ZlatkoDalić and his Vatreni, however, begged to differ.

Only eight months after assuming his role as the head coach of the Croatia national team - at the time on the verge of losing their ticket to Russia - Dalić took his players on a glorious adventure, the adventure that culminated in the biggest football event on this planet, the FIFA World Cup final.

A month-long stay in Russia saw Croatia national team become a symbol of unity, pride, and persistence. Not just for their countrymen, but for football fans worldwide. Praised and congratulated, Croatia won the hearts of many, and as the top story of the tournament, Croatia's passion was a topic in every continent.

Naturally, there are no happy endings without the appropriate trials, and most importantly, without the appropriate heroes: Modrić the leader, Rebić and his uncompromising volley, Subašić and his brave saves, calm Rakitić, on-target Perišić, tireless Mandžukić, Ćorluka and his embodiment of team spirit; comebacks, extra-times, and penalty shootouts. It would be difficult to list all the unforgettable memories.

"That summer was incredible, especially when we have witnessed how the entire nation was moved. The players have achieved a historic result, for themselves, for Croatian football, and for the whole country. Those days, the nation was living with us, and for us. It will take a couple of years before we realize the magnitude of such an accomplishment, and understand how tough and how brilliant it is for a nation of four million people to win two World Cup medals in 20 years", Dalić said.

Tiny Croatia proved how great it can be, when united.

Croatia enjoyed the World Cup final when Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and other superpowers had already returned home. The world was waiting for chequered virtuosos, with Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar could but only watch on TV That day in Moscow, Croatian people were only a day away from waking up in the homeland of the, no more and no less, world champions.

The general public concurred that Croatia pores of Croatian society, setting an example happiest place on Earth.

The dream became a reality.

Vatreni, thank you!

LUKA MODRIĆ 2018 Golden Ball

The undisputed superstar of 2018, Croatia captain Luka Modrić collected numerous individual awards, with the crown jewels being the prestigious trio: Ballon d'Or, The Best FIFA Men's Player, and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year. All of these awards were, however, preceded by the renowned Golden Ball, a trophy for the best player at the biggest sporting event on the planet, the FIFA World Cup.

That summer in Russia, Luka Modrić led Croatia through thick and thin, towards a historic silver, 20 years after the historic bronze in France. His maturity, competitive spirit, humility, and work ethic set an example his teammates were happy to follow, both on and off the pitch. Two goals, including a screamer against Argentina, three Man of the Match awards, and two successful shoot-out penalties were just a part of his contribution to the amazing performances of the Croatia national team. A Golden Ball successor to Rossi, Maradona, Schillaci, Romario, Ronaldo, Kahn, Zidane, Forlan, and Messi, Luka Modrić was - in the words of the legendary Pele - a privilege to watch.

Novi vođa.

Od sada će svi automobili pratiti predstavnika nove generacije električnih vozila.

Head coach: Zlatko Dalić

UEFA EURO 2020 EUROPE

Refusing to disappoint

With a one-year postponement due to pandemic, Croatia embarked on a first major tournament as the current vicechampion of the world, and the first challenge was to face one of the hosts, future finalist England at Wembley Stadium.

Unfortunately, for the first time, Croatia lost a European Championship opening match, as Sterling scored the crucial goal on 57 minutes. Zlatko Dalić's men then relocated to Glasgow to meet the Czech Republic, and had to come from behind - Schick converted a penalty - to secure their first point. At the beginning of the second half, Perišić scored a beauty to make it 1:1.

Therefore, to reach the second round, Croatia had to defeat another host nation, Scotland at Hampden Park. Vlašić put Croatia on the right track, but McGregor replied just before the break. This set the scene for the national team captain Modrić, who restored Croatia's lead with a superb, trademark outside-of-the-boot effort. His strike was nominated for the goal of tournament, and Perišić's late header confirmed Croatia's first ever victory over Scotland (3:1).

The Round of 16 sent the Vatreni to Copenhagen, with Spain on the other side of the pitch. It was a fantastic encounter: Spain opened the scoring with a bizarre own goal, only to respond with three unanswered goals and seemingly cruising until the closing minutes.

Again, however, Croatia was not done: substitutes Oršić and Pašalić sent the supporters into a delirium as they managed to send the game into extra time (3:3). Finally, Spain prevailed (5:3) as both teams entered history books: it was the second highest-scoring EURO match ever.

Regardless of the exit, Croatia presented quality that would soon be needed to successfully complete the road to the World Cup in Qatar, simultaneously introducing top-class youngsters like Gvardiol. An unusual tournament, with sturdy Croatia refusing to disappoint.

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE

It's no fairytale... or is it?

"The Nations League was no fairytale; it was frustrating, and I have criticized the competition. Now it looks much better, as Croatia has the opportunity to lift this trophy", head coach Zlatko Dalić openly admitted as the national team was finding its route towards the Final Four in June 2023.

As a reminder, in the first two Nations League seasons, Croatia managed to win just two games, against Spain and Sweden in Zagreb, and was struggling to avoid relegation. There was no way past respectable opponents such as England, Spain, France, and Portugal, and several defeats were hard to handle.

This year, the opening home defeat to Austria seemed to confirm Croatia animosity towards the Nations League, but the Vatreni decided to rely on team spirit and unity once again, and their effort was finally rewarded. The home draw with fierce rivals France started the resurrection.

Later in June, Croatia celebrated away victories at Denmark and France - the first ever victory against Les Blues! - and then continued to perform brilliantly in September. Overcoming Denmark and Austria secured the Final Four berth, and Zlatko Dalić's men joined Netherlands, Spain, and Italy as the remaining contenders for the title.

Moreover, Croatia's younger generation proved ready to take over key roles in the national team, and through Nations ld Cup in Qatar. Now, Croatia is just two wins away from

HRVATSKA CROATIA

Zlatko Dalić was born on 26 October 1966 in Livno. During his time as a player, Dalić played for Hajduk (won Yugoslav Cup in 1983/84 season), Dinamo Vinkovci, Budućnost, Velež and Varteks.

After ending his playing career in 2000, he became an assistant coach at Varteks. From May 2002 to May 2005, Dalić worked as the club's sports director, and during the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons he simultaneously acted as an assistant coach for Miroslav Blažević. In May 2005, he was appointed manager of Varteks and in his first season at the helm he won third place in the Croatian First Division and reached the final of the Croatian Cup.

Later in his coaching career he managed Rijeka, Dinamo Tirana, with whom he won the Albanian Supercup, and, after that, Slaven Belupo. In the 2010/11 season, he became head coach of Al-Faisaly, and the club enjoyed the greatest success in its history, qualifying for the King’s Cup in the Saudi Professional League. During his Middle Eastern career he then managed Al Hilal, with whom he won the Saudi Crown Prince Cup (2012/13) and Al Ain, with whom he won UAE President’s Cup (2013/14), UAE Pro-League (2014/15) and UAE Super Cup (2015).

On 7 October 2017, after the sudden departure of Ante Čačić, the Croatian Football Federation appointed Dalić head coach of the Croatia national team. Two days later Dalić led Croatia to a 2:0 win over Ukraine in 2018 World Cup qualifiers, which also secured second place in their group and a place in the play-off. Croatia drew Greece in the play-off round and Dalić led the team to a 4:1 first-leg triumph over Greece, all but

ZLATKO DALIĆ

HEAD COACH

securing a place in the 2018 World Cup. In the return leg Croatia drew with Greece (0:0) thus securing a place in the World Cup finals. The rest is history

Dalić led the Croatian national team to the greatest success in the history by winning a silver medal at the World Cup in Russia thanks to group stage victories over Nigeria (2:0), Argentina (3:0) and Iceland (2:1), followed by penalty shootout victories over Denmark (3:2, 1:1) and Russia (4:3, 2:2) in the knockout stages, before the spectacular extra-time victory over England in the semifinals (2:1). Croatia advanced to the final where they lost 2:4 to France. For this achievement, he received the annual Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport.

At the UEFA EURO 2020 Croatia qualified for the knockout stage where it was defeated by Spain (3:5) in overtime and one of the most exciting knockout stage matches of all time. Croatia previously qualified for the knockout phase with a win against Scotland (3:1) and a draw against the Czech Republic (1:1), with a loss at the start against England (0:1).

In the FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 qualifying campaign, Croatia topped the group and secured its place at the final tournament in Qatar

DOMAGOJ

VIDA

DF AEK (GRE) 100 caps / 4 goals 29.04.1989. BORNA

JOSIP JURANOVIĆ

DF Celtic (SCO) 21 caps / no goals 16.08.1995.

DF RB Leipzig (GER) 12 caps / 1 goal 23.01.2002.

JOSIP STANIŠIĆ

DF Bayern (GER) 7 caps / no goals 02.04.2000.

MARTIN ERLIĆ

DF Sassuolo (ITA) 4 caps / no goals 24.01.1998.

JOSIP ŠUTALO

DF Dinamo (CRO) 3 caps / no goals 28.02.2000.

IVAN PERIŠIĆ

FW Tottenham (ENG) 116 caps / 32 goals 02.02.1989.

BRUNO

ANDREJ KRAMARIĆ

FW Hoffenheim (GER) 74 caps / 20 goals 19.06.1991.

MISLAV ORŠIĆ

FW Dinamo (CRO) 21 caps / 1 goal 29.12.1992.

CROATIAN

Borna Barišić Rangers (SCO)

Mateo Kovačić Chelsea (ENG)

AUT

Dejan Lovren Zenit (RUS)

Andrej Kramarić Hoffenheim (GER)

Joško Gvardiol RB Leipzig (GER)

Borna Sosa Stuttgart (GER)

Luka Sučić RB Salzburg (AUT)

FRA

Lovro Majer Rennes (FRA)

CRO ITA ESP GRE

Dominik Livaković Dinamo (CRO)

Bruno Petković Dinamo (CRO)

Mislav Oršić Dinamo (CRO)

Marcelo Brozović Inter (ITA)

Mario Pašalić Atalanta (ITA)

Luka Modrić Real Madrid (ESP)

Ante Budimir Osasuna (ESP)

Domagoj Vida AEK (GRE)

2 2 1 5 1 1 6 4 3 1

Josip Juranović Celtic (SCO)

Ivan Perišić Tottenham (ENG)

Josip Stanišić Bayern (GER)

INTERNATIONALS SCO ENG RUS GER

Kristijan Jakić Eintracht (GER)

Josip Šutalo Dinamo (CRO)

Marko Livaja Hajduk (CRO)

Ivica Ivušić Osijek (CRO)

Nikola Vlašić Torino (ITA)

Martin Erlić Sassuolo (ITA)

Ivo Grbić Atletico Madrid (ESP)

Luka Modrić made 12 appearances at three world championships for Croatia (2006, 2014, 2018) and he is the player with the most games played at the World Championships. Dario Šimić has one less appearance (11, 1998, 2002, 2006), while Robert Jarni (1998, 2002), Dejan Lovren (2014, 2018), Ivan Perišić (2014, 2018) and Ivan Rakitić (2014, 2018) have made ten appearances each.

With a call-up for the World Cup 2022, Luka Modrić becomes Croatia's absolute record holder regarding the participations in major torurnaments (World Cup & EURO). This will be his 8th consecutive major tournament since the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Darijo

Srna and Dario Šimić participated at six major tournaments.

Ivan Perišić has the opportunity in Qatar to become equal with Davor Šuker in terms of the number of goals scored at the World Cups. The best scorer of Vatreni of all time, Davor Šuker, scored all six goals at the World Cup in France in 1998, where he was also the best scorer Perišić scored his five goals at the WC in Brazil (2) and in Russia (3).

Mario Mandžukić also scored five goals at the World Cups, two in Brazil and three in Russia.

photo by ivo biočina

photo by zoran jelača

CROATIA @ FIFA WORLD

WORLD CUP QATAR 2022