Croatia national football team
Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
Nickname(s) | Vatreni ("Fiery ones") | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Hrvatski nogometni savez | ||
Head coach | ![]() | ||
Most caps | Dario Šimić (83) | ||
Top scorer | Davor Šuker (45) | ||
FIFA code | CRO | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 21 | ||
Highest | 3 (January 1999) | ||
Lowest | 125 (March 1994) | ||
First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Zagreb, Croatia; 17 October, 1990) (but see text) | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Zagreb, Croatia; 6 June 1998) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Bratislava, Slovakia; 20 April 1994) ![]() ![]() (Nottingham, England; 19 June 1996) ![]() ![]() (Saint-Denis, France; 13 November 1999) (but see text) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 3 (first in 1998) | ||
Best result | Third place, 1998 | ||
European Championship | |||
Appearances | 2 (first in 1996) | ||
Best result | Quarterfinals, 1996 |
The Croatian national football team has played since Croatia's independence in 1990–92 and is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation.
The team played in their first major tournament in 1996 and have been a strong force in international football ever since, finishing third in the 1998 World Cup, led by Golden Boot winner Davor Šuker. They have qualified for every World Cup that they have entered as an independent nation.
Between October 17, 1990 and June 22, 2006, Croatia has played 148 international games and had 72 victories, 45 draws and 31 losses. The team has been FIFA's "Best Mover of the Year" in 1994 and 1998, and have been more volatile in the FIFA World Rankings than any other nation, having been rated as high as third, and as low as 125th.
Earlier history
Football was played in Croatia from the beginning of the 20th century, but before the 1990s the country was not independent. Before that, the players from Croatia participated in the teams of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1919–39), Banovina of Croatia (1939–41), Independent State of Croatia (1941–45) and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–90).
For the Yugoslav periods, see Yugoslavia national football team.
Due to political circumstances in Kingdom of Yugoslavia shortly before World War II, Croatian sports teams were allowed to compete under Croatian flag, so the first international of Croatia could be considered a 4–0 victory over Switzerland played in Zagreb on 2 April, 1940.
World Cup record
- 1930 to 1990 - Was part of Yugoslavia
- 1994 - Did not enter, was not a full FIFA member until July 1992
- 1998 - Third place
- 2002 - First round (Third place in Group G)
- 2006 - First round (Third place in Group F)
European Championship record
- 1960 to 1992 - Did not enter, was part of Yugoslavia
- 1996 - Quarterfinals
- 2000 - Did not qualify
- 2004 - First round
Famous past players
- Aljoša Asanović
- Slaven Bilić
- Zvonimir Boban
- Alen Bokšić
- Robert Jarni
- Dražen Ladić
- Robert Prosinečki
- Zvonimir Soldo
- Mario Stanić
- Igor Štimac
- Davor Šuker
- Dado Pršo
Current Squad (Euro '08 Qualifiers)
This is the 25-man squad chosen for Croatia's match against Russia. AZ Alkmaar's goalkeeper Joseph Anthony Didulica and Juventus defender Igor Tudor are injured while Dario Šimić and Josip Šimunić are both included eventhough they can't play because of suspension.
Goalkeepers
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Stipe Pletikosa | January 8, 1979 | 54 | 0 | ![]() |
12 | GK | Vedran Runje | February 10, 1976 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
23 | GK | Mario Galinović | November 15, 1976 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
Defenders
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | DF | Dario Šimić | November 12, 1975 | 83 | 3 | ![]() |
13 | DF | Goran Sablić | October 8, 1979 | 19 | 0 | ![]() |
20 | DF | Anthony Šerić | January 15, 1979 | 15 | 0 | ![]() |
4 | DF | Robert Kovač | April 16, 1974 | 58 | 0 | ![]() |
3 | DF | Josip Šimunić | February 18, 1978 | 46 | 3 | ![]() |
15 | DF | Dario Knežević | April 20, 1982 | 2 | 1 | ![]() |
5 | DF | Vedran Ćorluka | February 5, 1986 | 2 | 0 | ![]() |
6 | DF | Hrvoje Vejić | June 8, 1977 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
Midfielders
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | MF | Niko Kovač | October 15, 1971 | 62 | 9 | ![]() |
16 | MF | Jerko Leko | April 9, 1980 | 39 | 2 | ![]() |
8 | MF | Marko Babić | January 28, 1981 | 36 | 3 | ![]() |
11 | MF | Darijo Srna | May 1, 1982 | 40 | 10 | ![]() |
7 | MF | Milan Rapaić | August 16, 1973 | 46 | 5 | ![]() |
19 | MF | Niko Kranjčar | August 13, 1984 | 25 | 3 | ![]() |
14 | MF | Luka Modrić | September 9, 1985 | 8 | 1 | ![]() |
25 | MF | Danijel Pranjić | December 2, 1981 | 2 | 0 | ![]() |
24 | MF | Marijan Buljat | September 12, 1981 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
Strikers
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 | FW | Ivan Klasnić | January 29, 1980 | 24 | 7 | ![]() |
21 | FW | Mladen Petrić | January 1, 1981 | 9 | 1 | ![]() |
18 | FW | Ivica Olić | September 14, 1979 | 40 | 6 | ![]() |
9 | FW | Boško Balaban | October 15, 1978 | 27 | 9 | ![]() |
22 | FW | Eduardo Da Silva | February 25, 1983 | 6 | 2 | ![]() |
2006 World Cup squad
Head coach: Zlatko Kranjčar
Caps correct as of June 22, 2006
2006 World Cup Information
For more in-depth information, see Croatia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
Croatia finished third in their group, amassing only 2 points, while second place Australia had 4. They did not advance.
Other current players
The following players weren't among the 24 called up to the 2006 World Cup, but are slated to play for the national team by the current coach.
- Eduardo da Silva (Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia)
- Davor Vugrinec (Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia)
- Mladen Petrić (FC Basel, Switzerland)
- Dario Knežević (NK Rijeka, Croatia)
Coaches
- Dražen Jerković, 1990–91
- Stanko Poklepović, 1992
- Vlatko Marković, 1993
- Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević, 1994–2000
- Mirko Jozić, 2000–02
- Otto Barić, 2002–04
- Zlatko Kranjčar, 2004–06
- Slaven Bilić, 2006-present
Past squads and campaigns
Famous matches
Croatia 2–1 U.S.A.
Maksimir Stadium (30,000 spectators) - Zagreb, 17 October 1990 - friendly match
Spain 0–2 Croatia
Estadio Mestalla (40,000) - Valencia, 23 March 1994 - friendly match
Italy 1–2 Croatia
Stadio Renzo Barbera (39,000) - Palermo, 16 November 1994 - Euro '96 qualifying match
Croatia 1–0 Turkey
City Ground (20,000) - Nottingham, 11 June 1996 - Euro '96 first round match
Croatia 3–0 Denmark
Hillsborough Stadium (30,000) - Sheffield, 16 June 1996 - Euro '96 first round match
Germany 2–1 Croatia
Old Trafford (36,000) - Manchester, 23 June 1996 - Euro '96 quarterfinal match
Greece 0–1 Croatia
Toumba Stadium (35,000) - Thessaloniki, 30 April 1997 - World Cup '98 qualifying match
Ukraine 1–1 Croatia
Olimpiysky stadion (77,500) - Kiev, 15 November 1997 - World Cup '98 play-off match
Croatia 3–1 Jamaica
Stade Félix Bollaert (40,000) - Lens, 14 June 1998 - World Cup '98 first round match
Croatia 1–0 Japan
Stade de la Beaujoire (39,500) - Nantes, 20 June 1998 - World Cup '98 first round match
Croatia 3–0 Germany
Stade Gerland (50,000) - Lyon, 4 July 1998 - World Cup '98 quarterfinal match
France 2-1 Croatia
Stade de France (80,000) - Paris, 8 July 1998 - World Cup '98 semifinal match
Croatia 2–1 Netherlands
Parc des Princes (50,000) - Paris, 11 July 1998 - World Cup '98 third place match
Yugoslavia 0-0 Croatia
Stadion Crvena Zvezda (47,000) - Belgrade, 18 August 1999 - Euro 2000 qualifying match
Croatia 1–0 Belgium
Maksimir Stadium (35,000) - Zagreb, 6 October 2001 - World Cup '02 qualifying match
Croatia 2–1 Italy
Kashima Stadium (36,500) - Ibaraki, 8 June 2002 - World Cup '02 first round match
Croatia 4–0 Belgium
Maksimir Stadium (25,000) - Zagreb, 12 October 2002 - Euro '04 qualifying match
Slovenia 0-1 Croatia
Stadion Bežigrad (10,000) - Ljubljana, 19 November 2003 - Euro '04 play-off match
France 2-2 Croatia
Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa (29,000) - Leiria, 17 June 2004 - Euro '04 first round match
Croatia 1–1 Brazil
Poljud Stadium (30,000) - Split, 17 August 2005 - friendly match