Croatia

Famous People from Croatia: Famous Croatian Footballers/Soccer Players

The following Croatian athletes dedicated themselves in promoting and inspiring people about football, one of the most well-loved sports in the world.

Davor Šuker
Retired Croatian footballer Davor Šuker is best known for his goal scoring ability, which has earned him a spot in FIFA top 100 greatest players. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals. The crowning moment of Šuker’s career was the 1998 World Cup in France, where he became the top goal scorer and won the Golden Boot by scoring 6 goals in 7 matches and also won Silver Ball 1998 at France as second best player of tournament (behind Ronaldo). His goal-scoring prowess proved instrumental as the Croatians surprisingly took third place, upsetting a strong Netherlands side, in their debut World Cup as an independent country. Croatia did not lose a single match in which Šuker scored prior to the semifinal loss to eventual champions France. Named as Croatia’s Golden Player for the UEFA 2003 Jubilee anniversary, he is also on the FIFA 100 list of the top 125 greatest footballers being the only Croatian on the list. He was the first Croatian to be named in the Team of the Tournament of an international tournament.

Robert Prosinecki
Former Croatian football midfielder Robert Prosinecki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered excellent, and his ability to keep possession of the ball is very highly regarded. He is one of the few footballers to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. After retiring from active football he worked as assistant manager of the Croatia national football team between 2006 and 2010, before being appointed manager of the Red Star Belgrade football club in December 2010.

Zvonimir Boban
Zvonimir Boban is a Croatian former football midfielder who played most of his professional career for Serie A club Milan and was a member of the Croatia national team, which he captained to third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was a playmaker well known for his passing range and vision. Croatia never lost a match when he scored.

Dario Šimic
Dario Šimic was a versatile defender who played as full-back, sweeper or centre back. A product of Dinamo Zagreb’s academy, he later played for Serie A sides Internazionale and AC Milan as well as Ligue 1 side Monaco, before returning to Dinamo Zagreb in 2010, where he retired from the game during the same year. He is currently the Croatian national football team’s most capped player, having won a total of 100 international caps between 1996 and 2008. He was member of Croatia’s squad in all six major tournaments they qualified for during the 1990s and 2000s, which includes three FIFA World Cups (11 appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2006) and three UEFA European Championships (5 appearances in 1996, 2004 and 2008).

Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor is a Croatian former football defender. He was considered one of Croatia’s best defenders in the period between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Tudor announced his retirement on 22 July 2008, at the mere age of 30, after the problems with his right ankle reappeared. He spent his last season playing for his youth club, Hajduk Split.