Croatia national football team and Shukkei-en: Difference between pages

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[[Image:HiroshimaShukkeien7309.jpg|thumb|200px|Rainbow bridge]]
{{Infobox National football team
[[Image:HiroshimaShukkeien7311.jpg|thumb|200px|Pond]]
| Name = Croatia
[[Image:HiroshimaShukkeien7320.jpg|thumb|200px|Pavilion]]
| Badge =Croatia football federation.png
{{nihongo|'''Shukkei-en'''|縮景園}} is a historic [[Japanese garden]] in the city of [[Hiroshima]], [[Japan]].
| FIFA Trigramme = CRO
| FIFA Rank = 6
| FIFA max = 3
| FIFA max date = January 1999
| FIFA min = 125
| FIFA min date = March 1994
| Elo Rank = 10
| Elo max = 5
| Elo max date = July 1998
| Elo min = 26
| Elo min date = Oct 2002
| Nickname = ''Vatreni'' ("Fiery Ones")
| Association = [[Croatian Football Federation|''Hrvatski Nogometni Savez'']]
| Confederation = [[UEFA]] (Europe)
| Coach = {{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Slaven Bilić]]
| Asst Manager = {{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Aljoša Asanović]]<br />{{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Nikola Jurčević]]<br />{{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Marijan Mrmić]]<br />{{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Robert Prosinečki]]
| Captain = [[Niko Kovač]]
| Most caps = [[Dario Šimić]] (100)
| Top scorer = [[Davor Šuker]] (45)
| Home Stadium = [[Maksimir Stadium]]
| pattern_la1=_redsquares|pattern_b1=_CRO08Home|pattern_ra1=_redsquares| leftarm1=F8F8FF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=F8F8FF|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=29459B|
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_CRO08Away|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=29459B|body2=29459B|rightarm2=29459B|shorts2=29459B|socks2=29459B|
| First game = {{Flagicon|Croatia}}Croatia 4–0 [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] {{Flagicon|Switzerland}}<br />([[Zagreb]], [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]; April 2, 1940)
| Largest win = {{Flagicon|Croatia}} Croatia 7–0 [[Australia national football team|Australia]] {{Flagicon|Australia}}<br />([[Zagreb]], [[Croatia]]; June 6, 1998)<br />{{Flagicon|Croatia}} Croatia 7–0 [[Andorra national football team|Andorra]] {{Flagicon|Andorra}}<br />([[Zagreb]], [[Croatia]]; October 7, 2006)
| Largest loss ='''[[Independent State of Croatia]]''':<br> [[Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg|22 px]] [[Italy national football team|Italy]] 4 - 0 Croatia {{flagicon|Croatia|1941}}<br/>([[Genova]], Italy; April 4, 1942)<br/>{{flagicon|Germany|Nazi}} [[Germany national football team|Germany]] 5–1 Croatia {{flagicon|Croatia|1941}}<br />([[Vienna]], [[Germany national football team|Germany]]; June 15, 1941)<br />{{flagicon|Germany|Nazi}} [[Germany national football team|Germany]] 5–1 Croatia {{flagicon|Croatia|1941}}<br />([[Stuttgart]], Germany; November 1, 1942)<br>'''[[Croatia|present Croatia]]''':<br> {{Flagicon|Slovakia}} [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]] 4–1 Croatia {{Flagicon|Croatia}}<br />([[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]]; April 20, 1994)<br>{{Flagicon|Croatia}} Croatia 1–4 [[England national football team|England]] {{Flagicon|England}}<br />([[Zagreb]], [[Croatia]]; September 10, 2008)
| World cup apps = 3
| World cup first = 1998
| World cup best = Third place, [[Football World Cup 1998|1998]]
| Regional name = [[European Football Championship|European Championship]]
| Regional cup apps = 3
| Regional cup first = [[1996 European Football Championship|1996]]
| Regional cup best = Quarterfinals, [[1996 European Football Championship|1996]], [[2008 European Football Championship|2008]]
}}
The '''Croatian national football team''' (<small>[[Croatian language|Croatian pronunciation]]</small>: ''Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija'') is the international side representing [[Croatia]] in international [[Association football (soccer)|football]] and is governed by the [[Croatian Football Federation]]. The current team has existed since [[1990 in football (soccer)|1990]] and was recognised by [[FIFA]] and [[UEFA]] in [[1992 in football (soccer)|1992]], one year after Croatia gained independence from [[SFR Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]].<ref name="croathistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=cro/goalprogramme/index.html |title=Goal Programme - Croatian Football Federation - 2006|date=July 17, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-04|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com)}}</ref> Previously sanctioned national teams represented the short-lived [[Banovina of Croatia]] and [[Independent State of Croatia]] in [[Croatia national football team games - 1940s|19 friendly matches]] from 1940 to 1944.<ref name="croatiamatches">{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesk/kroa-intres.html |title=Croatia International matches |accessdate=2008-07-14|author=Kramarsic, Igor/Puric, Bojan|publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation }}</ref> Although authorized as an affiliate of FIFA in this earlier period, Croatia remained a constituent federal republic of Yugoslavia and was therefore unable to host a separate national team at competitive level.


==Overview==
The modern team played the nation's first competitive matches during a successful qualifying campaign for [[1996 European Football Championship|Euro 96]], leading to their first appearance at a major international tournament.<ref name="croatiamatches"/> In 1998, they went on to finish third at the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]], led by [[World Cup Golden Boot|Golden Boot]] winner [[Davor Šuker]]. Croatia has since qualified for every [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup tournament]] that it has entered as an independent nation, having missed only one major tournament, [[Euro 2000]], since they became eligible to participate.<ref name="tourneyhist">{{cite web |url=http://twg.fantasyeuro2008.sbs.com.au/stats.aspx?page=team&id=313 |title=Fantasy Euro2008 |accessdate=2008-08-03| publisher=The World Game}}</ref>


Construction began in 1620 during the [[Edo period]] at the order of [[Asano Nagaakira]], [[daimyo]] of the Hiroshima ''[[Han (country subdivision)|han]]''. The seventh lord of the ''han'' summoned an expert in the construction of Japanese gardens from [[Kyoto]], who greatly reconstructed Shukkei-en.
The team has achieved several noteworthy results, including victories over [[Germany national football team|Germany]], [[Holland national football team|Holland]], [[Italy national football team|Italy]] and [[England national football team|England]]. During their 98 World Cup foray, they defeated the German side 3&ndash;0 and concluded the tournament with a 2&ndash;1 victory over Holland in the bronze medal playoff. Croatia has overcome four-time world champions Italy twice: an away win during qualifications for Euro 96 was repeated at the 2002 World Cup, with a 2–1 scoreline on both occasions.<ref name="croatiamatches"/> They have also gained two wins over England: 2–0 at home in the [[Maksimir Stadium]] and 3–2 at [[Wembley Stadium]], England's first competitive defeat at the new venue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/england/2326334/Croatia-end-woeful-England%27s-Euro-2008-dream.html |author=Winter, Henry| title=Croatia end woeful England's Euro 2008 dream |date=November 22, 2007|accessdate=2008-08-14|publisher=''Telegraph''|}}</ref> At Euro 2008, Croatia defeated Germany 2–1, who would later go on to be tournament finalists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=300693/index.html |author=Wood, Graham| title=Olić kick-starts Croatian celebrations |date=June 6, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-02|publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive }}</ref>


Since the [[Meiji period]], the garden served as the villa of the Asano family. When under [[Emperor Meiji]] the [[Imperial General Headquarters]] were relocated to Hiroshima, the emperor briefly lodged at the villa. The gardens were opened to the public, and in 1940 the Asano family donated them to Hiroshima Prefecture. Being a short walk from [[Ground Zero]] of the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|nuclear attack on Hiroshima]], Shukkei-en suffered extensive damage, and then became a refuge for victims of the war. After renovations, it reopened in 1951.
Croatia is the only team to win FIFA's [[FIFA World Rankings#Best Mover of the Year|"Best Mover of the Year"]] more than once, receiving the award in [[1994 in football (soccer)|1994]] and [[1998 in football (soccer)|1998]].<ref name="croatiamover">{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/awards/gala/bestmover.html |title=FIFA Best Mover of the Year awards |accessdate=2008-07-23|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com)}}</ref> Their [[FIFA World Rankings|FIFA World Ranking]] has been the most volatile of all nations, ranging from third in 1998 to 125th in 1994, shortly after the team began playing independently.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/news/newsid=840778.html | title=Croatia follow in golden footsteps |date=August 7, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-26|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com)|work= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://img.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/news/newsid=112864.html | title=Croatia eyeing top ten |date=March 3, 2007|accessdate=2008-08-26|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com)|work= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/croatia/7433931.stm | title= Chiles on Croatia & Euro 2008 |date=June 6, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-26|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport)|author=Chiles, Adrian}}</ref><ref name="croatiaranks">{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=cro/ranking/gender=m/index.html |title=Croatia - FIFA World Rankings |accessdate=2008-08-11|author=|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com)}}</ref> From 1994, they remained undefeated in competitive matches on home soil. The team eventually lost to England on September 10, 2008,<ref name="croatiahome">{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/oct/08/newsstory.englandfootballteam1 |publisher=''The Observer'' |author=Lawrence, Amy| title=England? They are pretty bad |date= |accessdate=2008-07-05 }}</ref><ref name="englandmt">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7602774.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport)|author=Stevenson, Jonathan |title=Croatia 1-4 England |date=September 11, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-11 }}</ref> ending a 36 match streak at four different venues, predominantly the Maksimir Stadium in [[Zagreb]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKL833666020081009 | title=Bilic tempted to reshuffle team for Ukraine clash |date=October 9, 2008|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=Reuters|author=Igor Nitsak }}</ref><ref name="croatiamatches"/> Croatia's primary supporters, often associated with [[football hooliganism|hooliganism]], have been responsible for considerable charges against the national federation by the governing bodies of football. [[Croatian Radiotelevision|Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT)]], the principal newscast of the country, covers all the national team's performances with live coverage service.
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:HiroshimaShukkeien7264.jpg|
Image:HiroshimaShukkeienLantern7324.jpg|
Image:HiroshimaShukkeienYokihiLantern7331.jpg|
</gallery>


== External links ==
==History==
*[http://www.manabi.pref.hiroshima.jp/shukkeien/index.html 名勝縮景園] (in Japanese)
{{See also|Yugoslavia national football team|Croatia national football team games - 1940s}}
*[http://menamomi.net/photo/teien/syukei/index.html 庭園の写真 - 縮景園] (in Japanese)


{{coord missing|Japan}}
===Pre-independence===
At the end of the 19th century football was introduced in Croatia by expatriate Englishmen in the cities of [[Rijeka]] and [[Županja]], leading to the Croatian recognition of the rulebook in 1896. By 1908, a modern edition of the sport's laws was published as Croats began to play football regularly in organised clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9353/1/In-1880-local-Croatian-young-men-began-to-play-football-in-Zupanja.html |publisher=CROWN - Croatian World Network, ''reprinted and translated from'' [http://www.hns-cff.hr/?ln=en&w=o_hns&d=povijest_poceci Hrvatski Nogometni Savez ('''Croatian version''')]|author=Bach, N. Nenad | |title=In 1880 local Croatian young men began to play football in Zupanja |date=November 23, 2007 |accessdate=2008-09-06 }}</ref> An international representative side was initially formed a year earlier, as FIFA record a Croatian team playing a full-length fixture against domestic opposition in 1906/07.<ref name="croathistory"/> Before independence, Croatian footballers competed in the authorized national teams of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] (1919–39) and the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (1945–90). However, at various times throughout these rulings, Croatian sides were temporarily organised and competed separately in unofficial contests, primarily due to the instability of national boundaries involving the war.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ramet. P |first=Sabrina |title=Thinking about Yugoslavia |publisher=Cambridge University |date=2005 |id=ISBN 0521851513}} '''p171''' mentions the overall instability of national regions due to the breakup of Yugoslavia. </ref> A hastily arranged national side, managed by Hugo Kinert, played a small number of private domestic matches from 1918 to 1919 during [[World War I]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Klemenčić |first=Mladen |title=Nogometni leksikon |publisher=Miroslav Krleža lexicographic institute |date=2004 |id=ISBN 9536036843}} </ref><ref name="yugoslavtimes">{{cite web |url=http://www.uvijekvjerni.com/reprezentacija/povijest/ |publisher=Uvijek Vjerni |title=Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija kroz povijest &#91;The Croatian national football team through history.&#93;|date= |accessdate=2008-08-14 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote= Football in Croatia relates as far back as just after the 19th century when in 1906 the first teams were established, some official and others temporary. During the Second World War, a national team played 19 friendly matches and recorded 10 victories. They subsequently were no longer allowed to compete under the Croatian name, and the only games recorded between this time and 1990 were two friendly games in Zagreb. Croatia defeated Serbia 4-1 in 1950 and recorded another victory in 1956, defeating Indonesia 5-2. }}</ref>


[[Category:Visitor attractions in Hiroshima Prefecture]]
[[Image:Croatian first team.jpg|thumb|left|The first recognised Croatian team played against Switzerland in 1940.]]In 1940, Jozo Jakopić led a non-FIFA recognised team which represented the Banovina of Croatia in four friendly matches: two against [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and two against [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]].<ref name="croatiamatches"/> Croatia defeated the Swiss 4&ndash;0 in [[Zagreb]] on April 2, [[1940 in football (soccer)|1940]], marking their debut match as a distinctly recognised side. Following further movement by the [[Axis power]], a Croatian football federation became temporarily active and joined FIFA on July 17, 1941 as the Independent State of Croatia. The directed national side played 15 friendly matches until 1944—all but one as an officially sanctioned national team<ref name="croathistory"/>—under the direction of [[Rudolf Hitrec]].<ref name="fedohist">{{cite web |url=http://croatiasoccer.blog.hr/2007/09/1623284234/povijest-hrvatskog-nogometnog-saveza.html |publisher=H-R |title=Povijest Hrvatskog Nogometnog Saveza &#91;History of the Croatian football federation.&#93;|date=September 25, 2007 |accessdate=2008-08-19 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=Upon the breakup of Yugoslavia, the first commissioner/representative of the Croatian football federation was Dr. Rudolf Hitrec, former player and brother of Ice Hitrec. After the second World War, a pause in the Yugoslavian football federation was reached via consensus, with the Croatian football federation taking over temporarily. The Croatian football federation came into establishment on August 6, 1939 and thereafter managed all Croatian football. Dr. Ivo Kraljević was elected first president of this federation. }}</ref> They recorded their first result as a FIFA member on September 8 in [[Bratislava]], drawing 1&ndash;1 with [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]].<ref name="croatiamatches"/> Nonetheless, they were prohibited from participating in competitive matches as FIFA still considered the Yugoslavian federation as the football representative of the country.
[[Category:Parks and gardens in Hiroshima]]
[[Category:Gardens in Japan]]


[[ja:縮景園]]
From 1950, another unofficial Croatian side was active for a brief period, recording two friendly victories over [[Indonesia national football team|Indonesia]] and a Yugoslav team playing as "Serbia".<ref name="yugoslavtimes"/> This was the last Croatian national team which played during this period as such activities were eventually ceased. When Yugoslavia participated at the [[Football at the 1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Summer Olympics]], their squad included numerous Croatian footballers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.com/tableso/ol1956f.html |publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation |author=Esamie, Thomas| title=Games of the XVI. Olympiad |date= |accessdate=2008-08-08 }}</ref> Subsequent Yugoslavian teams that played in several World Cup and European Championship tournaments up to 1990 also consisted of Croatian players who collectively achieved small success at competitive level.<ref name="debutfinish"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=76/teams/team=43975.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |author=| title= 1990 FIFA World Cup squads - Yugoslavia |date= |accessdate=2008-08-26}}</ref>

===Official formation===
The last Yugoslav team to field a considerable Croatian contingent played against [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] on May 16, 1991, only a few days before Croatia's independence referendum.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesj/joeg-intres90.html |publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation |title=Yugoslavia National Team List of Results 1990-1999 |date= |accessdate=2008-07-19 }}</ref> Another Croatian team was formed during this time, and went on to play their [[Croatia v United States (1990)|first modern international fixture]] against the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] on October 17, 1990 at [[Maksimir Stadium]]. [[Aljoša Asanović]] was the first goalscorer for the newly established side, as Croatia won the match 2&ndash;1.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/asanovic-intl.html |publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation |title=Aljosa Asanovic - International appearances |date= |accessdate=2008-07-20 }}</ref> This was one of only three games played under original manager Dražan Jerković; Croatia would subsequently record another two friendly victories under his guidance<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dinamo11.blogspot.com/2008/04/biography-draan-jerkovi.html |publisher=Dinamo11 |title=Biography: Dražan Jerković |date=August 13, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-19 }}</ref> before Stanko Poklepović and Vlatko Marković had brief spells in charge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crotalk.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3658 |publisher=CroTalk|author=Eva Herzigova |title=Dani ponosa i prkosa...16 godina Vatrenih &#91;Days of respect and defiance...16 years of the Fiery Ones.&#93;|date=October 17, 2006 |accessdate=2008-08-19 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=16 years ago the Croatian national team played the first game under their own flag and national anthem. They beat USA 2-1 at Maksimir Stadium, Asanović was the first ever goalscorer. A list of national team managers can be found at the end of this article. }}</ref> Although Croatia was still regarded as a part of Yugoslavia,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesk/kroa-intl9095.html |publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation |title=Croatia - International matches 1990-1995 |date= |accessdate=2008-07-18 }}</ref> this team remained an unofficially sanctioned national side until Croatia were declared independent on October 8, 1991,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.balkantimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/bg/features/setimes/features/2002/10/021008-SVETLA-002 |publisher=Southeast European times |title=Croatia Marks Independence Day for First Time |date= |accessdate=2008-07-21 }}</ref> at which point the team became the official representative of the Croatian republic. The Croatian football federation rejoined the governing bodies of football and went on to organise the first competitive matches for the new national team.<ref name="croathistory"/> Since Croatia were not ranked on their performances prior to independence, they entered the FIFA World Rankings in 125th place.<ref name="croatiaranks"/>

In the summer of 1992, FIFA and [[UEFA]] both officially recognised Croatia's football federation, which allowed the country to take part in competitive matches.<ref name="tourneyhist"/> [[Miroslav Blažević]] was appointed manager and led the Croatians into their [[UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying|qualifying campaign for Euro 96]] against [[Estonia national football team|Estonia]] on September 4, 1994. Croatia won the game 2–0 at the [[A. Le Coq Arena]] in [[Tallinn]], marking their first competitive victory as a distinct side. They ultimately finished on top of their qualifying group<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/EURO2004/History/Postings/2003/01/37017.htm |publisher=TheFA.com|work=European Championship history |title=1996 European Championship - Qualifying |date= |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref> and earned the FIFA Best Mover of the Year award for their rapid rise in the international rankings.<ref name="croatiamover"/> They suffered their first defeat in competitive matches during the same qualifying campaign on June 11, 1995, losing 1&ndash;0 in their away fixture to [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]].<ref name="croatiamatches"/>

==='Golden Generation'===
[[Goran Vlaović]] scored the team's first goal at a major tournament when he netted a late winner against [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] at the [[City Ground]] during [[UEFA Euro 1996|Euro 96]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=26.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |title=Croatia contemplate Turkey task |date= |accessdate=2008-07-21 }}</ref> The Croats followed their opening victory with a 3&ndash;0 win over reigning champions [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=1996/round=227/match=52515/index.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive|title=Šuker stars as Danes downed |date=June 16, 1996 |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref> with Davor Šuker scoring one of the most skillful goals of the tournament; after receiving a long pass, he lobbed the ball into the goal from the 12-yard mark.<ref name="Sukerman"/> Croatia were beaten 3–0 by [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] in their final group fixture,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960620/ai_n14045304 |publisher=''The Independent'' (London)|author=Jon Culley |title=Portugal take advantage of slack Croatia |date= |accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref> but still advanced out of the group stage to then be knocked out by eventual champions [[Germany national football team|Germany]] in the quarter finals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=1996/round=223/match=52913/index.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |title=Germany overcome ten-man Croatia |date=June 23, 1996 |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref>

<table style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; width: 160px; border: #99B3FF solid 1px">
<tr><td><div style="position: relative;">
[[Image:Soccer.Field Transparant.png|175px]]
{{Image label|x=0.28|y=0.19|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Goran Vlaović|'''VLAOVIĆ'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.14|y=0.19|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Davor Šuker|'''ŠUKER'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.27|y=0.28|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Aljoša Asanović|'''ASANOVIĆ'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.12|y=0.28|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Zvonimir Boban|'''BOBAN'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.16|y=0.30|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Captain (football)|'''(c)'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.21|y=0.36|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Zvonimir Soldo|'''SOLDO'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.18|y=0.39|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Robert Prosinečki|'''(PROSINEČKI)'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.39|y=0.36|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Mario Stanić|'''STANIĆ'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.04|y=0.36|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Robert Jarni|'''JARNI'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.35|y=0.47|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Slaven Bilić|'''BILIĆ'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.11|y=0.47|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Dario Šimić|'''ŠIMIĆ'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.21|y=0.52|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Igor Štimac|'''ŠTIMAC'''<br />]]</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.225|y=0.63|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="White">[[Dražen Ladić|'''LADIĆ'''<br />]]</font>}}
</div></td></tr>
<tr><td><small>Croatia's 3-5-2 lineup during the 1998 World Cup. Initial striker [[Alen Bokšić]] was withdrawn due to injury.</td></tr>
</table> Miroslav Blažević remained in charge as Croatia set their venture on the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]]. They successfully earned a berth at the tournament by defeating Ukraine in a qualifying playoff. Their first opponents were similar first-timers [[Jamaica national football team|Jamaica]]. [[Mario Stanić]] scored their first [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] goal, contributing to the 3&ndash;1 victory along with [[Robert Prosinečki]] and [[Davor Šuker]] at the [[Stade Félix Bollaert]] in [[Lens]]. Croatia narrowly beat [[Japan national football team|Japan]] in their next fixture to secure a berth in the next round, despite losing to [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in their final group match. Davor Šuker scored his third goal of the tournament as they fended off a challenge from [[Romania national football team|Romania]] to reach the quarter finals, where they would face former adversaries Germany once again. Although they were initially considered underdogs, Croatia enjoyed a 3&ndash;0 victory with goals from [[Robert Jarni]], [[Goran Vlaović]] and Davor Šuker respectively after [[Christian Wörns]] was sent off.

Croatia went on to face the host nation [[France national football team|France]] in the anticipated semi-final encounter. After a goalless first-half, which admittedly frustrated French coach [[Aimé Jacquet]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/winners/code=1013/player=48455/interview.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=Deschamps: We felt nothing could go wrong |date= |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref> Croatia took the lead through Davor Šuker once again. However, opposing defender [[Lilian Thuram]] secured the host nation a victory with his first and only international goals in his career as France prevailed 2&ndash;1. The Croatian side won third place by defeating the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] with Davor Šuker capturing the Golden Boot award as the most prolific scorer of the tournament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/overview.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=Zidane lights the blue-touch paper for France |date= |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> This was amongst the best performances for a debut nation in the World Cup,<ref name="debutfinish">{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E0DD123EF935A35754C0A96E958260 |publisher=''The New York Times''|author=Longman, Jere| title= WORLD CUP '98; Croatia and Its Fortunate Sons |date=July 6, 1998 |accessdate=2008-08-10}}</ref> eventually vaulting Croatia to third place in the FIFA World Rankings in January 1999, their highest ranking to date.<ref name="croatiaranks"/>

The successful squad of these early years was later dubbed the "Golden Generation".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20010902/ai_n13961796 |publisher=''The Sunday Herald''|author=Campbell, Alan |title=The Golden Generation beginning to show their age |date=September 2, 2001 |accessdate=2008-07-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=709612.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |title=Pletikosa inspired by Croatia's past |date=June 9, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-25 }}</ref> FIFA once again awarded Croatia with the Best Mover of the Year award in 1998.<ref name="croatiamover"/> However, despite impressive runs in their first two major competitions, Croatia failed to qualify for [[UEFA Euro 2000|Euro 2000]], finishing third in their qualifying group behind Yugoslavia and [[Ireland national football team|Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/191195.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) |title=Sport: Football Euro 2000 qualifying group tables |date= |accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref> During this campaign, play between Croatia and Yugoslavia took place against a background of tension. Both fixtures ended in draws, with political protests occurring during the goalless fixture in [[Belgrade]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/424082.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) |title=Draw for Balkan rivals |date=August 18, 1999 |accessdate=2008-07-25 }}</ref> In the return match in Zagreb, Croatia needed a victory to qualify, but the game ended in a 2&ndash;2 draw amid controversy.<ref name="Sukerman"/> This was one of the last games played by a team representing "Yugoslavia", as that side was soon renamed Serbia and Montenegro to reflect the creation of a new individual state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4997380.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) |title=Timeline: Break-up of Yugoslavia |date=May 22, 2006 |accessdate=2008-08-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Perica |first=Vjekoslav |title=Balkan Idols: Religion and Nationalism in Yugoslav States |publisher=Oxford US |date=2002 |id=ISBN 0195174291}} '''p207'''</ref>

===Decline under Jozić and Barić (early 2000s)===
Despite the retirement of their "Golden Generation", including coach Blažević, Croatia qualified for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]] with an undefeated record.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=4395/preliminaries/preliminary=3835/index.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan Preliminaries |date= |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref> [[Mirko Jozić]] led them into tournament where they produced a surprise 2&ndash;1 victory over Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/italy_v_croatia/newsid_1925000/1925415.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Croatia punish Italy|date=June 8, 2002 |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref> Their subsequent loss of form, however, became overly difficult to cope<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/ecuador_v_croatia/newsid_2041000/2041393.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Croatia blame pressure |date=June 13, 2002 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref> as they lost to [[Ecuador national football team|Ecuador]] and missed out on qualification to the knockout stages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/ecuador_v_croatia/default.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Ecuador end Croatia hopes |date=June 13, 2002 |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref> Jozić momentarily stepped down as manager,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/croatia/newsid_2048000/2048514.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Jozic to step down |date=June 16, 2002 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref> leading to the appointment of [[Otto Barić]]; the first and only manager born outside the [[Balkans]] to coach the national team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/croatia/players_to_watch/3569075.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Baric leads Croatian charge |date=May 26, 2004 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref>

Despite the experience in the Austrian-born manager, Croatia continued to distress during the [[UEFA Euro 2004|Euro 2004]] qualifications. A lack of victories saw them narrowly place second in their group as they went on to defeat Slovenia in the playoffs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/2899301.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Euro 2004 Qualifying Group Eight |date=October 11, 2004 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref> The final tournament saw them fail to advance from their group after losing to England in their final game.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/3787501.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) |title=England 4-2 Croatia |date= |accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref> However, they managed to display an earlier 2&ndash;2 draw against reigning champions France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/3813635.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) |title=Croatia 2-2 France |date=June 17, 2004 |accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref> Barić followed the pattern of his predecessor and left the management position shortly afterward, stating his criticism as a direct cause.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/croatia/3707619.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) |title=Baric to step down |date=May 27, 2004 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref>

===Kranjčar and Bilić's revival===
A new era for the team began shortly after the 2004 tournament exit. Retiree [[Zlatko Kranjčar]] took over as national team coach<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/soccer/07/13/east.europe/index.html |publisher=Sports Illustrated |title=Former striker Kranjcar hired to lead Croatia to World Cup |date= |accessdate=2008-07-22 }}</ref> and commanded Croatia to a top place finish in their qualifying group for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]], again without losing a single match.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/preliminaries/preliminary=8071/index.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=2006 World Cup qualifying standings |date= |accessdate=2008-07-22 }}</ref> Niko Kovač was chosen as team captain during this qualification campaign, a role he kept into the final tournament. Kranjčar faced heavy criticism with the introduction of his son [[Niko Kranjcar|Niko]], who was peceived as a biased inclusion by the media.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/07/22/kranjcars_fresh_chance_to_leav.html |publisher=The Guardian |title=Kranjcar's fresh chance to leave chequered past behind|author=Wilson, Jonathan |date=June 22, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/sport-news/scottish-football/2008/03/23/croatia-fans-hate-me-but-i-d-never-quit-says-niko-kranjcar-78057-20359828/ |publisher=''The Sunday Mail''|author=Mcdermott, Scott |title=Croatia Fans Hate Me But I'd Never Quit Says Niko Kranjcar |date=March 23, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-01 }}</ref> After narrowly losing to Brazil in their opening game,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/results/matches/match=97410011/report.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=2006 FIFA World Cup - Brazil vs Croatia match report |date= |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> Croatia failed to overcome Japan after an array of chances, including a penalty, went begging.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/results/matches/match=97410028/report.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=2006 FIFA World Cup - Croatia vs Japan match report |date= |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> With their advancement reliant on victory against Australia, Croatia took the lead with one of the earliest goals in their tournament history; a second-minute free kick from [[Dario Srna]]. However, the match finished 2&ndash;2 with three red cards being issued by referee [[Graham Poll]]. This prompted another exit from the group stage as Croatia marked an odd first in football history after [[Josip Šimunić]] became the only player to receive three yellow cards in a single match. Poll was widely criticized for his lack of control in the match and soon retired from international officiating, relating the incident as a prime cause.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/jun/24/worldcup2006.sport4 |publisher=''The Guardian'' |author=Biggs, Alan/Kelso, Paul| title=Poll's career on the line after Stuttgart debacle |date=June 24, 2006 |accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref>

[[Image:Bilicflickrphoto.jpg|thumb|left|Current manager Slaven Bilić was appointed in 2006 and introduced a "player friendly" management style.]]After the exit, the HNS hired former defender [[Slaven Bilić]] as national team coach.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/5214026.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Bilic appointed new Croatia coach |date=July 25, 2006 |accessdate=2008-08-20 }}</ref> With a a broad range of younger talent available, he immediately improved the team's results, commencing with a 2&ndash;0 victory over Italy in an away friendly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rediff.com/sports/2006/aug/17euro.htm |publisher=Rediff News |author=Phillips, Mitch |title=Croatia beat Italy 2-0 |date=August 17, 2006 |accessdate=2008-08-20 }}</ref> With an array of competitive matches scheduled for the [[UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying|Euro 2008 qualifications]], Bilić temporarily suspended Dario Srna, [[Ivica Olić]] and [[Boško Balaban]] from the national squad after the trio were absent from his initial training sessions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20080608/ai_n26684044 |publisher=''The Sunday Herald'' |title=Euro 2008: FEAR FACTOR Despite his brutish look, Croatia manager Slaven Bilic|author=Grant, Michael|date=June 7, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref> However, the introduction of younger talent such as [[Eduardo da Silva]], [[Luka Modrić]], [[Vedran Ćorluka]] and [[Ivan Rakitić]] transformed Croatia into one of the youngest international squads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=1,1,22&type=football&File=080603004050.9nfyr9om.xml |publisher=''The Citizen'' |title=Youth seeking to be given its head at Euro 2008 |date=June 3, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=722232 |publisher=Goal.com |title=Euro 2008 Team Profile: Croatia |date=June 3, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-29 }}</ref> Performances ultimately improved under Bilić’s guidance as the team complied positively towards his new management style.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/slaven-bilic-encouraging-my-players-is-my-way-of-doing-things-846997.html |publisher=''The Independent'' |title=Slaven Bilic: Encouraging my players is my way of doing things|date=June 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-03 }}</ref><ref name="amidcont">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/croatia/7467523.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=Bilic came close to quitting job |date=June 21, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/croatia/players-plead-for-bilic-stay--121464/ |publisher=The World Game |title=Players plead for Bilic stay |date=June 22, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-03 }}</ref> This excelled the Croats in their qualifying campaign; they remained unbeaten in their first 11 matches which included an earlier home victory over England.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/6035559.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport)|author=McNulty, Phil |title=Croatia 2-0 England|date=|accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref> With qualifications already assured, they traveled to London for their return fixture against the English side, who needed to avoid defeat in order to qualify. Croatia won 3&ndash;2 at the [[Wembley Stadium]], denying England their first major tournament since 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2007/11/25/euro-world-cup.html |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC Sports)|work=The Associated Press |title=Croatia, England face off again in World Cup qualifying |date=November 25, 2007 |accessdate=2008-07-24 }}</ref> National coach [[Steve McClaren]] was immediately dismissed for the failing display, which was England's first competitive defeat at the new venue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7100393.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |title=McClaren sacked as England coach |date=November 27, 2007 |accessdate=2008-07-30 }}</ref> Bilić led the national side as group winners, suffering only a single defeat against [[Macedonia national football team|Macedonia]] in the process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=197471&&cc=3436 |publisher=ESPNSoccernet |author=| title=Macedonia 2-0 Croatia: Croats qualify |date=November 17, 2007 |accessdate=2008-10-07 }}</ref>

Prior to the tournament, Croatia's qualifying topscorer Eduardo da Silva sustained a major compound fracture while playing in the [[English Premier League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=697532.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |author=| title=Eduardo suffers horrific injury |date=February 23, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-09 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/qualifying/standings/group=2634.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |author=| title=Qualifying - Group E |date=|accessdate=2008-08-09 }}</ref> His injury caused heavy concern within the national team. Association president Vlatko Marković argued that the incident was "beyond random", as he called for action to be taken against the responsible [[Martin Taylor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/02/26/cold_comfort_for_croatia_as_ed.html|publisher=''The Guardian''|author=Wilson, Jonathan| title=Cold comfort for Croatia as Eduardo injury forces Bilic to shuffle his pack |date=February 26, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-30 }}</ref> Leading Croatian newspaper ''[[Jutarnji List]]'' examined Taylor's training sessions and depicted him to show no sorrow over his actions. A global appeal believed the tackle to be an act of retribution from the English defender, as varied supporters sanctioned Taylor's rough conduct.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/sport/nogomet/clanak/art-2008,2,26,,110056.jl |publisher=''Jutarnji List'' |author=Raguž, Krešimir|title=Jutarnji na treningu s Eduardovim krvnikom &#91;Jutarnji goes training with Eduardo's executioner.&#93;|date=February 26, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-30 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=While petitions gain support to ban Taylor for life, the examination results show him to be acting as if he did not even put Eduardo in hospital. He arrived first at the training camp in a new AudiA6. He acted like a proud star regularly.}}</ref> Bilić was forced to significantly alter the squad for his final selection, including uncapped players [[Nikola Kalinić]] and [[Nikola Pokrivač]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=692102.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |author=Islamović, Elvir| title=Bilić names squad for EURO assault |date=May 5, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=683763.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |author=Islamović, Elvir| title=Bilić praying for fully fit strike force |date=April 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-31 }}</ref>

Croatia entered the tournament with a weakened strike force, arousing concerns after their warm-up fixtures against [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] and [[Moldova national football team|Moldova]] showed a lack of attacking options.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7310062.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport)|author=Moffat, Colin | title=Scotland 1-1 Croatia |date=March 26, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=238245&cc=3436&league=FIFA.FRIENDLY |publisher=ESPNSoccernet| title=Croatia 1-0 Moldova |date= |accessdate=2008-09-01 }}</ref> Despite such, they finished with maximum group points for the first time in their tournament history after beating co-hosts [[Austria national football team|Austria]], Germany and then [[Poland national football team|Poland]] to ensure advancement to the quarter finals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=300701/index.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |author=Haylett, Trevor| title=Klasnić completes Croatian clean sweep |date=June 16, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-21 }}</ref> Niko Kovač remained team captain at what was expected to be his final international tournament,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/19/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-Euro-2008-Croatia-Kovac.php |publisher=''International Herald Tribune'' |title=Croatia captain Niko Kovac to retire from national team after Euro 2008 |date=June 19, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-28 }}</ref> except in the final group fixture when Dario Šimić was temporarily given the captain's armband.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/15062008/58/euro-2008-bilic-field-reserves-against-poland.html |publisher=Eurosport |title=Bilic to field reserves against Poland |date=June 15, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-28 }}</ref> Croatia’s tournament run ended in dramatic events<ref name="amidcont"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21062008/58/euro-2008-comeback-kings-turkey.html?page=2&order=date |publisher=Eurosport |author=Maher, Reda| title=Euro 2008 - Comeback kings Turkey do it again |date=June 21, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-06 }}</ref> as Turkey advanced on penalties after a controversial refereeing error led to a last minute equaliser from [[Semih Şentürk]], voiding an earlier goal from [[Ivan Klasnić]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/20/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-Euro-2008-Croatia-Bilic.php |publisher=''International Herald Tribune'' |title= Bilic on wrong end of upset as Croatia fluff the penalty shootout in Euro 2008 quarterfinals |date=June 21, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-24 }}</ref> At the competition, Croatia conceded the fewest goals of any team (2), suffered the fewest losses (0) and scored the earliest goal (4th minute in their opening game against Austria), the latter becoming a new European Championship record.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/7363048.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport) |author=Hughes, Ian| title=Austria 0-1 Croatia |date=June 8, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-26 }}</ref>

Despite constant speculation of his departure,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3315467,00.html |publisher=SkySports.com|author=Parrish, Rob |title=Bilic reveals Hamburg offer |date=March 17, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-02 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/01/premierleague.blackburn |publisher=''The Guardian''|author=Lacey, David |title=Ince winces on visit to old stamping ground as fortune and Bellamy finally smile on Curbishley |date=September 1, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-02 }}</ref> manager Slaven Bilić renewed his contract to remain in charge for the forthcoming tournament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skysports.com/football/euro2008/story/0,23063,13950_3497423,00.html |publisher=SkySports.com |title=Bilic agrees new Croatia deal|date=April 30, 2008|accessdate=2008-07-23 }}</ref> This marked the first occasion since Miroslav Blažević's managerial tenure that Croatia would enter two consecutive tournaments with the same manager, as all previous coaches were replaced after the failures of the sides they directed. Croatia were again drawn with England in the qualification stages of the [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010 World Cup]], with the rematch fixtures voted on FIFA.com as the most anticipated of the campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=652649.html#england+croatia+topping+bill |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=England-Croatia topping the bill |date=December 5, 2007|accessdate=2008-07-24 }}</ref> They went on to open with a home win over [[Kazakhstan national football team|Kazakhstan]] before preparing for their rematch.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=236375&&cc=3436 |publisher=ESPNSoccernet |title=Croatia 3-0 Kazakhstan: Croats cruise|date=September 6, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-11 }}</ref> However, the subsequent fixture against the English side, coached by [[Fabio Capello]], saw them fall to their first ever home competitive defeat since 1994 after [[Theo Walcott]] netted a hat-trick and [[Robert Kovač]] was sent off.<ref name="englandmt"/>

==Tournament records==
===World Cup record===
Croatia have qualified for every World Cup since their debut of the tournament in 1998. Although they were granted entry into FIFA and UEFA in 1992, they were still unable to enter the 1994 tournament as qualifications had already commenced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.com/tables/94qual.html |title=World Cup 1994 qualifications |accessdate=2008-08-20|author=|publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation }}</ref> Their first World Cup appearance is the nation's best to date, as they have failed to progress beyond the group stage in both of their following tournaments; placing third in their group on both occasions.
* [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] to [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] &ndash; ''Not applicable.''<ref>Was part of [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]]</ref>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] &ndash; ''Could not enter.''<ref>Was not a full FIFA member until July 1992, qualifications for this tournament already began prior to their independence acknowledgment</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Round
!Position
!Matches
!Wins
!Draws<ref name="Draws">Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on [[penalty shootout (football)|penalty kicks]].</ref>
!Losses
!GF<ref name="GF">Goals for / scored</ref>
!GA<ref name="GA">Goals against / conceded</ref>
|-
|- bgcolor=CD7F32
|{{flagicon|France}} [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]||Third place||3||7||5||0||2||11||5
|-
|{{flagicon|South Korea}}{{flagicon|Japan}} [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]||Round 1||23||3||1||0||2||2||3
|-
|{{flagicon|Germany}} [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]||Round 1||22||3||0||2||1||2||3
|-
|'''Total'''||3/3||-||13||6||2||5||15||11
|}

===European Championship record===
Croatia's best result in UEFA Championship play also came in their debut, in 1996. Their failure to qualify for the tournament in 2000 still stands as the only major competition the national team has missed since eligibility. Croatia made a bid to co-host the tournament in 2012 alongside Hungary, but the event will instead be co-hosted by Poland and [[Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro2012/news/newsid=528963.html |author=| title=EURO joy for Poland and Ukraine |date=April 18, 2007|accessdate=2008-08-20|publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive }}</ref>
* 1960 to 1992 &ndash; ''Could not enter.''<ref>Was still part of Yugoslavia and unable to participate separately</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Round
!Matches
!Wins
!Draws<ref name="Draws" />
!Losses
!GF<ref name="GF" />
!GA<ref name="GA" />
|-
|{{flagicon|England}} [[1996 UEFA European Football Championship|1996]]||Quarter finals||4||2||0||2||5||5
|-
|{{flagicon|Belgium}}{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship|2000]]||''Did not qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship|2004]]||Round 1||3||0||2||1||4||6
|-
|{{flagicon|Austria}}{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship|2008]]||Quarter finals||4||3||1||0||5||2
|-
||'''Total'''||3/4||11||5||3||3||14||13
|}

===Minor tournaments===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Round
!Position
!Matches
!Wins
!Draws<ref name="Draws" />
!Losses
!GF
!GA
|-
|{{flagicon|Morocco}} [[1996 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament|1996 King Hassan II Tournament]]|| Winners||1||2||0||2||0||3||3
|-
|{{flagicon|Japan}} 1997 [[Kirin Cup]]||Group stage||2||2||0||1||1||4||5
|-
|{{flagicon|South Korea}} 1999 Korea Cup||Winners||1||3||1||2||0||5||4
|-
|{{flagicon|Hong Kong}} [[2006 Carlsberg Cup]]||Third place||3||2||1||0||1||4||2
|-
|'''Total'''||-||'''2 Titles'''||9||2||5||2||16||14
|}

==Statistics==
===Managers===
At various times, distinct Croatian football federations and representative sides were formed separately from the official Yugoslavian organizations. Ivo Kraljević served as the manager of the initial federation, established in 1939, and organised non-sanctioned matches played by unofficial national squads up to 1956.<ref name="fedohist"/> These temporary sides, playing non-competitive fixtures, were led by seven different managers.<ref>:
* 1918 to 1919 - Hugo Kinert
* 1939 to 1940 - Jozo Jakopić
* 1940 to 1943 - [[Rudolf Hitrec]]
* 1943 to 1945 - [[Bogdan Cuvaj]]
* 1956 - [[Bruno Knežević]], Leo Lemešić and [[Franjo Wölfl]]</ref>

Statistically, Dražan Jerković and Vlatko Marković are the most successful managers in Croatia's history; they both recorded victories in each of their few games in charge. Miroslav Blažević, who was the first official manager of the team, holds the highest number of competitve victories, having led Croatia to their best performances at major international tournaments.

{| class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Name
!Tenure
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!Win %
!Points per game<ref>Calculated by multiplying wins by 3, plus draws, divided by games played.</ref>
!class="unsortable"|Achievements
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Dražan|Jerković}}
|1990&ndash;1991
|3
|3
|0
|0
|100.00
|3.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Stanko|Poklepović}}
|1992
|4
|1
|1
|2
|25.00
|1.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Vlatko|Marković}}
|1993
|1
|1
|0
|0
|100.00
|3.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Miroslav|Blažević}}
|1994&ndash;2000
|73
|36
|22
|15
|49.31
|1.78
|<small>[[UEFA Euro 1996|1996 Euro]] - quarter-final<br />[[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]] - third place</small>
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Mirko|Jozić}}
|2000&ndash;2002
|18
|9
|6
|3
|50.00
|1.83
|<small>[[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]] - group stage</small>
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Otto|Barić}}
|2002&ndash;2004
|24
|11
|8
|5
|45.83
|1.70
|<small>[[UEFA Euro 2004|2004 Euro]] - group stage</small>
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Zlatko|Kranjčar}}
|2004&ndash;2006
|25
|11
|8
|6
|44.00
|1.64
|<small>[[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]] - group stage</small>
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|{{flagicon|CRO}} {{sortname|Slaven|Bilić}}
|2006&ndash;present
|28
|19
|6
|3
|67.85
|2.25
|<small>[[UEFA Euro 2008|2008 Euro]] - quarter-final</small>
|-class="sortbottom"
! colspan="2"|Totals !! 176!! 91 !! 51 !! 33 !! 51.70 !! 1.84
|}

:<small>Last updated: Ukraine 0&ndash;0 Croatia, October 11, 2008. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.</small>

===Most appearances===
{| class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|Clubs<ref>Only clubs played for while receiving caps are listed</ref>
!class="unsortable"|Croatia career
!Caps
!Goals
|-
|1
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Dario Šimić]]
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Dinamo Zagreb]], [[F.C. Internazionale Milano|Internazionale]], [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]], [[AS Monaco FC|AS Monaco]]
|1996&ndash;2008
|'''100'''
|3
|-
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|'''[[Niko Kovač]]'''
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]], [[Hamburger SV]], [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]],<br />[[Hertha BSC Berlin|Hertha Berlin]], [[FC Red Bull Salzburg|Red Bull Salzburg]]
|1996&ndash;present
|'''83'''
|15
|-
|3
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Robert Jarni]]
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Hajduk Split]], [[A.S. Bari|Bari]], [[Torino F.C.|Torino]], [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]], [[Real Betis]],<br />[[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]], [[UD Las Palmas|Las Palmas]], [[Panathinaikos FC|Panathinaikos]]
|1990&ndash;2002
|'''81'''
|1
|-
|4
|style="text-align: left;"|'''[[Robert Kovač]]'''
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]], [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]],<br />[[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]], [[Borussia Dortmund]]
|1999&ndash;present
|'''80'''
|0
|-
|5
|style="text-align: left;"|'''[[Stipe Pletikosa]]'''
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Hajduk Split]], [[FC Shakhtar Donetsk|Shakhtar Donetsk]], [[FC Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]]
|1999&ndash;present
|'''76'''
|0
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Davor Šuker]]<ref name="Sukerman"/>
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Dinamo Zagreb]], [[Sevilla FC|Sevilla]], [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]],<br />[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]], [[TSV 1860 München|1860 Munich]]
|1990&ndash;2002
|'''69'''
|45
|-
|7
|style="text-align: left;"|'''[[Josip Šimunić]]'''
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Hertha BSC Berlin|Hertha Berlin]]
|2001&ndash;present
|'''68'''
|3
|-
|8
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Aljoša Asanović]]
|style="text-align: left;"|[[FC Metz|Metz]], [[AS Cannes|Cannes]], [[Montpellier HSC|Montpellier]], [[Hajduk Split]], [[Real Valladolid]],<br />[[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]], [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]], [[Panathinaikos FC|Panathinaikos]]
|1990&ndash;2000
|'''62'''
|4
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|'''[[Darijo Srna]]'''
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Hajduk Split]], [[FC Shakhtar Donetsk|Shakhtar Donetsk]]
|2002&ndash;present
|'''62'''
|17
|-
|10
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Zvonimir Soldo]]
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Dinamo Zagreb]], [[VfB Stuttgart]]
|1994&ndash;2002
|'''61'''
|3
|}

: <small>Players in bold typeface are still active in football. Last updated: Ukraine 0&ndash;0 Croatia, October 11, 2008.</small>

===Leading goalscorers===
{|class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|Croatia career
!Goals
!Caps
!Average
|-
|1
|align="left"|[[Davor Šuker]]<ref name="Sukerman"/>
|1990&ndash;2002
|'''45'''
|69
|0.65
|-
|2
|align="left"|'''[[Darijo Srna]]'''
|2002&ndash;present
|'''17'''
|62
|0.27
|-
|3
|align="left"|[[Goran Vlaović]]
|1992&ndash;2002
|'''16'''
|52
|0.30
|-
|4
|align="left"|'''[[Niko Kovač]]'''
|1996&ndash;present
|'''15'''
|83
|0.18
|-
|5
|align="left"|'''[[Eduardo da Silva]]'''
|2004&ndash;present
|'''13'''
|22
|0.59
|-
|6
|align="left"|[[Zvonimir Boban]]
|1991&ndash;1999
|'''12'''
|51
|0.23
|-
|7
|align="left"|[[Robert Prosinečki]]
|1993&ndash;2002
|'''11'''
|49
|0.22
|-
|=8
|align="left"|[[Alen Bokšić]]
|1993&ndash;2002
|'''10'''
|40
|0.25
|-
|=8
|align="left"|'''[[Boško Balaban]]'''
|2000 &ndash; present
|'''10'''
|35
|0.28
|-
|=8
|align="left"|'''[[Ivica Olić]]'''
|2002&ndash;present
|'''10'''
|61
|0.16
|-
|=8
|align="left"|'''[[Ivan Klasnić]]'''
|2004&ndash;present
|'''10'''
|33
|0.30
|-
|=8
|align="left"|'''[[Mladen Petrić]]'''
|2001&ndash;present
|'''10'''
|30
|0.33
|-
|=13
|align="left"|[[Dado Pršo]]
|2003&ndash;2006
|'''9'''
|32
|0.28
|}

: <small>Players in bold typeface are still active in football. Last updated: Ukraine 0&ndash;0 Croatia, October 11, 2008.</small>

==Players==
===Current squad===
{|!align="left" valign="top"|class="infobox"|style="font-size: 85%"
! bgcolor="white" colspan="3"|[[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 6|2010 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Date announced
|colspan="2" valign="top"|September 29, 2008
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Games
|colspan="2" valign="top"|{{fb|Ukraine}}, October 11, 2008 <br> {{fb|Andorra}}, October 15, 2008
|-
|-
|}

Caps, goals and numbers are as of October 11, 2008 and game vs. [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]].

{{nat fs g start}}
{{nat fs g player|no=1|pos=GK|name=[[Stipe Pletikosa]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1979|1|8}}|caps=76|goals=0|club=[[FC Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]]|clubnat=Russia}}
{{nat fs g player|no=12|pos=GK|name=[[Danijel Subašić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1984|10|27}}|caps=0|goals=0|club=[[Hajduk Split]]|clubnat=Croatia}}
{{nat fs g player|no=--|pos=GK|name=[[Vedran Runje]] <sup>1</sup>|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1976|02|10}}|caps=6|goals=0|club=[[RC Lens]]|clubnat=France}}
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
{{nat fs g player|no=2|pos=DF|name=[[Hrvoje Vejić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1977|6|8}}|caps=4|goals=0|club=[[FC Tom Tomsk|Tom Tomsk]]|clubnat=Russia}}
{{nat fs g player|no=3|pos=DF|name=[[Josip Šimunić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1978|2|18}}|caps=68|goals=3|club=[[Hertha BSC Berlin|Hertha Berlin]]|clubnat=Germany}}
{{nat fs g player|no=4|pos=DF|name=[[Ivica Križanac]] |age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1979|4|13}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=[[FC Zenit Saint Petersburg|Zenit]]|clubnat=Russia}}
{{nat fs g player|no=5|pos=DF|name=[[Vedran Ćorluka]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|2|6}}|caps=28|goals=0|club=[[Tottenham Hotspur]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs g player|no=15|pos=DF|name=[[Dario Knežević]]''|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1982|4|20}}|caps=11|goals=1|club=[[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]]|clubnat=Italy}}
{{nat fs g player|no=--|pos=DF|name=[[Dino Drpić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1981|5|26}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=[[Dinamo Zagreb]]|clubnat=Croatia}}
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
{{nat fs g player|no=6|pos=MF|name=[[Danijel Pranjić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1981|12|2}}|caps=19|goals=0|club=[[SC Heerenveen|Heerenveen]]|clubnat=Netherlands}}
{{nat fs g player|no=7|pos=MF|name=[[Ivan Rakitić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|3|10}}|caps=15|goals=3|club=[[FC Schalke 04|Schalke 04]]|clubnat=Germany}}
{{nat fs g player|no=8|pos=MF|name=[[Ognjen Vukojević]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1983|12|20}}|caps=9|goals=1|club=[[FC Dynamo Kyiv|Dynamo Kyiv]]|clubnat=Ukraine}}
{{nat fs g player|no=10|pos=MF|name=[[Niko Kovač]] ''([[Captain (football)|captain]])''|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1971|10|15}}|caps=83|goals=15|club=[[FC Red Bull Salzburg|Red Bull Salzburg]]|clubnat=Austria}}
{{nat fs g player|no=11|pos=MF|name=[[Darijo Srna]] <sup>2</sup>|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1982|5|1}}|caps=62|goals=17|club=[[FC Shakhtar Donetsk|Shakhtar Donetsk]]|clubnat=Ukraine}}
{{nat fs g player|no=14|pos=MF|name=[[Luka Modrić]]''|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1985|9|9}}|caps=32|goals=5|club=[[Tottenham Hotspur]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs g player|no=16|pos=MF|name=[[Jerko Leko]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1980|4|9}}|caps=57|goals=2|club=[[AS Monaco FC|AS Monaco]]|clubnat=France}}
{{nat fs g player|no=--|pos=MF|name=[[Ivo Iličević]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|09|14}}|caps=0|goals=0|club=[[SpVgg Greuther Fürth|Greuther Fürth]]|clubnat=Germany}}
{{nat fs g player|no=--|pos=MF|name=[[Nikola Pokrivač]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1985|11|26}}|caps=5|goals=0|club=[[AS Monaco FC|AS Monaco]]|clubnat=France}}

|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
{{nat fs g player|no=9|pos=FW|name=[[Mladen Petrić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1981|1|1}}|caps=30|goals=10|club=[[Hamburger SV]]|clubnat=Germany}}
{{nat fs g player|no=13|pos=FW|name=[[Mario Mandžukić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|5|21}}|caps=3|goals=1|club=[[Dinamo Zagreb]]|clubnat=Croatia}}
{{nat fs g player|no=17|pos=FW|name=[[Ivan Klasnić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1980|1|28}}|caps=33|goals=10|club=[[FC Nantes]]|clubnat=France}}
{{nat fs g player|no=18|pos=FW|name=[[Ivica Olić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1979|9|14}}|caps=61|goals=10|club=[[Hamburger SV]]|clubnat=Germany}}
{{nat fs g player|no=--|pos=FW|name=[[Nikola Kalinić]]|age={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|1|5}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=[[Hajduk Split]]|clubnat=Croatia}}
{{nat fs end}}
<sup>1</sup> ''withdrew due to an injury on October 8, 2008''<br />
<sup>2</sup> ''suspended for the next game''<br />

===Other recent appearances===
The following players have also appeared for the national squad in 2008

;Defenders
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=20%|Name
!width=15%|Date of birth
!width=23.75%|Club
!width=10%|Caps (goals)
!width=43.75%|Most recent cap
|-
| [[Robert Kovač]] <small><sup>2</sup></small>
|align=right| April 4, 1974
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Borussia Dortmund]]
|align=center|80 (0)
| v. [[England national football team|England]], September 10, 2008
|-
| [[Dario Šimić]] <small><sup>1</sup></small>
|align=right| November 12, 1975
| {{flagicon|France}} [[AS Monaco FC|AS Monaco]]
|align=center| 100 (3)
| v. [[Slovenia national football team|Slovenia]], August 20, 2008
|}

;Midfielders
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=20%|Name
!width=15%|Date of birth
!width=23.75%|Club
!width=10%|Caps (goals)
!width=43.75%|Most recent cap
|-
| [[Niko Kranjčar]] <small><sup>3</sup></small>
|align=right| August 13, 1984
| {{flagicon|England}} [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]]
|align=center|46 (4)
| v. [[Slovenia national football team|Slovenia]], August 20, 2008
|-
| [[Marko Babić]]
|align=right| January 28, 1981
| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Real Betis]]
|align=center| 49 (3)
| v. [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]], February 6, 2008
|}

;Strikers
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=20%|Name
!width=15%|Date of birth
!width=23.75%|Club
!width=10%|Caps (goals)
!width=43.75%|Most recent cap
|-
| [[Igor Budan]] <small><sup>3</sup></small>
|align=right| April 22, 1980
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[U.S. Città di Palermo|Palermo]]
|align=center|6 (0)
|v. [[Austria national football team|Austria]], June 8, 2008
|-
| [[Eduardo da Silva]] <small><sup>3</sup></small>
|align=right| February 25, 1983
| {{flagicon|England}} [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
|align=center| 22 (13)
| v. [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]], February 6, 2008
|}

<small><sup>1</sup></small> ''retired from the national team'' </small><br />
<small><sup>2</sup></small> ''is not eligible for selection for the next four matches due to suspension'' </small><br />
<small><sup>3</sup></small> ''are not eligible for selection for the upcoming matches due to injuries'' </small>

===Previous squads===
*[[2008 European Football Championship squads#Croatia|2008 Euro squad]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup squads#Croatia|2006 World Cup squad]]
*[[2004 European Football Championship squads#Croatia|2004 Euro squad]]
*[[2002 FIFA World Cup squads#Croatia|2002 World Cup squad]]
*[[1998 FIFA World Cup squads#Croatia|1998 World Cup squad]]
*[[1996 European Football Championship squads#Croatia|1996 Euro squad]]

===1940s participants===
<small>Players who scored for the Independent State of Croatia team that played their games during [[World War II]]:</small>
{|class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|Croatia career
!Goals
!Caps
!Average
|-
|1
|align="left"|[[Franjo Wölfl]]
|1940&ndash;1944
|13
|18
|0.72
|-
|2
|align="left"|[[Zvonimir Cimermančić]]
|1940&ndash;1944
|8
|17
|0.47
|-
|3
|align="left"|[[August Lešnik]]
|1940&ndash;1944
|6
|9
|0.66
|-
|=4
|align="left"|[[Milan Antolković]]
|1940&ndash;1943
|3
|9
|0.33
|-
|=4
|align="left"|[[Branko Pleše]]
|1941&ndash;1944
|3
|13
|0.23
|-
|=6
|align="left"|[[Slavko Pavletić]]
|1941&ndash;1942
|2
|4
|0.50
|-
|=6
|align="left"|[[Mirko Kokotović]]
|1940&ndash;1944
|2
|15
|0.13
|-
|=8
|align="left"|[[Slavko Beda]]
|1941
|1
|1
|1.00
|-
|=8
|align="left"|[[Antun Lokošek]]
|1944
|1
|1
|1.00
|-
|=8
|align="left"|[[Zvonko Jazbec]]
|1940
|1
|3
|0.33
|-
|=8
|align="left"|[[Florijan Matekalo]]
|1940
|1
|4
|0.25
|-
|=8
|align="left"|[[Ratko Kacijan]]
|1940&ndash;1943
|1
|10
|0.10
|}

==Records==
From 2006, [[Robert Jarni]] held the highest number of appearances for the national team; he played 81 times for Croatia until his retirement in 2002. However, during the [[2006 World Cup]] fixture against Japan, [[Dario Šimić]] surpassed this distinction<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.uefa.com/tournament/players/player=13821/index.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |title=Dario Simic - player profile|date=|accessdate=2008-07-21 }}</ref> and went on to total 100 national caps since his presence in all major tournaments from 1996. He became the first Croatian player to reach this milestone and subsequently retired in 2008, being treated to a brief media appraisal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUKL053798320080605 |publisher=Reuters|author=Milosavljevic, Zoran|title=Croatia`s Dario Simic Eyes 100th Cap|date=June 5, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportnet.hr/Vijest.aspx?ID=365317 |publisher=Sportnet.hr|author=Pacak, Tomislav |title=Šimić završio sa stotkom &#91;Šimić finishes with a century&#93;|date=September 15, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-25 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=Dario Šimić has opted to say goodbye to the Croatian national squad. He earned a total of 100 caps, a record which will not be easy to surpass. Because of all his services he deserves to be the leading cap winner and still available for selection for much longer. However, his 100 caps will not be easy to beat. As such, to Dario we can say - thank you for everything! }}</ref>

[[Image:Davor Šuker.jpg|thumb|Right|Davor Šuker (right); Croatia's top goalscorer.]][[Davor Šuker]] is Croatia's leading goalscorer with 45&nbsp;international goals in his appearances for the team, a record that saw him recognised as Croatia's "Golden Player" at the UEFA [[jubilee]] celebration in 2004.<ref name="Sukerman">{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=2/newsid=638977.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |author=Islamović, Elvir |title=Suker: a man with the Midas touch |date=April 1, 2008|accessdate=2008-07-22 }}</ref> Šuker retired in 2002 and his achievement is still to be challenged, with [[Darijo Srna]] in a distant second position with 17 goals (as of September 2008).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=25253&&cc=3436|publisher=ESPNSoccernet |title=Dario Srna - #11 midfield|date=|accessdate=2008-08-21 }}</ref> Amongst the closest contenders was Brazilian-born [[Eduardo da Silva]], who opted to play for Croatia and prolifically commenced his international career with 13 goals in 22 senior appearances (as of August 2008),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=38178&&cc=3436 |publisher=ESPNSoccernet |title=Eduardo Da Silva - #9 forward|date=|accessdate=2008-08-18 }}</ref> making him amongst the most consistent strikers for Croatia. The record for goals in a single match is held by [[Mladen Petrić]], who scored four times during Croatia's 7&ndash;0 home victory over [[Andorra national football team|Andorra]] on October 7, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=128/newsid=464424.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |author=Islamović, Elvir |title=Petric inspires Croatian record|date=October 7, 2006|accessdate=2008-07-19 }}</ref>

The national team's joint record for highest-scoring victory comes from two 7&ndash;0 results, over [[Andorra national football team|Andorra]] in 2006 and against [[Australia national football team|Australia]] in a pre-tournament friendly during 1998. Croatia's worst defeat is also a joint record, with two 5&ndash;1 defeats against the German national team in the 1940s, as well as a 4&ndash;0 loss to Italy during the same period when the Croatian team represented the short-lived [[Independent State of Croatia]]. In the modern era, Croatia suffered a 4&ndash;1 defeat against [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]] in a 1994 friendly, a 3&ndash;0 defeat to [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] at Euro 96, a 3&ndash;0 loss to [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] in a 2008 friendly and a 4&ndash;1 loss to England in the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup (both of the latter are Croatia's worst defeat on home soil since 1990).<ref name="croatiamatches"/>

[[Jurica Vranješ]] is the youngest player to appear for the national team in the modern era, debuting at 19&nbsp;years, 4&nbsp;months and 13&nbsp;days against [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]] on June 13, 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://worldcup.sportinglife.com/football/teams/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=Sporting_Life/06/04/19/manual_084303.html&TEAMHD=croatia&PAGE_TYPE=news
|publisher=''The Sporting Life''|author= |title=World Cup player profiles - Jurica Vranjes |date=May 5, 2005 |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> [[Goran Jurić]] was the oldest player to debut, earning his first cap at 34&nbsp;years, 1&nbsp;month and 28&nbsp;days in a game against [[Slovenia national football team|Slovenia]] on April 2, 1997,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rsssf.com/tablesk/kroa-intl9698.html
|publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation |author=Miladinovich, Misha |title=Croatia - International Matches 1996-1998 |date=December 13, 1999 |accessdate=2008-08-15 }}</ref> while [[Dražen Ladić]] is the oldest Croatian to compete at international level, playing his farewell match at 37&nbsp;years, 4&nbsp;months and 27&nbsp;days old on May 28, 2000, a friendly against [[France national football team|France]] in [[Zagreb]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/ladic-intl.html
|publisher=Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation |author=Mamrud, Roberto |title=Dražen Ladić - International Appearances |date=November 24, 2003 |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref>

==Stadium==
{{main|Maksimir Stadium}}
[[Image:MaksimirStadium.jpg|thumb|left|Maksimir stadium from an aerial view]]
The Croatia team plays most of its home matches at the Maksimir Stadium in [[Zagreb]], where they have maintained a record of only one competitive defeat since 1994. Croatia remained undefeated in competitive matches ever<ref name="croatiahome"/> until their downfall against England on September 10, 2008 in a 2010 World Cup qualifying fixture. With a burden of injuries and a red card in the second half, the English won by four goals to one.<ref name="englandmt"/> The stadium takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of [[Maksimir]]. It is one of the oldest facilities in the country, with the current building regarded as an innovative refurbishment of the original stadium built in 1912.<ref name="maksimirren">{{cite web |url=http://www.panstadia.com/vol7/74-022.htm |publisher=Panstadia ('''Vol. 7 - No. 4''')|author=McIntyre, Katie |title=Architecture & Design - Maksimir Stadium |date= |accessdate=2008-08-07 }}</ref> The stadium has hosted national team fixtures since their competitive home debut against [[Lithuania national football team|Lithuania]]; it also hosted the matches of Croatian teams during the [[World War]] eras.<ref name="croatiamatches"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://zagrebsblues.webs.com/2.htm |publisher=Zagreb's Blues Homepage |author=| title= NK Dinamo Zagreb - History |date=|accessdate=2008-08-10}}</ref>

Further improvements, designed to increase the current 40,000 [[seating capacity]], are planned,<ref name="maksimirren"/> as part of a renovation expected to make Maksimir the most expensive football stadium in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/croatia/clanak.php?id=88735 |publisher=Javno |title=Maksimir Stadium – World’s Most Expensive |date=October 11, 2007 |accessdate=2008-07-07 }}</ref> However, UEFA threatened in 2008 to limit the number of fans allowed during future fixtures as a penalty for crowd troubles at the European Championships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=159578 |publisher=Javno |title=UEFA to Punish HNS Due to Fascist Signs? |date=June 27, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-07 }}</ref> Shortly after the final proposition of Maksimir's renovation plans, Zagreb mayor [[Milan Bandic]] expressed a refusal to proceed with the construction due to exceeding costs of the operation; until a consensus is reached the refurbishment has once again been postponed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/croatia/clanak.php?id=88773 |publisher=Javno |author=| title=Mayor: I Will Not Build Stadium at That Cost |date=October 11, 2007|accessdate=2008-09-12}}</ref>
In 2006, a large divot in the stadium's turf resulted in an infamous own goal let in by goalkeeper [[Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)|Paul Robinson]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/10/CroatiaReaction.htm |publisher=The Football Association (FA) |title='A freak goal'|date=October 11, 2006|accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> Friendly games have sometimes been played at [[Hajduk Split]]'s home ground, the [[Poljud Stadium]], and minor exhibitions at the [[Kantrida Stadium]] in [[Rijeka]] among others.<ref>A [http://www.sveosportu.com/hrvatskareprezentacijanogomet/Hrvatskareprezentacija.htm comprehensive list of national team games] on 'Sve O Sportu' shows each home game played by Croatia. The team listed in the first column is the home team, and the last column identifies the host stadium. Retrieved on 2008-[[July 17|07-17]] </ref>

===Home venues record===
<small>Since Croatia's first fixture (October 17, 1990 vs. [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]]) they have played their home games at 8 different [[stadium]]s. </small>

{| class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Venue
!City
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!GF
!GA
!Points per game
|-
|[[Maksimir Stadium|Maksimir]]
|[[Zagreb]]
|40
|27
|11
|2
|87
|21
|2.34
|-
|[[Kantrida Stadium|Kantrida]]
|[[Rijeka]]
|9
|8
|1
|0
|14
|2
|2.77
|-
|[[Gradski stadion u Poljudu|Poljud]]
|[[Split]]
|9
|0
|6
|3
|7
|12
|0.66
|-
|[[Stadion Varteksa]]
|[[Varaždin]]
|6
|4
|2
|0
|12
|3
|2.33
|-
|[[Gradski vrt]]
|[[Osijek]]
|5
|3
|2
|0
|14
|5
|2.20
|-
|[[Stadion Kranjčevićeva|Kranjčevićeva]]
|[[Zagreb]]
|1
|1
|0
|0
|3
|0
|3.00
|-
|[[Stadion Šubićevac|Šubićevac]]
|[[Šibenik]]
|1
|0
|1
|0
|2
|2
|1.00
|-
|[[Aldo Drosina Stadium|Aldo Drosina]]
|[[Pula]]
|1
|0
|0
|1
|1
|2
|0.00
|-class="sortbottom"
! colspan="2"|Totals !! 70!! 42 !! 23 !! 5 !! 137 !! 47 !! 2.12
|}

:<small>Last updated: Croatia 1&ndash;4 England, September 10, 2008. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.</small>

==Supporters==
Croatia's prominent supporters are followers of [[Hajduk Split]] and [[Dinamo Zagreb]], the two best-supported clubs in the Croatian domestic league, the [[Prva HNL]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gfk.hr/press/nogomet.htm |publisher=Growth from Knowledge (GfK Hrvatska) |title=Za koji hrvatski nogometni klub navijate? &#91;Which Croatian football club do you support?&#93;|date=May 18, 2005 |accessdate=2008-08-19|language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=There is much talk about one’s favoured football club in Croatia. GfK Hrvatska have been around this, and asked "Which Croatian football club do you support?" Close to 33% of those asked support Dinamo Zagreb, with 24% supporting Hajduk Split. Amongst others were additional supporters of smaller clubs, as well as some responding negative to supporting any club at all. }}</ref> The clubs' [[Ultras|ultra]]-style supporter groups, the [[Bad Blue Boys]] of Zagreb and [[Torcida Split|The Torcida]] from [[Split]], have both been associated in recent years with [[hooliganism]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=73131 |publisher=''The Malta Independent'' |author=Brincat, Henry| title= Incident brings back memories of Malta-Croatia match: Seven Hajduk fans arrested|date=|accessdate=2008-08-07 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/may/31/sport.comment2 |publisher=''The Guardian'' | title=Is hooliganism inevitable at this World Cup?|author=Brimson, Dougie/Miles, Kevin|date=May 31, 2006|accessdate=2008-09-04 }}</ref> Though violence between the two groups has marked fixtures in the domestic league, Croatia's international performances remain clear of such clashes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1123137,00.html |publisher=''The Observer'' |title=Football, blood and war |date=January 18, 2004 |accessdate=2008-08-26 }}</ref>

Their fans have nonetheless been heavily sanctioned for their conduct at international performances since the team's formation. The Croatian football federation has been penalized repeatedly for acts of alleged racism by the fans, initially during matches at [[Euro 2004]] which led to a threat by UEFA to expel the Croatian side.<ref name="croatfans">{{cite web |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-409579/Croatia-threatened-Euro-2008-expulsion-UEFA.html |title=Croatia threatened with expulsion |publisher=''DailyMail'' |date=October 10, 2006|accessdate=2008-07-15|}}</ref> In recent years, the Croatians have showed defiance against national security and regulations. During the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]], a Croatian supporter evaded security and made his way onto the field, approaching the Croatian players in excitement. The trespassing fan was arrested after being escorted off the field by [[Dado Pršo]] as the whole incident prompted a brief media sensation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200606/14/eng20060614_273851.html |publisher=''People's Daily'' |title=Croatian fan interrupts Brazil-Croatia World Cup game |date=June 14, 2006 |accessdate=2008-07-12 }}</ref> When Croatia played [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in a friendly match in [[Livorno]], the small group of Croats responded to the waving of [[communism|communist]] flags by forming the shape of a [[swastika]], the symbol of the [[Nazi regime]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.yugoslavia/2006-08/msg00022.html |publisher=The Associated Press| title=Croatia to receive penalty for 'human swastika'|date=August 23, 2006|accessdate=2008-07-19 }}</ref> The Croatian football federation eventually faced further charges by UEFA for the incident.<ref name="croatfans"/> Similar events occurred at Euro 2008 as UEFA penalized Croatia for the display of inappropriate banners against [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://football.uk.reuters.com/euro2008/news/L28567026.php |publisher=Reuters |title=Croatia federation fined over racist fans |date=June 28, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-07 }}</ref> After an initial investigation by FIFA, another fine was issued to the Croatian football federation for the racial abuse shown towards striker [[Emile Heskey]] during the loss to England on September 10, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/sep/28/englandfootballteam.croatiafootballteam |publisher=''The Observer'' |author=|title=Tabloids steam in as racists make a monkey of Fifa |date=September 26, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-28 }}</ref>

[[Image:Cro-Ger 2-0.jpg|thumb|left|A Croatian crowd celebrates with the use of flares.]]Croatian supporters have additionally been sanctioned for their constant use of [[Flare (pyrotechnic)|flares]] during major fixtures. Such a tendency also derives from domestic league derby matches,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKL0568852720080505 |publisher=Reuters |author=Milosavljevic, Zoran|title=Crowd trouble mars Croatian derby, Cluj on verge of title |date=May 5, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-08 }}</ref> and Croatia's traveling performances have been marked several times with [[tifo]] choreography from their followers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=157889|publisher=Javno|title=Flares and Flags on Monuments in Vienna| |date=June 20, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-08 }}</ref><ref>Related images from Reuters, Eurosport and Javno news service: [http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/22062008/8/photo/croatia-fans-flares-stands.html Croatia fans with flares in the stands], [http://content.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=photo&photo_id=0d3abmzfVAaFN&tid=0edN68V2ru5Jy&pn=18 Similar celebrations], [http://www.javno.com/en/foto.php?id=22&rbr=6928&idrf=328050 Primary photo gallery]</ref> The use of such pyrotechnic devices has been strongly prohibited, which has led to numerous confiscations from Croatian supporters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/06/21/vienna.violence.ap/index.html |publisher=Cable News Network (CNN) |title= UEFA concerned at use of flares |date=June 22, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-04 }}</ref> Former defender and current agent [[Igor Štimac]] and midfielder [[Luka Modrić]] admitted that the use of highly supporting procedures have motivated the Croatian squad prior to fixtures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/07/croatiafootballteam.worldcup2010qualifiers?gusrc=rss&feed=football |publisher=''The Observer'' |title= Croatia think large|author=Lawrence, Amy |date=September 7, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=154694 |publisher= Javno |title= Modric: Goalkeeper Was Far From My Penalty|author=Eder, Alan/Stedul, Joseph |date=June 9, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-08 }}</ref>

Ethnic and religious [[riots|disturbances]], often caused by patriotic differences from the war, have also occurred involving Croatian followers. On June 3, 1990, [[Yugoslavia v Netherlands (1990)|Yugoslavia played the Netherlands]] in Zagreb in a warmup fixture prior to the [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 World Cup]]. The Croatian crowd expressed disapproval towards the [[Hey, Slavs|Yugoslavian national anthem]] and players, subsequently cheering for the Dutch side.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/sport/nogomet/clanak/art-2008,2,2,,107187.jl |publisher=''Jutarnji List''|author=Hrvoje Slišković |title=Sjećate li se zadnjeg gostovanja Nizozemske? &#91;Remember the last time we hosted the Netherlands?&#93;|date=February 2, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-30 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=The hosted match of Yugoslavia against the Netherlands on Croatian soil has remained in the memory of all those who viewed the it, including television viewers. A large crowd of more than 20, 000 instantly turned on the Yugoslavian side as they booed the national anthem and supported the Dutch side. The Yugoslavian flags were torn down and replaced with a large Dutch flag.}}</ref> In the same year, Maksimir Stadium [[Dinamo Zagreb-Red Star Belgrade riot|hosted a patriotic riot]] between a large turnout of Croats and Serbs. The two cross-ethnic fans assaulted each other as a signal of the recent hatred instigated by the [[Croatian parliamentary election, 1990|parliamentary election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsillustrated.co.za/tenner/article.php?article_id=155 |publisher=Sports Illustrated | title=10 Days When Things Got Out Of Hand |author=|date=August 18, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-28 }}</ref> Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in such a manner, Croatian followers have caused heavy tensions between affiliated supporters of the former Yugoslavian state. During the 2006 World Cup, encounters in [[Mostar]] between [[Bosniaks]] and Croatians led to numerous arrests and severe injuries after the cross-religious nationalists began to attack each other.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://see.oneworld.net/article/view/135119/1/2309 |publisher=OneWorld South East Europe | title=Riots in Mostar after Brazil-Croatia Football Match|author=Domes, Tomislav|date=June 19, 2006|accessdate=2008-09-08 }}</ref> Further clashes between opposing fans, mostly that of [[Muslim]] involvement, occurred at Euro 2008 against Turkey. The two supporters gathered in [[Vienna]] shortly before the quarter final fixture, which initially prompted heavy security. After the match, Croatian fans bypassed the police resistance and clashed with the Turkish supporters. The brawl resulted in further arrests on both sides as the perpetrators were escorted away from each other.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=157833 |publisher=Javno | title=Police Clash with Croatian Football Fans |author=Eder, Alan|date=June 20, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-08 }}</ref>

==Media==
National team fixtures are regularly shown live and replayed on Croatia's principal broadcasting station [[Croatian Radiotelevision|HRT]], with Igor Štimac anchoring commentary since his retirement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eufootball.biz/Television/190207-TV-deals-growing-for-EURO-2008.html |publisher=euFootball |title=TV deals growing for EURO 2008 |date=February 19, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-02 }}</ref> Additionally, the national team have been prominent subjects of media association since their formation. In 2007, they founded a minor charity movement after their affiliated calendar appearances were purchased nationwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=108188 |publisher=Javno |title=Croatian National Football Team Founds Charity |date=December 19, 2007 |accessdate=2008-09-06 }}</ref> The following year, the Vlado Malešević Foundation revealed the production of a football anthem dedicated to Croatia's national team, with all proceeds also devoted to charity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zaklada-ana-rukavina.hr/content/en/news/detail.aspx?newsID=323 |title="My Fans' Anthem"|publisher=Ana Rukavina Foundation |date=May 12, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-06 }}</ref>

Shortly after his appointment, manager Slaven Bilić and his rock band released a hit titled ''"Vatreno Ludilo"'' (Fiery Madness) which recalls the team's progress during the 1998 World Cup and champions its present ambitions. The song became a #1 hit in the Croatian music charts and was played widely during the Euro 2008 campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/news/newsid=745497.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=Bilic has Croatia rocking |date=April 18, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/rock-on-slaven-bilic/ |publisher=''The New York Times'' |title=Rock On Slaven Bilic |author=Marcus, Jeffrey | date=June 19, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-14 }}</ref> Bilić's enthusiasm was ultimately well received in Croatia,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=724179.html |publisher=Union of European Football Associations (UEFA.com)|work=European Championships archive |title=Bilić's touchline waltz ends with fall |author=Atkin, John| date=June 20, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/news/newsid=805711.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=Bilic: Klasnic story a fairytale |author=| date=June 16, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-13 }}</ref> inspiring the team's nickname "Bilić Boys".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/news/newsid=806257.html |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA.com) |title=Croatian press praises 'Bilic boys' |author=| date=June 17, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-13 }}</ref> Other prominent Croatian bands such as ''[[Dino Dvornik]]'', ''Zaprešić boys'', ''[[Prljavo kazalište]]'' and ''[[Baruni]]'' have also recorded mantras which have been used to support the national team.<ref>"Here are the best, and the worst of the Croatian Football Anthems." Football anthems refer to unofficial fan songs preferred by supporters, which can be found at 'BecomeaCroatiafan.com'. [http://www.becomeacroatiafan.com/page.asp?p=2819 Croatian football anthems] Retrieved on 2008-[[July 19|07-19]].</ref> Popular hymns have included:
* ''Malo nas je al nas ima'' (We are little, but we are many)
* ''Samo je jedno'' (There is but one thing [in my life])
* ''Moj dom je Hrvatska'' (Croatia is my homeland)
* ''Srce Vatreno'' (Heart of Fire)
* ''Hrvatska je prvak svijeta'' (Croatia are world champions).

Additionally, the squad themselves adopted the song ''Lijepa li si'' (how beautiful you are) by influential rock band [[Marko Perkovic|Thompson]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glasdalmacije.com/?show=0&article=5890 |publisher=Glas Dalmacije |title=Putovanje koje se pamti &#91;A trip to remember&#93;|date=August 13, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-12 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=20 minutes later, [[Niko Kovač]] guided the players in front of us. They all began to sing 'Lijepa li si' ('How beautiful you are'). That was the absolute strongest moment of the experience. }}</ref> primarily because of its modern similarity to the [[Lijepa nasa Domovino|national anthem]].<ref>Bilingual comparison of lyrics: [http://www.croatiaparadise.com/National-Anthem-of-Croatia Croatian national anthem] and [http://www.thompson.hr/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=127 How beautiful you are]</ref>
The correlation with Thompon's music has increased heavily in the buildup to significant fixtures. When Croatia faced [[Israel national football team|Israel]] in a home qualifier, the music was not played as usual due to political concerns involving the band's criticism from [[Judaism|Jewish]] organisations. At the conclusion of the match, the squad and management team voiced their opinions and opposed against Thompson's alleged controversy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/simunic-zasto-nam-nisu-pustili-thompsona/361533.aspx |publisher=Sport Index HR |title=Šimunić: Zašto nam nisu pustilu Thompsona? &#91;Šimunić: Why didn't they allow us Thompson?&#93;|date=October 14, 2007 |accessdate=2008-08-12 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=Šimunić's biggest bother was the exclusion of Thompson at Maksimir. 'Some strange things are happening. I don't understand why they didn't allow Thompson's music before the game or even at half time when they know it lifts our spirits. I'm speechless.' }}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nogometni-magazin.com/euro2008-626d.shtml |publisher=''Nogometni-Magazin'' |title=Bilić dao interview novinaru koji je napisao da je Šimunić glupan &#91;Bilić has given an interview with the journalist who reported that 'Šimunić is stupid'&#93;|date=October 23, 2007 |accessdate=2008-08-12 |language=[[Croatian language|Croatian]] |quote=Croatian coach Slaven Bilić called upon the journalist at Vecernji List, Igor Flaka, who disgracefully reported that Šimunić is stupid after the win over England at Wembley. Bilić may have forgiven the journalist, but Šimunić surely hasn't. When asked if he personally listens to Thompson, Bilić responded 'I'm very good friends with him. He gives me his CD's before they are even released and I don't mind listening to them on the way to Zagreb. I've got nothing against that kind of music. There are some wise lyrics. It's not my absolute favourite music but I value his words.' }}</ref> During Croatia's final qualifying victory against England at Wembley Stadium, British performer [[Tony Henry]] mispronounced the closing lyrics of the Croatian anthem. Henry's fear of criticism was later retracted as the players credited his error as a relieving factor behind their victory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7109058.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Sport)|author=Keogh, Frank |title=Anthem gaffe 'lifted Croatia' |date=October 23, 2007 |accessdate=2008-09-06 }}</ref>

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|3}}

==External links & further reading==
===Official===
*[http://www.hns-cff.hr ''Croatian Football Federation'' official website] {{hr icon}}
*[http://www.uvijekvjerni.com Official supporters' club website] {{hr icon}}

===Statistics===
*[http://www.sveosportu.com/hrvatskareprezentacijanogomet/Hrvatskareprezentacija.htm Detailed list of all Croatia's games] {{hr icon}} <small>''(Last updated August 20, 2008)''</small>
*[http://www.rsssf.com/tablesk/kroa-intres.html Croatia - List of international matches] at [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF]] <small>''(Last updated May 16, 2008)''</small>
*[http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/kroa-recintlp.html Croatia - Players' stats] at [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF]] <small>''(Last updated June 20, 2008)''</small>

===News and fans===
*[http://hr.nogonet.com ''NogoNet.com'' - Croatian football news portal] {{hr icon}}
*[http://www.nogometni.net ''Nogometni.net'' - Croatian football news portal] {{hr icon}}
*[http://www.sportnet.hr Official website] of ''[[Sportnet.hr]]'' {{hr icon}}
*[http://sportskenovosti.hr Official website] of ''[[Sportske novosti]]'' {{hr icon}}
*[http://www.becomeacroatiafan.com/index.asp ''Become a Croatia Fan''] - English supporters' website

{{fb start}}
{{Football in Croatia}}
{{International Football}}
{{UEFA teams}}
{{1998 FIFA World Cup Finalists}}
{{UEFA Euro 2008 finalists}}
{{fb end}}

{{Croatian national teams}}

[[Category:Franjo Bučar Award winners]]
[[Category:European national football teams]]
[[Category:Croatia national football team]]
[[Category:National sports teams of Croatia]]

[[ar:منتخب كرواتيا لكرة القدم]]
[[bs:Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija]]
[[ca:Selecció de futbol de Croàcia]]
[[cs:Chorvatská fotbalová reprezentace]]
[[da:Kroatiens fodboldlandshold]]
[[de:Kroatische Fußballnationalmannschaft]]
[[et:Horvaatia jalgpallikoondis]]
[[es:Selección de fútbol de Croacia]]
[[eo:Kroata nacia teamo de futbalo]]
[[fr:Équipe de Croatie de football]]
[[gl:Selección de fútbol de Croacia]]
[[ko:크로아티아 축구 국가대표팀]]
[[hr:Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija]]
[[id:Tim nasional sepak bola Kroasia]]
[[it:Nazionale di calcio della Croazia]]
[[he:נבחרת קרואטיה בכדורגל]]
[[jv:Tim nasional sépak bola Kroasia]]
[[ka:ხორვატიის ეროვნული საფეხბურთო ნაკრები]]
[[lv:Horvātijas futbola izlase]]
[[lt:Kroatijos vyrų futbolo rinktinė]]
[[hu:Horvát labdarúgó-válogatott]]
[[mk:Национален фудбалски тим на Хрватска]]
[[mt:Tim Nazzjonali tal-Futbol tal-Kroazja]]
[[mr:क्रोएशिया फुटबॉल संघ]]
[[nl:Kroatisch voetbalelftal]]
[[ja:サッカークロアチア代表]]
[[no:Kroatias herrelandslag i fotball]]
[[pl:Reprezentacja Chorwacji w piłce nożnej]]
[[pt:Seleção Croata de Futebol]]
[[ru:Сборная Хорватии по футболу]]
[[sk:Chorvátske národné futbalové mužstvo]]
[[sl:Hrvaška nogometna reprezentanca]]
[[sr:Фудбалска репрезентација Хрватске]]
[[sh:Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija]]
[[fi:Kroatian jalkapallomaajoukkue]]
[[sv:Kroatiens herrlandslag i fotboll]]
[[vi:Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Croatia]]
[[tr:Hırvatistan Millî Futbol Takımı]]
[[uk:Збірна Хорватії з футболу]]
[[wuu:克罗阿希亚国家足球队]]
[[zh:克羅地亞國家足球隊]]

Revision as of 02:11, 14 October 2008

Rainbow bridge
Pond
Pavilion

Shukkei-en (縮景園) is a historic Japanese garden in the city of Hiroshima, Japan.

Overview

Construction began in 1620 during the Edo period at the order of Asano Nagaakira, daimyo of the Hiroshima han. The seventh lord of the han summoned an expert in the construction of Japanese gardens from Kyoto, who greatly reconstructed Shukkei-en.

Since the Meiji period, the garden served as the villa of the Asano family. When under Emperor Meiji the Imperial General Headquarters were relocated to Hiroshima, the emperor briefly lodged at the villa. The gardens were opened to the public, and in 1940 the Asano family donated them to Hiroshima Prefecture. Being a short walk from Ground Zero of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, Shukkei-en suffered extensive damage, and then became a refuge for victims of the war. After renovations, it reopened in 1951.

Gallery

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Croatia_national_football_team&oldid=245134697"