00:00.
00:07Few countries are as passionate about football as Croatia.
00:15It's driven the Balkan nation of just 4 million people
00:19to one World Cup final and two further semi-finals
00:24in their first seven tournaments.
00:28It's helped sustain one of the most vibrant
00:31and hostile supporter cultures in Europe.
00:37And it's helped mould individual players of the highest quality.
00:44Croatia was only recognised as an independent nation in 1992.
00:49For most of the 20th century,
00:51it existed as part of an uneasy coalition
00:54known as Yugoslavia.
00:59During this period,
01:01Croatian footballers contributed enormously
01:04as Yugoslavia became major players in international football,
01:08especially during the 1950s and 60s.
01:14For example, when England played a World XI in 1953,
01:20four members of the Invitational Squad were Croatian.
01:27Shortly before the break-up of Yugoslavia,
01:30a golden generation of talent was beginning to emerge.
01:36Yugoslavia was a champion of the United States.
01:37At the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship,
01:41Yugoslavia roared to victory
01:42with a squad containing Zvonimir Boban,
01:46Robert Prozinecki and Davor Shuker.
01:53After independence,
01:54they would form the core of the squad
01:57that would stun the world on their major tournament debuts
02:00in 1996 and 98.
02:07Few arrivals on the international scene
02:09have proven so dramatic.
02:11The players were outrageously talented,
02:14technically and creatively,
02:17with a steely resolve.
02:20It helped that Croatia arrived fully formed
02:23with one of the most iconic kits in world football.
02:26The team jersey was created in 1990
02:30by Miroslav Å utej,
02:32the designer behind the nation's flag and coat of arms.
02:38When those checkerboards are gathered en masse,
02:41it makes for an imposing sight,
02:44especially teamed with the aggressive chanting
02:46and lighting of flares
02:47for which Croatian fans are renowned.
02:52At times, this has spilled into hooliganism.
02:56There is an uncomfortable relationship
02:58between football and ethno-nationalism,
03:02an unsurprising by-product
03:04of the breakup of Yugoslavia.
03:09The national team is based at Stadion Maksimir,
03:13in the country's capital
03:14and home ground of Dinamo Zagreb.
03:21Dinamo are an overwhelmingly dominant force
03:24in Croatia's domestic competition,
03:26winning three-quarters of all league titles
03:29since independence.
03:34Dinamo are the only Croatian club
03:36to win a major European trophy.
03:38Back in 1967,
03:40they took out the InterCities Fairs Cup,
03:43but in recent years,
03:44they have failed to convert domestic dominance
03:46into continental competitiveness.
03:51Clearly, this has a lot to do with the economics of football.
03:55The domestic transfer record is just 5 million euros,
03:59whereas the likes of Verdansk or Luka,
04:03Luka Modric,
04:04and Joske Kvadjol have generated significant sums
04:08heading to Europe's richer leagues.
04:13It is a model that has served the Croatian national team
04:16well in recent decades,
04:17with no country coming close to Croatia
04:20for punching above its weight.
04:22They are an incredible success story
04:25of a football nation.
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