00:00.
00:07Few countries are as passionate about football as Croatia.
00:16It's driven the Balkan nation of just four million people
00:19to one World Cup final and two further semi-finals
00:24in their first seven tournaments.
00:30It's helped sustain one of the most vibrant
00:32and hostile supporter cultures in Europe.
00:38And it's helped mould individual players of the highest quality.
00:45Croatia was only recognised as an independent nation in 1992.
00:50For most of the 20th century,
00:52it existed as part of an uneasy coalition known as Yugoslavia.
01:00During this period, Croatian footballers contributed enormously
01:04as Yugoslavia became major players in international football,
01:09especially during the 1950s and 60s.
01:15For example, when England played a World XI in 1953,
01:21four members of the Invitational Squad were Croatian.
01:28Shortly before the break-up of Yugoslavia,
01:31a golden generation of talent was beginning to emerge.
01:36at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship,
01:41Yugoslavia roared to victory
01:43with a squad containing Zvonimir Boban,
01:46Robert Prozinecki and Davos Shuker.
01:53After independence, they would form the core of the squad
01:57that would stun the world on their major tournament debuts
02:01in 1996 and 98.
02:08Few arrivals on the international scene have proven so dramatic.
02:12The players were outrageously talented, technically and creatively,
02:17with a steely resolve.
02:21It helped that Croatia arrived fully formed
02:24with one of the most iconic kicks in world football.
02:27The team jersey was created in 1990
02:30by Miroslav Ĺ utej,
02:33the 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
02:47and lighting of flares for which Croatian fans are renowned.
02:53At times, this has spilled into hooliganism.
02:56There is an uncomfortable relationship between football
03:00and ethno-nationalism,
03:02an unsurprising by-product of the breakup of Yugoslavia.
03:10The national team is based at Stadion Maksimir,
03:14in the country's capital
03:15and home ground of Dinamo Zagreb.
03:21Dinamo are an overwhelmingly dominant force
03:25in Croatia's domestic competition,
03:27winning three-quarters of all league titles since independence.
03:34Dinamo are the only Croatian club to win a major European trophy.
03:39Back in 1967, they took out the Intercities Fairs Cup,
03:44but in recent years they have failed to convert domestic dominance
03:47into continental competitiveness.
03:52Clearly, this has a lot to do with the economics of football.
03:56The domestic transfer record is just 5 million euros,
04:00whereas the likes of Verdan Chorluka,
04:03Luka Modric and Josko Kvaryol have generated significant sums heading to Europe's richer leagues.
04:13It is a model that has served the Croatian national team well in recent decades,
04:18with no country coming close to Croatia for punching above its weight.
04:22They are an incredible success story of a football nation.
04:28Nevertheless, they are able to have a special choice
04:28to win a whole league by his first run.
04:28Now, one of the things that's not going to be better is going to go to Taiwan
04:29The second one on the day is going to be a little bit longer at the moment,
04:30the other one, let's go to the AP.
04:30The Chancellor of the Home Kingdom is also going to be a little bit more
04:30And the moment we are going to have to work on the third one class.
Comments