00:06For such a small country, Croatia's ability to produce world-class footballers is almost
00:12unrivalled. Goalkeepers Daniel Subasic and Dominic Livakovic share World Cup records
00:21for saving spot kicks in penalty shootouts, while Vladimir Behrer was regarded by none
00:27other than Lev Yashin as the best goalkeeper in the world.
00:33Behrer starred in gold for Yugoslavia during the 1950s, earning plaudits for a memorable
00:38display of shot stopping against England in 1950, winning an Olympic silver medal in 1952
00:46and earning selection for a FIFA All-Stars team in 1953.
00:53Robert Yarny was the quintessential raiding full-back of the 1990s, Dario Cerner of the
01:00decades that followed.
01:04But before them, Branko Zebic was the most exciting left-sided footballer of the 1950s, capable of
01:12playing on the wing, in midfield or in defence. He later went on to become a successful coach,
01:20especially in Germany, where he won the Bundesliga with both Bayern Munich and Hamburg.
01:26Another great defender of the 1950s to excel in Germany was Ivica Horvath. As a player, he won the first
01:34Bundesliga in Eintracht Frankfurt's history. And as a coach, he won only the second DFB-Pokal in Schalke's existence.
01:44His modern air was Dario Cimic, the first Croatian to reach over 100 caps.
01:54Midfield is where Croatia has excelled the most.
02:00Zlatko Tchaikovsky dominated the middle of the park in the 1950s. Robert Prozinecki
02:05and Zvonimir Boban beguiled all-comers during the 1990s. Then, more recently,
02:12Ivan Rakitic provided the ideal foil for Luka Modric to become the greatest footballer in the world.
02:20Out wide, Ivan Perisic made a habit of finding the back of the net at major tournaments,
02:25including the 2018 World Cup final.
02:31He inherited the mantle of Bernard Vukas, the left-winger voted as the best Croatian player of
02:37all time by the Croatian Football Federation in the year 2000.
02:44Stjepan Bobek was the star forward of the 1950s.
02:50While Josip Skotla became a legend of Marseille in the 1970s.
02:57Alan Boksic won the inaugural UEFA Champions League with the same club in 1993,
03:03then went on to dominate Serie A.
03:09During that same period, strike partner Davos Shuker was lighting up La Liga.
03:14In 1998, Shuker won the World Cup Golden Boot and finished runner-up behind Ronaldo for the Golden Ball
03:21and Zinedine Zidane for the Ballon d'Or.
03:24His lob over Peter Schmeichel at Euro 96,
03:28Croatia's first major tournament as an independent nation,
03:31is remembered as the moment that announced the country's arrival as a major force on the international scene.
03:40Thirty years on, Croatia have gone from strength to strength,
03:45becoming one of the most consistent sides in international football
03:50and a feared football nation.
03:52Give it to you, Shikov!
03:54T
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