00:00.
00:04Few countries are as passionate about football as Croatia.
00:12It's driven the Balkan nation of just 4 million people
00:16to one World Cup final and two further semi-finals
00:21in their first seven tournaments.
00:26It's helped sustain one of the most vibrant
00:29and hostile supporter cultures in Europe.
00:35And it's helped mould individual players of the highest quality.
00:42Croatia was only recognised as an independent nation in 1992.
00:46For most of the 20th century,
00:49it existed as part of an uneasy coalition
00:52known as Yugoslavia.
00:57During this period,
00:58Croatian footballers contributed enormously
01:01as Yugoslavia became major players in international football,
01:06especially during the 1950s and 60s.
01:12For example,
01:13when England played a World XI in 1953,
01:17four members of the Invitational Squad were Croatian.
01:24Shortly before the break-up of Yugoslavia,
01:27a golden generation of talent was beginning to emerge.
01:33At the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship,
01:37Yugoslavia roared to victory
01:40with a squad containing Zvonimir Boban,
01:42Robert Prozinecki and Davos Shuker.
01:50After independence,
01:52they would form the core of the squad that would stun the world
01:55on their major tournament debuts in 1996 and 98.
02:04Few arrivals on the international scene have proven so dramatic.
02:09The players were outrageously talented,
02:11technically and creatively,
02:14with a steely resolve.
02:17It helped that Croatia arrived fully formed,
02:21with one of the most iconic kicks in world football.
02:24The team jersey was created in 1990 by Miroslav Šutej,
02:29the designer behind the nation's flag and coat of arms.
02:35When those checkerboards are gathered en masse,
02:38it makes for an imposing sight,
02:41especially teamed with the aggressive chanting and lighting of flares
02:44for which Croatian fans are renowned.
02:50At times, this has spilled into hooliganism,
02:53and there is an uncomfortable relationship
02:56between football and ethno-nationalism,
02:59an unsurprising by-product of the breakup of Yugoslavia.
03:07The national team is based at Stadion Maksimir,
03:10in the country's capital,
03:12and home ground of Dinamo, Zagreb.
03:18Dinamo are an overwhelmingly dominant force
03:21in Croatia's domestic competition,
03:23winning three-quarters of all league titles since independence.
03:31Dinamo are the only Croatian club
03:33to win a major European trophy.
03:35Back in 1967,
03:37they took out the Intercities Fairs Cup,
03:40but in recent years they have failed
03:42to convert domestic dominance into continental competitiveness.
03:49in the country.
03:49Clearly, this has a lot to do with the economics of football.
03:52The domestic transfer record is just 5 million euros,
03:57whereas the likes of Verdant Chorluka,
04:00Luka Modric,
04:02and Josko Kvaryol,
04:03have generated significant sums
04:06heading to Europe's richer leagues.
04:10It is a model that has served the Croatian national team well
04:13in recent decades,
04:15with no country coming close to Croatia
04:17for punching above its weight.
04:19They are an incredible success story
04:22of a football nation.
04:24Well...
04:24you know,
04:24as soon as well possible,
04:24you can see many militarists
04:25Well,
04:26what's not possible,
04:26as always props to Tomacott zincным
