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One of the greatest Croatian footbal trainers in history, Miroslav Ćiro Blažević, died at the age of 88 after a long and serious illness. Ćiro, thank you for everything, you will live forever in the sports successes and legends of this city.

The first hot-air balloon takeoff in the world was recorded in 1709, while the first real flights were taken by brothers Montgolfier in the French commune Annonay in 1783. The residents of Zagreb, however, had to wait until the early 20th century for the start of the local first hot-air balloon flights.

Every large European city has its favorite soccer club. Zagreb is no exception. If you are a soccer fan and find yourself visiting Zagreb, you should definitely visit the Maksimir Stadium, which is a home of the local favorite - Dinamo Zagreb club, and watch a few games.

As early as the beginning of the last century, the latest fashion trends could be seen on the streets of Zagreb on a regular basis, and elegant meeting places and conversations were always in line with the news in high society. So it was with (at the time) elite sports. After tennis, it was time for golf – “an elegant sport” which was accepted by the more prominent and sports-minded citizens of Zagreb, but also by the people of Zagreb.

When people think of sports, highly successful female athletes are less likely to be the first thing that comes to their minds. Yet, while there is still a huge gap in opportunities, funding, and media exposure, women are taking an increasingly active role in sports around the world, becoming more visible, important, and active in a way that transcends sports arenas. Zagreb is no exception.

When the Croatian national soccer team won third place at the World Cup in 1998, shortly after the country became independent, putting Croatia on the map of global soccer powers, many thought that such success could hardly happen ever again.

In the world of sports, Croatia is well known as a global tennis power-house, mostly owing to its two wins at the prestigious Davis Cup in 2005 and 2018. However, much less known is the fact that long before the 21st century, tennis players from Croatia, from Zagreb to be more precise, played a significant role in this competition.

Zagreb abounds in many interesting museums, of which the one dedicated to sports will be especially interesting to fans of all types of sports competitions. Unlike most others, this museum will be attractive to children as well.

What do you get when you combine self-confidence, intelligence, modesty, diligence, responsibility, determination and desire with passion, perseverance and a dose of positive madness in one person? The answer is – Dražen Petrović, a unique phenomenon of Croatian sport and a player who was called “The Mozart of Basketball” because of his genius.

Zagreb's main cemetery, Mirogoj, is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe. It is special in that, as one of the few in the world, it is the last resting place of people of different religions. However, Mirogoj is not only the last resting place of the deceased citizens of Zagreb, but also a kind of “open-air museum”, both natural and artistic. In addition, Mirogoj is the place where many Croatian greats are buried, including famous Zagreb athletes, whose graves are visited today by sports fans.

One of the most interesting personalities related to the development of Croatian sports, Ferdinand Budicki, who brought the first car and the first motorcycle to Zagreb in 1901, is remembered as one of the most interesting Croatian and Zagreb athletes, entrepreneurs and adventurers.

It was the morning of 25 November 2001 in the fashionable American winter resort of Aspen. The end of the first slalom race of the World Cup was near. At the start, with the number 64 on his chest, was Ivica Kostelić from Zagreb, at the time a relatively unknown Croatian skier. Kostelić took a risk and started boldly, knowing all too well this was the only way he could achieve a good result.

Football began to be played in Zagreb in 1894, only a few decades after the game began to take its modern form. It was played in the area of today's Marulić Square, the future city center. But in the period before the founding of the first football clubs and systematic considerations of the game, football matches did not have a sporting character, but served as a fun game without rules and without a fixed number of players.

Which of these forest animals is your favorite – the sparrow, blackbird, bear or squirrel? No accounting in taste in any case, but in mid-1980s in Zagreb, the winner was the lively, lovely and interesting squirrel. And his name was Zagi. This mascot of the Universiade held in Zagreb in the summer of 1987 is still known to many today. Surprisingly, she is also known by younger generations, perhaps thanks to the endearing character whose memory has survived to this day.

It is a sunny afternoon on Saturday, 7 June 1997. In front of the full stands of the Philippe Chatrier tennis stadium in Paris (French Open), 19-year-old Croatian tennis player Iva Majoli enters the court. No one expected the young woman from Zagreb in the final of Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, so the audience greets her with applause.