Probably all Croats, and not only football fans, remember where they were on 16 July 2018, all afternoon and evening. Namely, on that day, more than half a million people in Zagreb, and who knows how many others in front of their small screens, welcomed the FIFA World Cup runners-up – the Croatian national football team on their way back from the FIFA World Cup in Russia. It was the biggest success in football and the biggest welcome in the history of Croatia, which we will all remember well after several decades.
Whether you are looking at football fatalistically as the former Scottish football player Bill Shankly ('Some people think that football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that'), philosophically as the writer Lewis Grizzard ('The game of life is a lot like football. You have to tackle your problems, block your fears and score your points when you get the opportunity') or it is just a fun game which we like to call 'the most important of the least important things', you probably saw our football players off full of excitement to this year's 22nd FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. And not only for national pride, but also because Croatia is going to that tournament as a runner-up.
Lice Grada
It is the first World Cup ever that will take place in the Arab world and the second which will take place in Asia, following the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and it will be played in five host cities at eight stadiums in total.
Probably all home supporters have already remembered that Croatia plays in Group F against Morocco (on November 23), Canada (on November 27) and Belgium (on December 1). Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić took the following squad to Qatar: goalkeepers Dominik Livaković, Ivica Ivušić and Ivo Grbić, defenders Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Borna Barišić, Josip Juranović, Joško Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanišić, Martin Erlić and Josip Šutalo, midfielders Luka Modrić (the captain), Mateo Kovačić, Marcelo Brozović, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Lovro Majer, Kristijan Jakić and Luka Sučić, while Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Bruno Petković, Mislav Oršić, Ante Budimir and Marko Livaja will compete among the forwards.
Tomislav Miletić/PIXSELL
'There is no need to talk about motivation, this is the World Cup. I hope we will prepare well this week and pass the group stage, that is one of the first goals... Everyone who was invited deserved to be here, and if we stay healthy, we will have a good chance. We have been together for a long time, I have been here for a few years now, and I believe that we will be true at the World Cup. All the teams there are great, but we have to focus on ourselves. Every match will be difficult, tiring, both physically and mentally', said Mislav Oršić, a goalscorer of Dinamo Zagreb and one of the three players of the multiple Croatian champion who complement almost entirely international number of the national team members, before leaving for Qatar.
Dear football players, as always, we are with you with all our hearts, we wish you success and luck in the upcoming matches and, above all, the passage of the group stage. And after that – who knows?! We are optimistic for a reason, because we know that Croatia plays best with the strongest ones, the ones who will be in the knockout stage of the World Cup. In any case, we look forward to seeing good football, Croatia's celebrated creative play style, the players giving it all for the national jersey and to following the team with joy from one match to another. We know that you will do your best, and then we may hope for a new big welcome. Good luck!
Header image credit: Tom Dubravec/CROPIX