15 Best Croatian Football (Soccer) Players of All Time

Croatia by Russian Presidential Press from Wikimedia Commons

15 Best Croatian (Soccer) players of all time

Croatia may not normally be at the top of your list when it comes to thinking of the best soccer players in the world. However, numerous talented players have graced the main stage regarding international tournaments, the best leagues in the world, and players who have made a name for themselves n the history books. 

They have put up an impressive performance at the Qatar FIFA 2022 World Cup competition. In the quarter-finals, they played a very compact football against Brazil, successfully holding Brazil to a goalless draw at a regular time. In football, it said that you take every opportunity you get.

Though they rarely tested the Brazillian goalkeeper, with only one short on target, they managed to score their only goal of the match in the dying minutes of extra time to send them to penalties. They showed their brilliance in penalty taking scoring four penalties against two for Brazil. They are now through to the semi-finals of the tournament where they are set to play Argentina.

Let’s see the 15 Best Croatian Football (Soccer) players of all time and why they should be respected in the sports world.

1. Luka Modric

Luka Modric by soccer.ru from Wikimedia Commons

By far the most important name on the list is Luka Modric, who is also the captain of the national team. Modric is known as one of the best midfielders of his generation due to his quick thinking, technical abilities, and endurance during tough games. At 35 years old, he is still in his prime, despite having played at the highest level in the world since 2003.

However, he could be playing in his last World Cup. He began his senior career at Dinamo Zagreb in 2003 and played at this club, Zrinjski Mostar, and Inter Zapresic during this 5-year stint. He made a name for himself on the main stage when he transferred to the English Premier League in 2008 to play for Tottenham, earning 127 appearances in just 4 seasons. He has recently been a mainstay in the Real Madrid side from 2012 onwards, for around $35 million. 

Modric earned his international debut for Croatia back in 2006 and has since earned 141 appearances for his country after making his way through the youth levels of the Croatian national team. 

He belongs to Croatia’s “Second Golden Generation”. He has participated in every major tournament Croatia has qualified for, including the UEFA European Championship in 2008, 2012, and 2020, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022. In the 2018 World Cup Final, he received the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament. He is also the country’s most capped player in history and, he has been named Croatian Footballer of the Year a record ten times between 2007 and 2021. No doubt he is the greatest.

The 30-year-old striker is now the first player to play in both the European Championship and World Cup in three different decades.  With Croatia and Morocco having played to a barren draw in their first game of the FIFA 2022 World Cup, his attacking style and brilliant distribution of passes in the midfield enabled him to be awarded man of the match. He is yet to score in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

2. Zvonimir Boban

Zvonimir Boban by Christophe95 from Wikimedia Commons

This former footballer was known as a prolific midfielder who had a prolific attacking streak. With an aggressive playing style and a positive reputation throughout the football world, Boban retired back in 2001 after a respectable career.

During his time as a footballer, he spent 6 seasons in Dinamo Zagreb before moving to Milan in 1991, where he would spend 10 years and finish his playing career. Along with making 178 appearances for Milan, he also graced the international stage 49 times between the years 1992 and 1999.

3. Robert Prosinecki

Robert Prosinecki by Medija centar Beograd from Wikimedia Commons

Robert, now 52 years old, is a main name in the football world. After retiring back in 2005, he became the assistant manager of the Croatian national team and the head manager of Red Star Belgrade in 2010. Known as a tough manager and a ruthless footballer, he is arguably best known for his decision to play for both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, long-standing rivals in the Spanish top league.

Robert played for a plethora of clubs during his playing career, showing how he favoured earning playing time and having new experiences over remaining ‘loyal’ to one club during his career. Starting at Dinamo Zagreb in 1986, he also played in games for Red Star, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Croatia Zagreb, Standard Liege, Portsmouth, Olimpija Ljubljana, NK Zagreb, and Savski Marof.

4. Davor Suker

Davor Šuker by Ludovic Péron from Wikimedia Commons

Davor is a former footballer who is currently the president of the Croatian Football Federation since 2012. Known for beginning football in his hometown of Osijek at just 16 years old, Suker later went on to make 19 appearances for his boyhood club. After his time at Osijek, he moved to Dinamo and then Sevilla, the club where he spent the most time and made the most appearances during his career, earning 153 matches on the pitch. 

For his country, Suker earned 69 caps for Croatia between the years 1990 and 2002. 

5. Ivan Rakitic

Rakitic by Wikimedia Commons

Rakitic is one of the best football players to ever hail from Croatia, currently playing as an attacking midfielder for Sevilla in the widely respected La Liga in Spain. Starting his senior career at FC Basel in 2005, he soon gained international attention during his move to Sevilla in 2011, where he made 117 appearances and scored 27 goals. His prowess during these 3 years led to him signing a deal with FC Barcelona, one of the best football clubs in the world, and earning 200 appearances in 6 seasons.

6. Darijo Srna

Darijo Srna by Fanny Schertzer from Wikimedia Commons

Darijo is a professional soccer player who is currently 39 and still playing, currently with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. He began his career at Hajduk Split in 1999 before moving to Shakhtar in 2003 – a move that saw him become a mainstay at this club and earn 339 appearances over 15 seasons. 

For the Croatian national team, he earned his first cap in 2002 and continued playing internationally until his retirement in 2016. He is the second-most capped player in the history of the country, playing in two FIFA World Cups, and four UEFA Euro tournaments.

7. Mario Mandzukic

Mario Mandzukic by Wikimedia Commons

Mario Mandzukic is a 35-year-old footballer who last played for Milan during the 2021 season. Known for his aggressiveness and defensive prowess, he has played for numerous clubs since his first appearance in 2004 for Marsonia.

During his playing career, he has been rostered for NK Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb, VFL Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Duhail. 

8. Ivan Perisic

Perisic by Wikimedia Commons

Perisic currently plays for Inter Milan in Serie A and the Croatian national team, typically used as an attacking threat as an offensive midfielder or a second striker. He began his career at Sochaux but spent most of his young years on loan to Roeselare. During the 2009-2011 seasons at Club Brugge, he made a name for himself, earning 70 appearances during this time. So far, his greatest spell has been his time at Inter Milan, where he has made 173 appearances since 2015. 

9. Niko Kovac

Niko Kovac by Werner100359 from Wikimedia Commons

Niko is currently the manager of Monaco in Ligue 1 after having an impressive playing career for his club and country. He began his senior career at Hertha Zehlendorf, but his big break came when he moved to Hertha BSC in 1992.

He made 138 appearances for this club before gaining recognition from Bayer Leverkusen. After this switch, he continued to other clubs in Germany like Hamburger SV, Bayern Munich, Hertha BSC, and REd Bull Salzburg. 

10. Dominik Livaković

Dominik Livaković by PIXSELL from Wikimedia Commons

Dominik was born on 9 January 1995 and plays as a goalkeeper for one of the top clubs in Europe club Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatia national team.  He was introduced to international football when Croatia played against Chile in the 2017 China Cup where Croatia lost on penalties. He played in the 2018 FIFA  World Cup as a substitute goalkeeper but became the first choice in 2020 during the qualifiers.

He was in goal when his team was held to a goalless draw by Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He played against Japan in a hard-fought draw in the knockout stages going ahead to save three penalties in the same game to help Croatia advance to the quarter-finals.

Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic is the third goalkeeper to make three saves in a single World Cup penalty shootout after Portugal’s Ricardo in 2006 versus England and Croatia’s Danijel Subasic versus Denmark in 2018. His three saves sent Croatia to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Thereafter, they played a hard game against Brazil and Croatia. Dominik helped beat Brazil 4-2 in a penalty shootout to qualify for the semi-finals.

11. Domagoj Vida

Vida Domagoj by Fanny Schertzer from Wikimedia Commons

He was born on 29 April 1989. He plays as a defender for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Croatia national team. Though capable of playing in any defensive position, he is mostly deployed as a centre-back or a right-back where he thrives best.

Vida has spent his entire youth career in Croatia, rising through the Osijek youth system. After maturing as a player he went on to play for several clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, Dinamo Zagreb, Dynamo Kyiv, Besiktas, and AEK Athens. 

In June 2018, the experienced player was named to Croatia’s team for the 2018 FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia. He scored a beautiful header in the quarter-final against hosts Russia to give his side a 2–1 lead in extra time. The match finished 2–2, He went on to convert his spot kick in the penalty shootout to help his side advance. He is also part of the team that is in Qatar for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

With his trademark long hair and fierce scowl, the AEK Athens defender has been part of the Croatia squad for over a decade, having made his debut in 2010. Though he is yet to feature at the current tournament in Qatar, he has plenty of World Cup credit in the bank after playing six games during Croatia’s run to the final in 2018.

12. Marcelo Brozović

Marcelo Brozović by Danilo Borges from Wikimedia Commons

He was born on 16 November 1992 and plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Croatia national team. He has featured for his nation at 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups. As one of the world’s best defensive midfielders, he is hoping that this time round Croatia will actually win the World Cup.

He is noted for his passing, tackling, runs, and stamina and is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker or box-to-box midfielder, though, he can perform anywhere in the midfield. The 30-year-old midfielder played the full 120 minutes of the Round of 16 clash with Japan, putting in a strong performance to help his nation reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Brozovic has played every available minute in Qatar and looks to be on top form, something Inter will be overjoyed to see. He set a new record for distance covered in a World Cup match in Croatia’s win over Japan. In Croatia’s win over Japan, Brozovic broke the World Cup record for the most distance covered on the pitch, covering 16.7 kilometers of ground. The 30-year-old Brozovic has made 81 caps for his national team and will be hoping to put on a strong show in Qatar, which could be his last World Cup.

13. Bruno Petković

Bruno Petkovic by PIXSELL from Wikimedia Commons

Bruno plays as a striker for Dinamo Zagreb and is also a member of the Croatia national team. During the 2019-20 season, he was key to Dinamo Zagreb’s successful Champions League qualifying campaign. He scored four goals against Saburtalo Tbilisi home and away, Ferencvaros away, and Rosenborg home. Due to his great performance, his contract at the club was extended until 2024.

He made his international debut on 21 March 2019 in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Azerbaijan. He has also played 24 times for his country and is appearing in his first World Cup. Though he has playing time, he is yet to score a goal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

14. Andrej Kramarić

Andrej Kramaric by Wikimedia Commons

Andrej plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim and the Croatia national team He has also played for other clubs such as Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva Zagreb, Ripeka, and Leicester City.

Gifted with an ability to run behind defenders, the striker who can also play as a winger made his international debut against Malta where he also scored his first goal for Croatia. On 7 July, in the 2018 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against hosts Russia, he scored Croatia’s equalizer in the first half of regulation time. He is participating in his second World Cup currently going on in Qatar. He has already scored a brace against Japan in the knock-out stages and is ready to repeat the fete in the semi-finals.

15. Stjepan Bobek 

Stjepan Bobek by Digital Library of Slovenia from Wikimedia Commons

Stjepan Bobek, who played professional football for Croatia and Yugoslavia and later managed the sport, was born on December 3, 1923, and passed away on August 22, 2010. Bobek was one of Yugoslavia’s greatest players and was typically a forward or offensive midfielder.

He was noted for his technique, vision, and goal-scoring prowess. He is best known for his time spent playing for Partizan, a Serbian team, where he relocated after World War II. Between 1945 and 1959, while playing for Partizan, he helped the team win two Yugoslav First League championships and four Yugoslav Cups. In 1995, he was crowned the club’s greatest player in club history.

All eyes are on Croatia as countrymen and their fans look to the team to beat Argentina and finally take home the coveted World Cup Trophy.