Croatia's national football team: players, coach, FIFA world rankings, World Cup in 2022 and more

Croatia's national football team: players, coach, FIFA world rankings, World Cup in 2022 and more

Babu Tendu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:01 PM

The Croatian national football team comprises professional football players who represent the Croatian nation in international fixtures. The Checkered Ones are well known for their remarkable performance in the Russia 2018 World Cup. They had a dream run to the World Cup Final. Along the way, they beat teams like England and Argentina.

Croatia's national football team
Croatia's national football team players, coach, FIFA world rankings, World Cup in 2022 and more. Photo by Dmitriy Golubovich and Matthew Ashton. (Modified by author).
Source: Getty Images

There are a lot of factors that make the Croatia squad very powerful. They are one of the very best European teams at the moment. With a set of talented names such as Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, they have big goals. This article will look at the squad’s information, such as its roster, captain, coach, and much more.

Croatia's national football team profile

Croatia national football team's profile
The Croatia players pose for a team photo prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Matthias Hangst.
Source: Getty Images
  • Team name: Croatia National Football Team
  • Team nicknames: Vatreni (The Blazers), Kockasti (The Checkered Ones)
  • Association: Croatian Football Federation (HNS)
  • Head coach: Zlatko Dalic
  • Captain: Luka Modric
  • Most caps: Luka Modric (148)
  • Top scorer: Davor Suker (45)
  • Home stadium: Various
  • FIFA code: CRO
  • Current FIFA ranking: 16 (as of May 2022)
  • Highest FIFA ranking: 3 (January 1999)
  • Lowest FIFA ranking: 125 (March 1994)
  • World Cup appearances: 6 (first in 1998)
  • Best World Cup result: Runners-up (2018)
  • Squad size: 25
  • Average age: 27.3 years
  • Confederation: UEFA
  • Squad value: $337 million
  • Twitter: @HNS_CFF

Croatia's national football team captain

The former European World Cup finalists are captained by Real Madrid's sensational talent, Luka Modric. The 36-year-old is also the most capped player in the national squad, with 148 caps (May 2022).

Croatia national football team's captain
Luka Modrić of Croatia reacts during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Round of 16 match between Croatia and Spain at Parken Stadium on June 28, 2021 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo by Martin Rose.
Source: Getty Images
  • Player Name: Luka Modric
  • Player nicknames: Cruyff of the Balkan, David Guetta
  • Player age: 36 (as of May 2022)
  • Birthdate: September 9, 1985
  • Birthplace: Zadar, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Zodiac sign: Virgo
  • Wife: Vanja Bosnic
  • Jersey number: 10
  • Current club: Real Madrid
  • Former club: Tottenham Hotspur
  • Playing position: Midfield- Central Midfield
  • Preferred foot: Both
  • Player height: 1.72 metres
  • Outfitter: Nike
  • Player agent: Universal Sports Group
  • Net worth: $75 million
  • Salary: $20.7 million
  • Instagram: @lukamodric10
  • Twitter: @lukamodric10
  • Facebook: Luka Modric

Croatia's national football team coach

The current manager of the Croatian national squad is Zlatko Dalic. He is a former player of the Croatian team. The head coach most recently led the team to finish as runners-up in the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Croatia national football team's coach
Croatia Head Coach Zlatko Dalic and Assistant Ivica Olic line up for the national anthems before the friendly match between Croatia and Slovenia on March 26, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Igor Kralj.
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Zlatko Dalic
  • Birthdate: October 26, 1966
  • Birthplace: Livno, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Zodiac sign: Scorpio
  • Manager age: 55 (as of May 2022)
  • Manager height: 1.79 metres
  • Former playing position: Defensive midfielder
  • Current club: Croatia (Manager)

Croatia's national football team: top players

Davor Šuker is Croatia's all time top scorer with 45 goals in a career spanning 12 years between 1990 and 2002. He was also the top scorer at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Marcelo Brozovic and Luka Modric (info below) have also been regarded as top players.

Marcelo Brozovic

One of the top Croatian players is Marcelo Brozovic. Inter Milan's 29-year-old Zagreb-born midfielder won the Serie A title in 2021, shattering the domination of his eternal rivals, Juventus, who had recently won nine consecutive Scudettos.

Brozovic, together with Nicolo Barella in midfield, Lautaro Martnez, and Romelu Lukaku up forward, helped Antonio Conte's squad win the title.

Croatia national football team's top players
Marcelo Brozovic of Croatia reacts during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Croatia and Slovakia at Gradski Vrt Stadium on October 11, 2021 in Osijek, Croatia. Photo by Luka Stanzl.
Source: Getty Images

After joining the Nerazzurri in 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb, "Brozo" has developed into a more mature footballer. The midfielder went from a quiet performer to one of the most well-known for his defensive contributions and assists to teammates and his own goals.

Luka Modric

Despite being 36 years old, the Croatian national team's legendary captain shows the same ferocity and dedication to the Real Madrid crest as he has for the past decade.

As time goes on, the Zadar-born footballer maintains a commanding position in the white midfield, comfortably ahead of recent arrivals like Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos.

Croatia's national football team nickname

The team is colloquially referred to as the Vatreni (Blazers) or the Kockasti (The Checkered Ones). In the Italian-speaking counties, the team is known as Il furioso incendio (The Blazing Fire).

Croatia's national football team roster

The following is the roster of the Croatian squad;

Croatia national football team's roster
The Croatia players pose for a team photo prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final between England and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Mike Hewitt.
Source: Getty Images

Goalkeepers

  • Dominik Livakovic
  • Ivica Ivusic
  • Ivo Grbic

Defenders

  • Josko Gvardiol
  • Duje Caleta- Car
  • Marin Pongracic
  • Dejan Lovren
  • Domagoj Vida
  • Mile Skoric
  • Borna Sosa
  • Borna Barisic
  • Josip Juranovic

Midfielders

  • Nikola Moro
  • Kristijan Jakic
  • Mateo Kovacic
  • Mario Pasalic
  • Luka Modric
  • Ivan Perisic
  • Nikola Vlasic
  • Lovro Majer
  • Marko Livaja

Forwards

  • Josip Brekalo
  • Mislav Orsic
  • Andrev Kramaric
  • Ante Budimir

Croatia's national football team: world rankings

The Croatian football team is currently 16th in world football with 1621.11 points. Their remarkable performance in the 2018 World Cup contributed massively to their now rank.

Croatia's national football squad finished their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with 23 points. They won their group, beating the likes of Russia and Slovakia. They booked their ticket to the Qatar World Cup successfully.

Croatia's national football team in the World Cup

Croatia participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was their fifth appearance. Croatia managed to reach the final, where they lost to France and finished second in the tournament.

Croatia national football team in the World Cup
The Croatia players pose for a photo as they finish runners-up after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Croatia on July 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Robert Cianflone.
Source: Getty Images

The squad qualified for the 2022 World Cup after winning Group H in the World Cup qualification campaign. They will look to improve on the previous World Cup (2018).

Croatia's national football team trophies

The Checkered Ones have performed remarkably in recent years and are expected to go on with the same trend. The following are some of the country's achievements;

  • EURO Participant 20/21
  • World Cup runner-up 17/18
  • World Cup Third Place 97/98

Croatia's national football team on Twitter

The team has a social media account on Twitter where it shares to the general public about the affairs of the national team. They can be found here on Twitter: @HNS_CFF

Croatia's national football team shocked the world after performing remarkably well in the 2018 World Cup. They beat Russia, England and Denmark enroute to the final, only losing 4-2 to the Superb French team led by Kylian Mbappe.

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