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Suker was the hero of his nation's run to third place on its World Cup debut in 1998. Vandystadt/Allsport |
Upon declaring its independence in 1990, Croatia swiftly became a success on the international stage, qualifying for the 1998 World Cup in France, where to the world's surprise, it bagged third place in a hotly contested playoff against the Netherlands.
The hero of the nation was Davor Suker, who with a total of six goals to his name won the coveted golden boot ahead of stalwart Argentine forward Gabriel Batistuta and Italian striker Christian Vieri. He scored crucial goals in almost every game, converting a controversial penalty to defeat Germany in an epic quarterfinal, and putting eventual champion France 1-0 down in the semis.
Suker had first made a name for himself on the world stage at Euro '96, netting 12 goals in 10 games in qualifying, and then lighting up the finals with an exquisite chip over Denmark's Peter Schmeichel in the group stages. And prior to Croatia's independence, Suker helped lead Yugoslavia to the World Youth Championships in Chile in 1987. With Suker alongside the likes of Alen Boksic, Robert Prosinecki and Goran Vlaovic, Croatia poses a very real threat to any shaky defense in this year's competition.
