Posted on 07/14/2018 6:37:38 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
How is it that four million Croats could build a team good enough to make it to the World Cup final, beating Argentina (43 million), England (53 million) and hosts Russia (144 million) along the way?
The country famously didn’t even exist the last time England made it to a World Cup semi-final in 1990.
The country declared independence in 1991, but was embroiled in the war in the Balkans as Yugoslavia split for several years. Most Croats were living in what is now Croatia, but a large minority existed in what are now Serbia and Bosnia especially. What ensued involved ethnic cleansing and bitter enmity between the nations which speak almost identical languages and had been part of same country for most of a century.
Star player Luka Modric, who was born in 1985, himself lived through some horrifying childhood events. He fled his hometown of Modrici at the age of six in the face of conflict. His father then joined the Croatian army – and his grandfather was shot, along with other elderly civilians, by a band of Croatian Serb rebels. His house was burned down.
“These were tough times,” Modric later recalled. “I remember them vividly, but it’s not something you want to think about. The war made me stronger.”
The war affected many of this generation of Croatian players directly. Mario Mandzukic grew up partly in Germany, where he began playing before returning to Croatia at the age of 10, while Ivan Rakitic was born and grew up in Switzerland, where he started his career with Basel. Vedran Corluka was born in Bosnia but fled for Croatia in 1992 amid the war.
The collective memory of a such a recent upheaval may have gone some way to motivate and unify the national team...
(Excerpt) Read more at inews.co.uk ...
I agree; it would make us “grow up” - or admit that we’re just not a soccer country.
Mexico looks good against CONCACAF, and this year they looked better than usual; historically I don’t see them as the peer of many South American teams.
Because population theory is silly. You don’t needs 10s of millions to get 23 good players working together as a team.
Look at the four most populous countries:
1. India - Didn’t qualify
2. China - Didn’t qualify
3. USA - Didn’t qualify
4. Indonesia - Didn’t qualify
I was referring to locals going on cruises, such we do here in America and keep busy. I have already done 30+ cruises of 7+ days and next one is coming in November. It keeps me busy. Croatians can not afford many cruises.
Of the two finalists more populous France wins the World Cup.
Central Europe hasn’t broken through yet: Czechoslovakia and Hungary were also runners-up.
“Remember the uniforms from 1992, that the Grateful Dead made for them?”
That was the Lithuanian team the GD made uniforms for.
Yes, that was what I was referring, I was responding to a post about Arvydas Sabonis.
I see. Thanks.
one time fluke
The perfect storm where Croatia was good and the others mediocre
What has population got to do with it? The U.S. has the third largest population in the world and at least 32 smaller countries were better at soccer than we were.
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