Croatia’s relatively short history in football is an intriguing one. Although the 1991 Croatian Independence referendum officially declared the birth of the Balkan nation – ordering sovereignty from Slobodan Milosevic’s brutalist Yugoslavia regime – Hrvatska’s football empire was built long before the republic’s fractured epilogue.

The 1987 Youth Championships proved to be the cockcrow of Croatia’s future fortunes. During the tournament, which the republic made up of Croats, Macedonians, and Montenegrins, among other nations, won, it was the uniquely-Croatian flair that prevailed above all. Yugoslavia boss Ivan Osim’s doctrine laid within the idea that the palpitations of Yugoslavia’s beating heart relied principally on the flair of the Croats, and thus the tournament acted as the gateway to the nation’s infinite slipstream of milk and honey – and in 2024, there’s no sign that Croatia’s mill of talent is rotating any slower as they continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

Since 1994, in just less than 30 years since waking from their fountainhead, the Kockasti have qualified for every major tournament except for Euro 2000 and the 2010 World Cup. On the world stage, Croatia has finished second once (2018) and third on two occasions (1998, 2022), securing three World Cup medals – in turn, making it a challenge to determine who their finest footballers are.

With that said, here are the 15 greatest players to play for Croatia.

Ranking factors

• International achievements (honours, appearances, goals, assists, etc)
• Club achievements (honours, appearances, goals, assists, etc)
• Individual awards
• Legacy within football

15

Alen Boksic

Career Span: 1993 – 2002

Alen Boksic via Reuters/John Sibley

Alen Boksic was a Croatian striker who impressed most notably in the 1990s, shining for a number of big European clubs. At Marseille, he won the Champions League in 1993, and consequently placed fourth in the European Footballer of the Year, while he was also named Croatian Footballer of the Year. In Italy, he later won two Serie A titles in 1997 and 2000 with Juventus and Lazio.

Although his club form wasn’t quite as spectacular for Croatia, Boksic still scored nine goals for his country and represented them at a World Cup as well as a European Championship, although he didn’t manage to score in any of those major tournaments.

14

Andrej Kramaric

Career Span: 2014 – present

Andrej Kramaric via Reuters: Goran Kovacic/PIXSELL

Andrej Kramaric is one of those names synonymous with Croatia’s golden generation, which saw them make the 2018 World Cup final. While he didn’t start that game, but came off the bench, having scored a key goal in the quarter-final victory vs hosts Russia.

With 36 goals in 116 games, plus 11 assists, Kramaric has popped up with a number of important moments in a Croatia shirt. He’s also the Bundesliga’s all-time top Croatian goalscorer, and has scored more goals than any TSG Hoffenheim player in history.

13

Marcelo Brozovic

Career Span: 2014 – 2024

Marcelo Brozovic spent a decade playing for Croatia, during which time he starred alongside fellow iconic midfielders Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic (more on them later). He played alongside and formed a formidable trio with the paur in all but one of his nation’s run to the 2018 World Cup final, starting both the semis and the final.

At club level, Brozovic’s best years came between 2015 and 2023 with Inter Milan. He won Serie A, the Coppa Italia twice and lost the Champions League final with the Italian giants. He also has won titles with Dinamo Zagreb and Al-Nassr.

12

Mateo Kovacic

Career Span 2013 – Present

All told, Mateo Kovacic can look back at his achievements with some pride. After all, has won four Champions League titles across his career, with Modric (six) winning more as a Croatian footballer. Add a couple of league titles with Dinamo Zagreb, as well as La Liga with Real Madrid, the Europa League at Chelsea, and the Premier League with Manchester City, and it’s not hard to see why he makes this list.

He managed to force his way into an incredibly talented midfield at international level, although had to settle for a place on the bench in the 2018 World Cup final. In the years since, he’s become a key player for Croatia, reaching 100 caps for his country.

11

Niko Kovac

Career Span: 1996 – 2008

Playing for Croatia for 12 years, Niko Kovac was a very dependable midfielder who wore the captain’s armband at both the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. He was actually born in Berlin and spent most of his club career in the German Bundesliga, enjoying spells with Hertha BSC, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV and Bayern Munich.

After a fine career, which saw him amass 83 international caps, he became a coach after hanging up his boots. Kovac even went on to manage Croatia between 2013 and 2015, overseeing them at the 2014 World Cup as they failed to make it out of their group, which included Brazil, Cameroon, and Mexico.

10

Stipe Pletikosa

Career Span: 1996 – 2006

One of the standout stars in Croatia’s 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 campaigns, Stipe Pletikosa, better known by Hajduk Split fans as “Hobotnica” (Octopus), is one of only two goalkeepers, alongside Zoran Simovic, to win the Croatian Player of the Year award.

Being omnipresent between the sticks for Croatia across five international tournaments, Pletikosa has long been regarded as his nation’s greatest shot-stopper. His reflexes and coordination were hailed during his playing days, which saw his mountain-like 1.93m frame become a dominating feature for Hajduk, Shakhtar Donetsk, Spartak Moscow, and FC Rostov.

9

Ivan Rakitic

Career Span: 2004 – 2020

The very fact Ivan Rakitic finds himself this low in the rankings shows the sheer number of superstars Croatia has produced over the years. A relentless midfield machine that powered some of the best Croatian and Barcelona teams of all time, Rakitic was often misunderstood by the average football supporter.

His pinpoint passes, tireless work ethic, and dedication to the cause of his team meant the Swiss-born midfielder enjoyed a glittering career away from the limelight that his teammates bathed in. During his club career, set mostly in Spain, Rakitic lifted the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona and added two Europa League winners’ medals to his collection with Sevilla.

The midfielder’s international highlight came when paired in midfield with Luka Modric at the 2018 World Cup. He scored the winning penalty in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals before Hrvatska missed out on glory via a 4-2 defeat to France.

8

Darijo Srna

Career Span: 1999 – 2019

Across a career that spanned 20 extraordinary years – and where his on-field persona matched a larger-than-life off-field guise – Darijo Srna defined dedication, dependability, and durability. Playing most of his career in the Donbas region of Ukraine, for Shakhtar Donetsk, the right-back emerged as one of few talents to court the attention of Europe’s elite clubs while playing in a league that wasn’t even considered in the top 10.

In the 2010/11 campaign, Srna played a starring role in Shakhtar’s finest hour when he scored once and provided five assists in nine appearances during their best-ever Champions League adventure, which saw them reach the quarter-finals before bowing out to eventual winners Barcelona.

For his country, he retired with a record 134 caps (since beaten by Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic), scoring 22 goals, and captaining them in three tournaments. At club level, he made an incredible 536 appearances, also a Donetsk record. As for his unique dedication to the greater good far from the football field, as Ukraine continued to endure the ongoing war which began in 2014, he purchased 20 tonnes of tangerines from Metkovic, where he grew up in Croatia, before donating them to over 20,000 primary school children in Ukraine.

7

Mario Mandzukic

Career Span: 2004 – 2021

Once even an assistant coach of the Croatian National Team, Mario Mandzukic‘s influence on his nation’s football history has been huge. During his playing career, the former Dinamo Zagreb, Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid forward was renowned for his aggression, defensive contributions, and aerial prowess.

In total, he scored 166 goals in 426 club appearances, and 33 goals in 86 international caps, including being one of only five players to ever score in a Champions League final and World Cup final – alongside Ferenc Puskas, Zoltan Czibor, Gerd Muller, and Zinedine Zidane. Neither strike helped his side to triumph, but his 109th-minute goal against England to send Croatia to their only World Cup final in 2018 will live long in his country’s memory. He also won the Croatia Player of the Year award two years on the trot, in 2012 and 2013.

6

Ivan Perisic

Career Span: 2007 – Present

From one shining light from the 2018 World Cup to another, Ivan Perisic, whether from left-back, left wing-back, or left-wing, has been one of the continent’s most inventive players for over a decade now. Instrumental to Croatia’s second golden generation, the Split-born veteran is the player with the most goal contributions at major tournaments with 18 involvements.

Perisic has been an international football stalwart for so long, and is Croatia’s second most capped player, behind only Luka Modric. He made his national team debut in 2011, and represented his nation at Euro 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 as well as the 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cup, reaching the final of the 2018 tournament and winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup.