Earlier today, Croatian captain, Niko Kovač, officially retired from the Croatian national team and international football all together. The 37 year-old, who currently plays for Red Bull Salzburg said: “The decision has been made. I will never play for Croatia again. It wasn’t easy to decide this, because I have achieved a lot with the national team, as a person and as a footballer.”
Kovač was given the captain’s armband just after Euro 2004. He will go down as the second most capped Croatian player (83 games)- only behind recently retired teammate, Dario Šimić, who was able to reach 100 just before he hung up the cleats.
Kovač also scored 15 goals in his 12-year Croatian career which is currently good for 4th all-time. Eduardo and Olić should pass him in 2009.
Kovač will go down as a first-class Croatian legend; there is no doubt about it. But with Niko’s stepping down, many questions come to thought.
If Kovač wasn’t committed to a 2010 World Cup run, why didn’t he retire at the end of Euro ’08?
Who will be Croatia’s next captain?
Who will permanently replace Kovač in the midfield?
Things will start to shape up on February 11th when Croatia travels to Romania for a friendly in their first action of 2009.
best captain in the world kept are men moving i alrdy miss him :(. Srna would be good as captain.
Srna looks to be the pick, although he hasn’t exactly led Shaktar to any success- it was their worst season in years. Still, It would be a bit harsh to say it’s because of his captaincy.
Vukojevic will be Niko’s replacement, with Pokrivac the alternate( yes, he’s been having a good season at ASM, ironically taking Leko’s starting spot on the roster). Speaking of Leko, it seems Bilic is to use him as Srna’s alternate. While it appears strange for a DM to play as a RM, its actually a clever tactical move by the coach- with two creative, defensively weak players in the midfield(Kranjcar and Modric), it’s essential to compensate for it elsewhere(Srna and Leko).
And thank you Niko Kovac- you’ve been without question the heart and engine of the NT for many years, as well as an inspirational leader.
Srna will be captain and Vukojevic will probably take his spot. Its sad to see him go because hes been in the team for so long but its probably the best thing. He’s getting old.
Niko had wanted to call it quits after the Euros but it seems that Bilic talked him out of it. Maybe they felt he still had some more to give even if it was only in terms of leadership and experience. It’s always important to have someone like Niko on the pitch and he will be sorely missed. A national treasure and legend, it’s amazing that he was able to continue to age of 37.
But in some ways, I think this is a good thing as we can now turn to the future. IMO there is no doubt as to who should be captain and that is Darijo Srna. While Simunic is a stout defender and an essential part to the team, his temper has caused us a lot of problems at times. Even though he’s been getting better of late, this hasn’t set a good example. Srna is passionate and modest, a hard worker that can inspire a team to victory. During the debacle at Maksimir against England, he was the only one that appeared like he was even there and almost single-handedly provided the consolation goal. And of course his tears after the Turkey game tell you all you need to know about his passion for the team.
As to Kovac’s replacement in defensive midfield, I quite like the idea of Vukojevic for the role. In the few games I’ve seen him play for Dynamo Kiev (i.e. in the Champions League), he’s impressed me. He seems strong defensively, giving little room to the opposition, which is essential for the rest of our creative attacking midfield (especially Modric). Pokrivac doesn’t excite me all that much for the role to be honest, is he having a good season in Monaco?
I agree with Srna as well, though eventually maybe even Corluka….I am generally a fan of giving the armband to a stout defender.
Sad to see Niko Kovac go…he is my all-time favourite player and pure class all around!
All good things must come to an end though.
HVALA NIKO!!!
I’m thinking Srna, he just seems like a veteran with tons of leadership. He is a great leader for his club and I don’t see why not for Hrvatska.
Niko Kovac is a legend for the NT. He will be missed, but it’s time to move on. Maybe this will push Robert in the same direction as far as his NT career is concerned. Not really sure why Niko didn’t just call it quits right after Euro 2008.
I think Romania will be a major opportunity for guys like Ognjen Vujokevic and Nikola Pokrivac to claim Niko’s former starting spot as their own. I will be keeping an eye on these two guys in particular when watching the game. Anybody have an idea if a U-21 kid might get pulled up to fill the roster spot on the bench with Niko retiring the NT? —possibly the highly touted Mato Jajalo?
I have been hearing that Josip Simunic and Darijo Srna are the favorites for getting the captains armband. I would be satisfied with either man.