Luka Modrić and Mario Mandžukić have been paired against each other in the Champions League final four as Real Madrid will face reigning champions Bayern Munich on April 23rd and 29th. This will once again ensure that a Croatian will play in the Champions League Final for a third straight season. The victor will play the winner of a tricky tie between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea.
Atletico’s star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is currently on loan from Chelsea. If he were to play against his parent club, a fee of £5m or more would have to be paid to the London club, which Atletico say they don’t have.
Ivan Rakitić and Sevilla received a favorable draw in the Europa League semifinals, where they will meet fellow Spanish club Valencia. They avoided Italian giants Juventus, who will play Benfica in the other semifinal.
To the guy who has the Charlie Villanueva tattoos why not Modric on one arm and Mandzukic on the other arm and Pavelic on his body and Gotovina on his ledja. @ Ziva Istina I go to church twice a year Easter and Christmas does it make me a bad person no it doesn’t. What about the people who go every week do evil things and sin who feel guilty regulars are they considered good Roman Catholics because they are regulars who go everyweek as opposed to people who go twice a year. God is not trapped in the church which has turned into a big business now a days. God is every where you don’t need to go to church at all if you don’t want to. If you are a good person and don’t do bad things i don’t think God will hold it against you.
Madžo ce obranit naslov Lige prvaka!!
@ Zrinjski Mostar,
You’re absolutely right. How could I forget that Olic penalty miss?
U want me to stick to soccer???? you are comparing shaq to porcelain doll Bogut. And you want me to stick to soccer????
Shaq never shot 34% for a season.
Maybe you should stick to discussing soccer.
@ziva,
haha 34% from the freethrow line, who gives a fuck, true centers are a rare find these days in the league. Shaq had a terrible freethrow line percentage, stick to soccer u dont know jack about bball
Always and forever bayern.
“This will once again ensure that a Croatian will play in the Champions League Final for a second straight season. ”
Actually….it would be the 3rd straight season because Olic was in the final with Bayern 2 seasons ago
@mb13…….no words for that other than “jock sniffing loser”
For the record: I’m going for Bayern. Although for me it’s a slatka briga as both my dinamovci are playing.
oooops… forgot the link:
http://www.sportando.com/en/usa/nba/116037/detroit-pistons-fan-has-two-charlie-villanueva-tattoos-on-his-arms.html
ziva – here’s one for you. The ultimate trifecta. A guy with a tattoos on his arm of another basketball player and the guys signature under the tattoo. For good measure – he’s wearing a jersey with, what must be, someone else’s name on the back.
LOL – What’s that on the jock-sniifer scale?
On a side note – is it sad that when I saw this picture, I thought of Ziva right away? I think we all know that answer to that.
sell it or give it to a kid……no reason for a grown adult to be holding on to cardboard quality paper that has a photo and biographical info of another man you never met.
I’m a fan of Jesus Chris, but I don’t have his card.
Ziva, what about player cards? I got a sweet Petrovic rookie card, has to be worth a few bucks.
Oh!
Lets not forget the pictures of Pavelic and Mostar in the living room.
Home sweet home!
Memories of my household include,
Bukara at the table.
Lots of smoking in the house.
Kids, and friends of kids stay downstairs.
Shoes off!
Wash you hands!
Bacve od kiseli kupus u garazu.
Lots of hockey and soccer playing in the basement.
What else, what else…
I always laughed at how my friends minds were blown by the portions they’d get at my house.
I mean we all had huge portions by Canadian standards, but guests got even bigger plates.
God knows how my family stayed skinny…
@Ziva
Keep it up. Love your fuckin posts. The thing of the “selfies” is fuckin true. I was at the airport last week and some girl on the escalator is taking like 20 pictures of herself. Looking like an idiot. Well she was not paying attention when the escalator ended and as you can imagine her skinny ass ended up on the floor. Quite funny.
I wasn’t allowed to have any type of condiments outside of what my mom used…which did not include ketchup or pre made salad dressing…we were as old school as it gets!
as a kid my parents had konoba, thats where we stored our prsut, jarred vegetables and fruits my mom would store for the winter months…they also had pop or for you US folks soda…ginger ale, coke…well, we weren’t allowed to have any…not even on weekends.
other “old school” topics…when someone comes to you house for a visit…we had to sit on the floor….
waiting for everyone to sit down at the table before we could start eating
had to pass the entire bread basket rather than to take out one piece of bread and pass it along…
had to address our neighbors, teachers, coaches or any adult as Mr or Ms…I never see this anymore
got the look of death before entering a family friends home….no screwing around…sit down, be polite, dont ask for anything…as I write this it makes me laugh…kinda harsh in todays world
never ever under any circumstance talk bad or disrespect my mom….I got a few beating for attitude slip ups on this one
recent*
red wine vinegar is awesome.
I still take a few sips of it at the dinner table.
I’ve noticed in the resent years that the kids in croatia put ketchup on everything.
and when I smoked as a younger dude, it was completely unacceptable to tell my parents or smoke in front of them (even though both smoked into their 50’s) – ziva is right on the smoking part, i know a lot of us grew up with it – but “friends” quit when you can, feel a lot better now that i don’t smoke anymore…. but a little bud is a differeny story – a little trava here and there never hurt anyone 😀
If you have have ketchup at the kitchen table, you are definitely not born in Croatia or are 1st generation.
When I was younger, if my mom made me hotdogs, my dad was always give me a smirk and head shake when i piled on the ketchup and he stuck to his old reliable grey pupon.
Same with salad dressing. I always for some reason liked those Hidden Valley dressings; Italian, Ranch, Vinegarettes, etc. while my parents always stuck to the traditional EVOO and red wine vinegar.
With age and some parental coaching, I barely use ketchup anymore and just stick to EVOO/vinegar with my salads.
@slavonac……..I did grow up old school. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
thoughts on the following……
Ketchup at the kitchen table……….never considered it to be an issue. Will now give it second thought.
You should never be the last person to wake up in a household. Last person up is the the lazy one, unless kids. I’ve never been a guy who can sleep long anyway, so I am usually up early.
Nobody should smoke. Bad for you.
Junk food is never good, but we eat it. Be it in N. America and we stop for some grease on the way home from a night of drinking or when we are in Cro and grab that “topli sendvic” from the kolodvor or another location after a long night out. Junk food and booze is just a given. Kind of like Corluka and STDs (sorry, had to go back to old reliable).
Yes, older people are to be respected and “vi” applies. Only when talking to someone of lesser moral fabric can it be thrown out.
No, those who only attend church on Easter and Xmas are not good Catholics. They are showboating Catholics. Only there to be scene and heard. They disgust me.
Ivica – I like it and it’s pretty much the only one i don’t have.
@Nije Bitno
That’s the one you want? It’s the ugliest one.
No, I don’t have that one. Mine must be older. It’s the vertical striped one with Privredna Banka Zagrebačka logo on it.
My friends all have the one you’re looking for. Is this one supposed to be rare? I’ve seen it on so many people.
Ziva- you are entertaining dude…sometimes controversial but I like the shit you write…you crack me up sometimes. I often wonder if your dad was a hard ass like mine was…I ask because you are a typical “old school” thinker…and the funny details you come up with often make me laugh. my only suggestion to you is get some new material…some of this same old repetitive stuff has lost its appeal….
maybe you can start a discussion on new topics us Croatians can relate to…ie….is ketchup acceptable at the kitchen table (I wasn’t allowed to have it), what time should you have to wake up before you are considered a lazy bump, should smokers hide the fact they smoke from their parents, is junk food acceptable in the house, when addressing an older person is it mandatory to address them as “vi”, are those that attend church only on particular holidays good Catholics…
I’m sure you can add to this list!
I heard Kranjcar special orders his big macs with the quarter pounder patties and buns.
Do you think Kranjcar super sizes his combos at Mickey D’s?
You fat shaming pretentious secret hand shaking pillar of health assholes thinkin you’re better’n me… 🙂
I finally retired my 2006 WCup top with my last name on the back (Ziva, it was given to me by my sister so your jock sniffing rule doesn’t apply) and finally got the newest one in Niko Kranjcar’s size……..assholes.
Friends,
I have another item to add to the list of items that should be banned. We’ve already discussed the negatives of grown men wearing a jersey with the name of another man on it. And we have gone over the pitfalls of autographs and posing for photos with comeplete strangers. Well, we can add the following to the list………
people who take “selfies” and then post them on their Facebook pages. Man, I don’t know what else screams “look at me as I starve for attention.”
Don’t be one of those people.
@ Armada……..you sure that XXL Kranjcar jersey is not a game used jersey. I mean, XXL and Niko Kranjcar. Those two go hand-in-hand. Any McDonald’s grease stains on it?
ivica –
http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/img/shirts/1210/hajduk-split-visitante-camiseta-de-futbol-2004-2006-s_21363_1.jpg
@ARMADA
I was being sarcastic about Dinamo winning by 20 points.
Dinamo sucks, despite adding this two-bit mediocre foreign talent like Fernandes & Cleyton. Their youth players are more talented. Problem is, Hajduk sucks even more as they’re selling their youth earlier and earlier.
Rijeka is still not at Dinamo’s level, but are starting to do good things. It’s just Year One. They’re paying their players on time, investing in a new stadium, but they still need to develop their youth system (which lags behind Hajduk & Dinamo). I like that they have an affiliation with La Spezia (for loan deals), but they just need to harness the talent Croatia already has in their youth. Hajduk and Dinamo have been leeching off this as their sole source of revenue.
Istra and Kvarner rarely produce talent on par with Dalmacija, Slavonia, and Zagreb. Not sure if this is due to the youth development programs at NK Rijeka being under par. If not, then they can poach Dalmo and Slavonac talent the way Dinamo have been doing. They just need to keep doing what they’re doing, and these kids will see Rijeka as just as good a place to gain exposure and further their careers as Dinamo. At that point, Dinamo’s monopoly will collapse.
I had a Niko Kranjcar home short sleeve Hajduk jersey from 04-06 in a XXL someone gave me as a gift…. finally gave it away to my buddy after it sitting in my closet for years
this one – http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn119/ban1960/hajduk-dres1.jpg
Bitno,
I have a couple of Large Hajduk jerseys from that period (I think). They were given to me as gifts, but I never wear them.
Post a photo link of the ones you are talking about, and I’ll tell you if those are the ones I have. I could give them to you if you want.
@ Nije
for sure dude, every so often I check my sites for Rijeka gear or hard to find NT gear, but if I see any Hajduk stuff, I’ll post it on the most recent thread
@ Ivica
Dinamo isn’t taking the league by 20 points this year. If Rijeka stay hot, they’ll only win by 10, at the most. That’s not saying a lot still…. but in previous years, Dinamo has sewn up the title by the winter break.
good looking armada im pretty stoked right now! if you ever run across 2004 – 2006 hajduk away jersey (large and no namer) let me know please.
nepoznat – i grabbed it up as soon as i saw it. that jersey is too rare to not grab even for that price. maybe i wouldn’t have picked it up if i didn’t think its the best jersey we ever had.
@Armada I saw that jersey the other day but $250 is way too high for me, even though I have been in the market for a year or more for a 96 away
On one hand you want to applaud my beloved jadan i mali hajduk (remember, I use the small “h” because they don’t deserve the big “H” based on current circumstances) for wanting and trying to get Mamic out of the game.
But, on the other hand they do look very insecure with this type of petty grievance against Mamic. They trully do earn the title of “jadan i mali hajduk” with these actions.
http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/na-poljudu-ne-odustaju-hajduk-trazi-da-se-mamic-kazni-sa-dvije-godine-zabrane-rada-u-nogometu/1182178/
Friends, as we celebrate Easter next week. Hopefully some of you will know how to get to your chruch since its probably been Xmas the last time you visited. May I ask some of my fellow fans of jadan i mali hajduk to say some prayers for our club. Maybe we can pray for them to rise from the dead as well.
Oh, I know my basketball……….. My only point about Bogut is that he is and never was an all-star type of player. He is a big piece – and a good piece- for a contending team. A guy who can play 20-25 minutes per night in the playoffs when the games slow down and become half court affairs. That is when his strengths come out.
Armada – That is my all time favorite cro jersey brate thanks!
@Živa
Porcelain doll for a big missing 15 games? No.
What’s funny are all the people thinking that Golden State were robbed in that trade, that Golden State would continue to be stuck in the lottery, and that Milwaukee would be a team to reckon with.
Bogut’s defence transformed this team. ESPN just posted an article about him yesterday and how defensive stats like Bogut’s, are under appreciated because they’re not tracked.
But it doesn’t matter what the fairweather fan thinks. Dude got himself a nice extension based on his All Star defensive play.
Živa, you’re out of your element with basketball. You should just stick to soccer. At least you get some things kinda right (like your prediction of Dinamo winning the title by 20 points, lol).
and probably the nicest piece of fan gear ever created for our NT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Match-Worn-Shirt-Jersey-Trikot-CROATIA-HRVATSKA-KROATIEN-Training-Camiseta-/301147754465?pt=US_Men_s_Athletic_Apparel&hash=item461dce0fe1
98 Warm Up top, in XXL – currently up for bid at $120
Could careless about Bogut but in his defense, after his grusome elbow injury he can’t extend his arm fully to shoot a FT properly. Quality big, definetly not an all-star, maybe if injuries didn’t set him back.
for those that are into jerseys… here is a good find
http://www.classicfootballshirts.co.uk/1996-98-croatia-away-shirt-l.html
Large 96 Away kit, good condition, no name or number on the back
if this was a XL or XXL, I would of snapped it up already….
i hope they do…….a CL final without an English team in it is a great CL final.
Fuck Chelsea, really hope Athletico knock them out and I’m thinking they will.
Friends,
Sorry to interrupt the soccer discussion, but I am catching up on the NBA right now and I see Bogut has played 65 games this year. So he will miss anywhere from 14-17 games. Does that still qualify as being a porcelain doll???? Borderline I guess. Also, I see he is shooting 34% from the Ft line. Man, that is not good.
Remember when we had people claiming he was an all-star caliber player???? Yeah, that was funny.
This opens the door for Chelsea which sucks. I would have preferred a Real-Chelsea semi just so we can see Mourinho back at Madrid.
@ Soul Champ,
I can’t see Srna losing the captaincy as long as he is playing. He inherited it from Niko Kovac and it appeared that Niko recommended him by the way he gave him the armband after being substituted out, in his last game for the repka against England…
Go Chelsea!
EPIC!
180+ minutes of Real v Bayern.
I am rooting for Real. But if Bayern win I know it will be off the head of one Mario Mandžukić !
Sevilla are in great shape to be in Turin. I hope Juve loses to Benfica but doubt it.
If Raketa captains Sevilla to this title then he will have shown the full level of leadership necessary to captain Croatia after Brazil.
Man what a blessing to have our 3 best players involved in high stakes competition. This is what translates to national team success.