The 2008-09 season is almost upon us and should be a great one for all our Croatian internationals; especially the ones that have recently found new homes. Soon-to-be Croatian squad member, Dario Cvitanić, will be playing for Ajax (Netherlands) after 5 successful seasons at Banfield (Argentina).
Superstar midfielder, Luka Modrić, will have plenty of critics to answer to this season as his expectations remain high after a fantastic Euro 2008 campaign. Tottenham (England) supporters couldn’t be happier with the Modrić signing as they now have a legitimate chance of finishing top 5 in the English Premier League and challenging for a Champion’s League spot for next season. Ognjen Vukojević signed a healthy deal in the off-season with Champion’s League contenders, Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), while promising star, Ante Rukavina, has left Hajduk and is heading south for Panathinaikos (Greece).
Dario Knežević is moving to Italian Serie A giants, Juventus, who are in contention for the Serie A title as well as a welcome back into Champion’s League competition. Remember that Juventus was not able to qualify for Europe’s elite club tournament last year because of a demotion to Serie B in 2006 due to match fixing scandals.
In a surprise move, Ivan Klasnić, has called it quits with Werder Bremen (Germany) and has moved on to newly promoted 1st Division French team, Nantes. If he’s on his game he should tear up the league.
Here are the results for the recent poll: Who are you most interested in watching play for his new team?
Modrić for Tottenham (70%)
Cvitanić for Ajax (20%)
Knežević for Juventus (6%)
Vukojević for Dynamo Kyiv (4%)
(105 Total Votes)
My apologies for not putting Klasnić and Rukavina on the list as the news was confirmed after I had already started the poll. I once again would like to thank everyone who voted and look forward to hearing from all of you again in the future.
You don’t usually hear about the Croatians abroad if they arent on the national team. Im sure we’ll all be watching AJAx close this season in which I can follow Bodul, but frankly I have never heard of him. Theres also a CRO on Zenit I believe who is decent. But I’m glad you brought that up Milenko. Good to hear from you.
What about Darko Bodul, he is very young and is playing in ajax this season,(alongside with Dario Cvitanic on front)…does anyone know something about this player??…is he a good prospect for the NT???
Rob,
I agree with you that Croatia doesn’t have anyone to replace Robert Kovač. However, this is only true on paper.
If Bilić keeps starting Robert, we will never know who the next Ćorluka will be.
Čarli had his debut match against world champions Italy on August 16, 2006 in Livorno, Italy. Croatia won the match 2–0 and Ćorluka, aged 20 during his debut, entered the game in the second half and satisfied critics with his very good, solid performance. He has been a starter ever since. I remember the time he entered in the second half, I thought, ‘Why did Bilić bring in this loser.’ (Loser because he plays for Dinamo) 🙂
Look at all the teams that had success at EURO 2008. Most teams had a young and talented roster. Besides the Kovač brothers and Šimunić, all of Croatia’s players are still prospects.
Wisdom can only take you as far as your legs can carry you.
As always, looking forward to your comments Rob,
~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Šibenik
I hear what you are saying Denis.
But I get the feeling that BIlic thinks the leadership they both bring to the table is needed after the painful exit from Euro 08.
When Robert leaves, who is first in line to replace him? Knezevic??
Rob,
I read that both niko and Robert will return for world cup qualifiers. As much as I like both, its time for them to retire.
Look at what happened to Czech and Sweden. Legends cant play forever.
Look at Shaq…haha..
They both have something left in the tank, however, experience for young players is golden…
Hey guys, I heard Niko Kovac may not be retiring…has anyone heard anything about that?
That would be great news to me, since he is my all-time favorite Croatian player.
Thanks!!