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The Croatia World Cup final vs. France is definitely something historic for the Balkan country.
Not many countries have had the honor of reaching that stage.
This has all the more merit considering how young the country is — Croatia was formed as a nation state in 1991 after the dissolution of Yugoslavia.
Croatia has a population of about 4,154, 000, and some of the country’s biggest cities are Zagreb, the capital, and Dubrovnik on the Adriatic sea.
Furthermore, Croatia’s independence came through a very dramatic and bloody war involving neighboring countries Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and modern-day Kosovo.
Growing up in the late '80s and '90s, many of the players representing Croatia today grew up in the harshest conditions brought about by the war.
Despite its rather short history as a modern country and its small population, Croatia has managed to feature among the top four national teams in two World Cups.
Led by the tournament’s top scorer Davor Suker, Croatia made the World Cup semifinals in 1998. That Croatia World Cup ended with a 2-1 loss to host France.
The match serves as a precedent of Sunday’s clash between the two countries, although we shall see who comes out on top this time.
In 1998, Les Bleus eventually won the tournament after beating Brazil 3-0 in the final at Stade de France.
Losing the semifinal, Croatia went on to play the Netherlands in the match for third place. Davor Suker scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory that got Croatia a surprising third-place finish in its first-ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation.
Until this week, that remained Croatia’s greatest achievement in soccer.
However, the Croatian golden generation has now been matched and even left behind after Croatia qualified for its first World Cup final earlier this week.
Since the begining of the tournament, Croatia has not ceased to amaze. First it was a resounding 3-0 upset victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the group stage that brought Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and company into the spotlight.
After finishing on top of its group, Croatia has managed to get narrow but well-deserved victories.
They beat Denmark in a penalty shootout that will be remembered as an incredible goalkeeping duel between Denmark’s Kasper Schmeichel and Danijel Subasic.
In the quarterfinals, Croatia defeated host Russia in yet another penalty shootout, thus shattering the Russians' dreams of winning the trophy at home.
In the semifinals, Mario Mandzukic scored a late extra-time goal that propelled the Balkans into their first ever World Cup final.
It should be noted, Croatia is the first team to ever advance through three consecutive extra-time definitions.
Having played over 90 minutes of extra time in the tournament’s knock out stage, it is as if Croatia has played an entire extra match.
This will probably be in the advantage of the French, as they defined all their victories in regular time and will have an extra rest day before the final on Sunday.
Exhaustion was quite noticeable in the Croatian side during the semifinal extra-time period. And yet, somehow, they managed to pull through.
Compared to other national squads, and particularly France, Croatia is a relatively modest side.
With the exception of world class stars Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic, the rest of the roster is composed by somewhat unassuming players.
What has then been the key for their success?
In short, Croatia has played with its hearts out and has done whatever necessary to further advance every step of the way.
Of course it is not only sheer determination that has Croatia playing the final. Some outstanding performances in key moments have played a fundamental role in Croatia’s success.
The aforementioned performance by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic should serve as an example, but there are many others.
For instance: Mario Mandzukic’s instincts to score the winning goal vs. England, Ivan Perisic's relentlessness and brilliance throughout the entire semifinal game, Domagoj Vida’s attacking incursions and many more.
And of course, there is also the amazing and unrelenting support of Croatian fans who have frantically celebrated each goal and victory, no matter the circumstances.
After the win over England, Telemundo broadcasters were wondering whether Croatia’s unbelievable resilience could be explained, at least in part, as a consequence of the harsh conditions many of the players — and by extension, the entire country — endured while growing up.
This may or may not be the case. And yet, what’s undeniable is Croatia's admirable determination and near stoic disposition to fight until the end in every single game.
For all these reasons, it is my opinion that Croatia deserves to win the World Cup more than anyone.
Naturally, this is not to say France does not have enough merit. In fact, Les Bleus have arguably been the strongest, most consistent team in the tournament.
But there is a certain charm in rooting for the underdog, in betting on hope and courage rather than odds and big names.
On Sunday we will know if Croatia can further stun the planet and become world champion.
Regardless of the game's outcome, one thing is certain: They will have earned the everlasting admiration and respect of the entire football universe. And their names will be remembered.
