First Touch ’26 - Croatia

First Touch ’26 - Croatia

Small but mighty, Croatia are the ultimate World Cup overachievers. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of a national team less than three decades old that’s already reached three semifinals and one final—an absurd record for a country of under four million people. We trace how Croatian football grew out of the Yugoslav era, from Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb’s “Eternal Derby” and the legendary Torcida fan culture to independence, a brand-new domestic league, and a meteoric rise from 125th in the FIFA rankings to a third-place finish at France ’98.

From there, we relive the 2018 and 2022 runs powered by Luka Modrić’s genius, Zlatko Dalić’s pragmatic, players-first leadership, and a second “golden generation” that just refused to die, grinding through extra time and penalty shootouts on the biggest stage. We dig into Croatia’s youth development miracle—why they “only had one Modrić” and had to protect every fragile talent—highlighting rising center back Luka Vušković as the next big thing. Along the way, we hit Slaven Bilić’s outsized influence, the infamous Dinamo–Red Star riot that helped spark the independence struggle, and even the Croatian claim to inventing the necktie. With an aging core, a brutal group, and a country that expects deep runs now, this might be the last stand for one of the great modern World Cup stories.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(128)

First Touch Weekly | Deportivo A Coruña’s La Liga Resurgence

First Touch Weekly | Deportivo A Coruña’s La Liga Resurgence

Deportivo A Coruña is back in Spain’s top flight and off to a flying start. Susannah Fuller looks at the club’s remarkable journey from the heights of Super Depor to the depths of Spanish football, an...

17 Sep 16min

First Touch Dispatch | James Rodriguez Retires, VAR Controversy & the Ballon d’Or

First Touch Dispatch | James Rodriguez Retires, VAR Controversy & the Ballon d’Or

James Rodriguez brings his Colombia career to a close, four Americans are making their mark at Middlesbrough, and Paris FC and Como are emerging among Europe’s early-season surprises. Plus, the fallou...

15 Sep 16min

Open Mic | Mary Harvey on Building the Women’s Game

Open Mic | Mary Harvey on Building the Women’s Game

Mary Harvey has seen the women’s game from almost every angle in her career, as a USWNT goalkeeper to FIFA leader and WPS executive. Today, she leads the Center for Sport and Human Rights, and she joi...

11 Sep 1h

First Touch Weekly | Nico Cantor Takes Us Inside South American Football

First Touch Weekly | Nico Cantor Takes Us Inside South American Football

Susannah Fuller welcomes Nico Cantor to explore the culture, history and competitive spirit of South American football. from the continent’s biggest clubs and competitions to Nico’s beloved Boca Junio...

10 Sep 37min

Open Mic | Kieran Gibbs on Developing the Next Generation of Soccer Players

Open Mic | Kieran Gibbs on Developing the Next Generation of Soccer Players

Susannah Fuller chats with former Arsenal and England defender Kieran Gibbs to talk about his path from pro player to co-founding ONE FC, a youth soccer academy in Miami. Gibbs shares his approach to ...

4 Sep 32min

First Touch Weekly | London City Lionesses Are Going For It

First Touch Weekly | London City Lionesses Are Going For It

The Women’s Super League (WSL) returns, and Susannah Fuller is joined by football journalist and the founder of The Cutback Flo Lloyd-Hughes to look at what could make this season different. They dive...

3 Sep 15min

First Touch Dispatch | Messi Retires, Bayern Begin Again & Champions League Draw

First Touch Dispatch | Messi Retires, Bayern Begin Again & Champions League Draw

Messi calls time on his Argentina career, Bayern Munich begin another title defense, and London City Lionesses enter the WSL with a squad built to challenge the established order. Plus, a closer look ...

1 Sep 13min

First Touch Weekly | Europe Is Back!

First Touch Weekly | Europe Is Back!

The European soccer season is underway, and there are already plenty of questions to answer.Can Liverpool thrive under Andoni Iraola? What makes Como one of Europe's most intriguing teams? And how wil...

27 Aug 35min

Populärt inom Sport

tutto-balutto
f1-podden
alla-andra-kan-ga-hem
under-isen
killradet
fotboll-calling
rss-rule-britannia
rss-tv4-hockey
fotbollsmorgon
shl-podden
klubben-fotboll-2
nhl-podden-med-bjurman-och-ekeliw
rss-90minsvenskan
rss-viva-fotboll
hockeypuls
rss-calcio-paradiso
rss-sillyrummet
fotbollskanalen-on-tour-em-2020
hunden-katten-glassen-en-blavit-podcast
when-we-were-kings