Incredible recognition for Croatian football as coach Zlatko Dalić and captain Luka Modrić have been nominated for FIFA’s best.
Fifa has nominated 11 candidates for the prestigious ‘Coach of the Year’ award, and one of the 11 nominees is Croatia’s very own Zlatko Dalić!
OFFICIAL | The nominees for #TheBest FIFA Men’s Coach 2018:
Massimiliano Allegri
Stanislav Cherchesov
Zlatko Dalic
Didier Deschamps
Pep Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp
Roberto Martinez
Diego Simeone
Gareth Southgate
Ernesto Valverde
Zinedine ZidaneFor the period 3 July 2017-15 July 2018 pic.twitter.com/BTD5E48lXh
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) July 24, 2018
With him on the bench, Croatia came to their historic success in Russia, winning second place after losing to France in the final.
Fifa officially explained why Dalić deserved a spot on the list for coach of the year:
“Took Croatia to their first FIFA World Cup Final. Led them to a historic match in Moscow after just nine months in the job. Were one of only three teams to secure three group wins.”
Dalić’s competitors in the fight for ‘The Best’ are Juventus strategist Massimiliano Allegri, Russia coach Stanislav Čerčesov, France coach Didier Deschamps, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, Atletico Madrid’s coach Diego Simeone, England coach Gareth Southgate, Barcelona expert Ernesto Valverde and the currently “unemployed” Zinedine Zidane who led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles.
The list of 11 coaches was chosen by experts and football legends, and the opportunity to choose the best now includes the fans who can vote on Fifa’s official website. The winner will be declared on September 24 in London.
But that’s not all.
Luka Modrić was chosen among the top 10 nominees for Fifa’s ‘Player of the Year’!
OFFICIAL | The nominees for #TheBest FIFA Men’s Player 2018:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kevin De Bruyne
Antoine Griezmann
Eden Hazard
Harry Kane
Kylian Mbappe
Lionel Messi
Luka Modric
Mohamed Salah
Raphael VaraneFor the period 3 July 2017-15 July 2018 pic.twitter.com/bqt8tDWY8d
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) July 24, 2018
Croatia’s captain had a brilliant season at Real Madrid, where he won their third consecutive Champions League title. He then played a fantastic World Cup where Croatia became finalists.
Modrić will compete against Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Kevin De Bruyne, Leo Messi, Raphael Varane, Antoine Griezmann, Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah.
Modrić was also named the best player of the World Cup in Russia, and his biggest competitor for this Fifa award could be Kylian Mbappé, who was named the best young player of the tournament. You can vote for Modrić here.
