While his former teammates hopped from celebration to celebration, Nikola Kalinić has been on an extended vacation from the Croatia national team. The Milan striker finally speaks after being dismissed from the World Cup in Russia.
“We have decided that Nikola Kalinić gets a medal, whether he takes it or not is another thing,” coach Zlatko Dalić said after Croatia’s historic World Cup success – and the answer to whether Kalinić would accept the silver medal arrived this morning, reports Sportske Novosti on July 20, 2018.
“Thank you for the medal, but I did not play in Russia,” Kalinić said to Sportske Novosti, and thus resolved the doubts of whether he, as the 23rd player of Dalić’s squad, would accept the silver medal from his team.
The answer is probably just as we expected, is honest, and really, the only logical move. Kalinić will not accept the medal because, as he said, he did not play a minute in the World Cup. If you recall, the player was dismissed from the national team after the first match against Nigeria and extended his vacation in Croatia while his fellow teammates achieved the greatest success in the history of Croatian football.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=aroCh2EWVYY
Immediately after Kalinić’s expulsion from the team, many stood firmly with Dalić, saying that was his only option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=hCvU6AGsgxE
Kalinić thus devoted his summer to rest after a stressful season – and even searched for a new club. Kalinić has been training with Milan, though he awaits a transfer to Atletico Madrid.
