W
ith respect to other Croat
conurbations such as
Split, Rijeka, Osijek and
Zadar, there is no getting
around the fact that the country’s
football heartbeat, pulse and other vital
signs are all located in the capital Zagreb.
The city’s top club, Dinamo, stand
head and shoulders above the rest.
Domestic league winners in 12 of the
last 13 seasons, regular Champions
League participants and boasting the
most prolific academy in the land, which
is an institution focused on its two-track
mission: providing resources for its
peerless player-export business and
to cultivate a style based on technique,
imagination and intensity of purpose.
Coaching youngsters here is a serious
business. Mastery of the ball is paramount,
self-expression is encouraged and there
is a great deal of emphasis on individual
session. The kids at the Kitrec-Hacian
centre are taught well.
And the balance sheet tells its ownstory. Over half the Croatia squad which
finished second at last year’s World Cup
finals came through the Dinamo farm
system, and in surveys carried out by
the CIES Observatory the club regularly
ranks among the leading providers of
manpower for Europe’s top five leagues.
No fewer than 66 academy graduates
were playing in England, Spain, Italy,
Germany and France as of October last
year. An additional badge of honour is
the high scores they register in the
homegrown professional charts.
Born and bred Zagrebians were much
to the fore at Russia 2018, with the list
including defenders Josip Pivaric and Tin
Jedvaj, midfielders Marcelo Brozovic and
Milan Badelj, and attackers Andrej
Kramaric and Marko Pjaca. Many others,
such as skipper Luka Modric, Dejan
Lovren, Vedran Corluka and Mateo
Kovacic, were early-years pupils at
the Dinamo academy.
Dinamo alumni literally form the
hardcore of Croatia’s Hall of Fame,
notably midfield icons Robert Prosinecki
and Zvonimir Boban, defenders Zvonimir
Soldo and Dario Simic and playmaker
Niko Kranjcar. Now that’s what you call
a classy line-up.Football’s Talent Hot Spots
Over half the Croatia
squad which finished
second at the World
Cup came through the
Dinamo farm systemZagreb
CROATIANext generation...
Dinamo’s bench at
the 2018 Blue Stars
FIFA Youth Cup Final