Davor Šuker

Davor Šuker’s on-pitch leadership qualities came to the fore during his tenure as Croatian FA President spearheading a nation’s global revival

• The former striker, who lifted the Champions League with Real Madrid, noted that the Croatian FA has upped its investment in the country’s footballing infrastructure and women’s and youth football.

• Šuker expects the Croatian national team to perform well at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

Davor Šuker reflects on his storied career with great fondness and immense pride. Acclaimed as the greatest Croatian striker of all time after hitting 45 goals in 69 international appearances, the former Croatian FA President cites the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ as his career highlight.

Croatia finished the tournament in third place, behind hosts and winners France and runners-up Brazil. Šuker was in the form of his life, with his six-goal haul enough to land him the adidas Golden Boot.

“Finishing in third place with Croatia at the World Cup in France was the crowning moment of my career and claiming the Golden Boot was a consequence of what was a great achievement for us as a team,” he commented.

“I’m very proud of the fact I’m still the national team’s all-time leading goalscorer. Needless to say, the trophies I won with Real Madrid [CF] mean an awful lot to me, especially the Champions League.”

The virtuoso forward showcased his goalscoring instincts and lethal left foot throughout a sparkling career that began in his native Osijek back in 1984.

After making his mark at NK Osijek, Šuker went on to enjoy hugely successful spells at GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla FC and Real Madrid. He cemented his reputation as a gifted striker in an eight-season stint in the Spanish top flight, where he plundered 114 goals in 239 outings. The talented hitman struck a rich vein of form as a member of a legendary Los Blancos side, with whom he secured a league title, the Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup and an Intercontinental Cup.

Šuker, now 53, also graced the Premier League, enjoying brief spells at Arsenal FC and West Ham United FC, before bringing the curtain down on a glittering career at TSV 1860 München.

After calling time on his playing career, there was little doubt that Šuker would go on to achieve big things in the world of football administration. He initially established his own football academy, before making the move into governance when he became a member of the Croatian Football Association’s assembly in 2010. Just two years later, he was elected Croatian FA President.

“That transition all happened very quickly. Even when I was still playing, I had it in my mind that I would one day pass my knowledge and experience on to the next generation,” he recalls.

“That’s how the football academy came about. I wanted to give young players that initial encouragement to go on and take football more seriously.”  

Šuker reveals that the skills he honed during a footballing career that saw him lead the line for both club and country guided his time at the helm of his country’s FA.

“Anyone who’s ever been a part of a dressing room knows just how important teamwork and togetherness are when it comes to pursuing any goal. In that sense, my playing experience was very helpful,” he explains.

When asked which of his achievements in football administration can be compared to his on-pitch feats, Šuker proudly points to the fact that he was part of the two biggest successes achieved by the national team, as a player and in the presidential hotseat: a third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup and a runners-up spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.

Following a presidential tenure spanning nearly ten years, Šuker singles out COVID-19 as the biggest challenge he faced in the role.

“The coronavirus pandemic was the toughest period I’ve ever had, especially when the world of football came to a standstill. That was terrible,” he recalls.

“It was at that point that those of us who live and breathe football realised just how important the game really is to us. When everything started back up again, we struggled to get used to life without fans, because… football is ultimately all about the fans.”

Šuker expressed his satisfaction at the progress made during his time in charge.

“During my presidency, Croatia qualified for every major tournament, which is an exceptional achievement for such a small country,” he enthused, describing the 4-2 defeat to France in a thrilling 2018 World Cup final as “the biggest success in the history of Croatian sport”. 

One of Šuker’s presidential promises was to increase investment at all levels of the game to help catapult Croatia to the top table of world football and he certainly came good on that promise. Indeed, in the May 2021 instalment of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking (the most recent update at the time of writing), Croatia occupied 14th place, two spots above the Netherlands and just two places behind Germany.

“I’ve always said that the most important thing is to invest in the foundations, because, after all, the players who go on to represent the Croatian national team always start out at small clubs,” Šuker insisted.

“We’ve done a great deal in this regard in recent years, but the challenge is to keep working day in, day out to improve the football infrastructure.”

In reference to the funding efforts and the work done to upgrade facilities and ramp up investment in women’s and youth football, the former chief stressed that “we made a significant step forward”.

“All this guarantees a bright future for Croatian football,” declared the six-time Croatian Footballer of the Year, who has lofty expectations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on the back of his country’s stunning performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

World Cup ambitions

Šuker is looking to captain Luka Modrić to once again lead Croatia, a nation with a population of 4.1 million, to great heights.

Can Croatia exceed expectations?

“I’m expecting big things from the World Cup in Qatar. I hope to see us head there with a really strong team that offers just the right blend of youth and experience,” he closed.