Zlatko Dalić (; born 26 October 1966) is a
Croatian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
. He has been the manager of the
Croatia national team since 2017.
He has been manager of the Croatia since 2017 and led them to a second and third place finish at the
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
s, respectively, along with qualifications for
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...
and
UEFA Euro 2024
The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...
. He has consequently been regarded as the greatest manager in the team's history.
Playing career
During his time as a player, Dalić played for a number of clubs.
He started off his youth career at
Troglav 1918 Livno, before joining
Hajduk Split
Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
in 1983 and thus starting his senior career. He stayed at Hajduk Split until 1986, after joining
Cibalia, which was at that time known as Dinamo Vinkovci. Apart from Hajduk Split and Cibalia, Dalić also played for
Budućnost Titograd,
Velež Mostar and
Varteks. He finished his career in 2000 at Varteks.
Coaching career
Varteks
After ending his playing career in 2000, he became assistant coach at
Varteks. From May 2002 to May 2005, Dalić worked as the club's sports director, and during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons he simultaneously acted as assistant coach for
Miroslav Blažević
Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević (; 9 February 1935 – 8 February 2023) was a Bosnian-Croatian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player.
A former right winger, his professional ...
.
In May 2005, he was appointed manager of Varteks and in his first season at the helm he won third place in the
Croatian First League and reached the final of the
Croatian Cup. In the first leg of the final, which was played in
Rijeka
Rijeka (;
Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
, Varteks lost 0–4 to
HNK Rijeka
Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka.
HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Croatian First Football League, Supersport HNL, o ...
. In the second leg in
Varaždin
Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011).
The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...
, Dalić nearly created a sensation leading the team to a 5–1 win, but they were one goal short from lifting the silverware.
Rijeka
In the summer of 2007, after his contract with Varteks ended, he became manager of Rijeka, and finished fourth at the end of the
2007–08 season. After being knocked out of the
2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup
The 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup was the last UEFA Intertoto Cup football tournament, the 14th to be organised by UEFA and the third since the competition's format was given a major overhaul. Fifty teams were invited, with the eleven winners after the ...
by
FK Renova, Dalić was sacked on 1 July 2008 just before the start of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
.
Dinamo Tirana
In the 2008–09 season, Dalić managed Albanian champions
Dinamo Tirana, with whom he won the
Albanian Supercup. He resigned in February 2009 after losing two derbies in a row versus fellow capital teams
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...
and
Partizani.
Slaven Belupo
After a short stint in Albania, he returned to Croatia in 2009 and took over his third Croatian football club,
Slaven Belupo.
Al Faisaly
In the 2010–11 season, he became head coach of
Al-Faisaly. At the end of the 2010–11 season under Dalić the club enjoyed the greatest success in its history, qualifying for the King's Cup in the
Saudi Professional League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...
.
Dalić was named Coach of the Year in the
Saudi Professional League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...
for the 2010–11 season by Al Riyadh newspapers.
In the selection, he beat other more famous coaches working in Saudi Arabia at the time, such as
Gabriel Calderón,
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga (; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian professional football manager and former player, currently club manager at Serie C club Siracusa.
He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, and one of Italy's best ...
and
Eric Gerets.
Al Hilal
On 3 May 2012, Dalić signed a contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal to manage their B team. On 30 January,
Al-Hilal agreed with Dalić to coach the first team following the sacking of
Antoine Kombouaré. On 9 February 2013, he made his managerial debut with Al-Hilal against his old club Al-Faisaly in the semi-final of the
2012–13 Saudi Crown Prince Cup. Dalić eventually led Al-Hilal to the cup title–the team's sixth consecutive win–which was also Dalić's second major title in his coaching career. During the 2013–14 season, he was the main candidate for the position of sports director at Croatian powerhouse
Hajduk Split
Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
, but turned down the offer from one of the biggest clubs in Croatian football.
Al Ain
On 8 March 2014, Dalić was appointed manager of
Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates after the team had sacked
Quique Sánchez Flores.
In his first season, he led the team to finish top of their group in the
2014 AFC Champions League
The 2014 AFC Champions League was the 33rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 12th under the current AFC Champions League title. Guangzhou Evergrande were the d ...
, which was the first time since 2006 that the club progressed through the group stage. On 30 April 2014, Al-Ain announced that Dalić would remain head coach for the next two seasons. In the round of sixteen of the 2014 AFC Champions League, Al-Ain beat
Al-Jazira by 4–2 to advance to the quarter-finals; in the quarter-finals, the team beat
Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to:
Sports Football Men Teams
* Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
* Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya
* Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya
* Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya
* Al Ittihad SC ...
5–1 to advance to the semi-finals, ultimately losing 4–2 to Al-Hilal, which was Dalić's former team. On 18 May 2014, Al-Ain won the final game of
UAE President's Cup against league champions
Al-Ahli 1–0, which secured Dalić's first trophy as manager of Al-Ain. Dalić won the title of Best Coach of 2014 for his performances; at the end of the first round of the
UAE Pro-League
The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system.
The first team to w ...
, Al–Ain took the first position with one game in hand.
Eventually, Al-Ain won their 12th UAE Pro-League title in the
2014–15 season. The club finished the season eleven points above runners-up
Al Jazira and
Al Shabab, only losing two games throughout the season; in this season, they also achieved several records, namely conceding the fewest goals (19), the longest unbeaten run (15 matches), the longest winning run (eight matches) and the biggest home win against
Ajman
Ajman ( '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ''ʿYmān'') is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Loca ...
(7–1). On 12 July 2015, Dalić received the Coach of the Year accolade during the UAE Pro-League award ceremony for the 2014–15 UAE Pro-League season for guiding his side to winning the league title.
Dalić's first match of the 2015–16 season was a
UAE Super Cup
The UAE Super Cup () and Charity Champions Cup in the first edition (1989–90), is the curtain raiser of the United Arab Emirates football season. It is played between the previous season's UAE League, Pro-League winners and UAE President's Cup, P ...
match between Al-Ain and
Al-Nasr, played on 15 August and resulted in victory for Al-Ain, which won 4–2. Following a 3–0 win against
Al-Ahli in the tenth round of the
UAE Pro-League
The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system.
The first team to w ...
on 5 December, Dalić became the best coach in the league's history since it turned professional, though Al-Ain ultimately finished second in the league in 2016. The club also reached the
2016 AFC Champions League final, ultimately losing 2–3 to
Jeonbuk Motors.
Dalić's tenure as manager of Al-Ain saw the club rise rapidly in the Football Database Ranking; initially, the club was ranked 335th in March 2014, when Dalić arrived, and by the time of his departure, the club was ranked 122nd in the world, also reaching fifth position in Asia, according to the ranking.
Dalić formally departed Al-Ain in January 2017, citing a "need for rest" as his reason for departing.
Croatia
On 7 October 2017, following the sacking of
Ante Čačić
Ante Čačić (; born 29 September 1953) is a Croatian professional Manager (association football), football manager who was most recently manager of Croatian Football League club GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb.
Čačić graduated from the Fac ...
due to a series of poor results, the
Croatian Football Federation
The Croatian Football Federation (, HNS) is the national governing body of football in Croatia. It was originally formed in 1912 and is based in the capital city of Zagreb. The organisation is a member of both FIFA and UEFA, and is responsible f ...
named Dalić as the head coach of the
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team () represents Croatia in men's international Association football, football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEF ...
. Upon arriving, Dalić announced that he would only remain head coach if Croatia qualifies for the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...
and that the HNS would decide his future if Croatia miss out on qualifying for the finals.
On 9 October, Dalić led Croatia to a 2–0 win over
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
in
2018 World Cup qualifying, which also secured
second place in their group, and a place in the
play-off round. On 19 October, Dalić named
Ivica Olić, former Croatia international player, as his assistant manager. Croatia drew
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
in the play-off round, and on 9 November, Dalić led the team to a 4–1 first-leg triumph over Greece, all but securing a place in the 2018 World Cup. In the return leg, on 12 November, Croatia drew with Greece 0–0, but won 4–1 on aggregate, thus securing a place in the World Cup finals. Following this, Dalić officially signed a contract with the Croatian Football Federation, running until 30 July 2020, and would reportedly earn around €500,000 per year.Croatia drew a challenging group, with the likes of
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
. On 16 June, Croatia won their opening match of the 2018 World Cup, beating Nigeria by a scoreline of 2–0. However, during the game, forward
Nikola Kalinić had refused to come on as a late substitute, citing a back injury as his excuse, although he had used this excuse earlier during a friendly match against
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, as well as the previous training session. This prompted Dalić to send him home on just the fifth day of the tournament. Dalić stated that he needed "prepared players, while Kalinić did not show up at three occasions". Dalić received praise for his treatment of Kalinić, with some stating that he had cemented his position as a head coach with the decision. On 21 June, Croatia overwhelmed football heavyweights Argentina, winning by a scoreline of 3–0, with
Ante Rebić,
Luka Modrić
Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder and Captain (association football), captains both La Liga club Real Madrid and the Croatia national football team, Cro ...
and
Ivan Rakitić scoring the goals. The victory led Croatia to a spot in the
knockout stage
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
for the first time since the
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
, in which they finished third place. On 26 June, Croatia topped their group with maximum points following a 2–1 win over Iceland, and drew
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in the
round of sixteen, advancing after a penalty shootout. Croatia again won through a penalty shootout against hosts
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
in the
quarter-finals
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, setting up a
semi-final tie against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. On 11 July, Croatia beat England 2–1, advancing to the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, where they lost 4–2 to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on 15 July. For the achievement, he received the
Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Yearly Award.
The first game Croatia played after the World Cup was a 1–1 draw against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in a friendly match. It is the first time that Croatia managed to draw (and even score) against Portugal.
In the
inaugural edition of
UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
, Croatia was drawn in the same
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
as
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and England.
Croatia opened their Nations League campaign on 11 September with a disastrous 6–0 defeat to Spain in
Elche
Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants, . However, on 15 November, Croatia managed to get revenge with a 3–2 victory in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
. Nevertheless, due to a goalless draw with England in
Rijeka
Rijeka (;
Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
on 12 October and a 2–1 defeat in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 18 November, Croatia were relegated to
League B. However, due to a format change, Croatia avoided relegation and remained in
League A.
Croatia entered their
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from March 2019 to November 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, intended to be playe ...
campaign poorly with narrow 2–1 home victories over
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
and
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, and an upset 2–1 away defeat to
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. However, Croatia returned to form beating
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
4–0 away in
Trnava
Trnava (, , ; , also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat o ...
. On 16 November 2019, in their last qualifying match, Croatia beat Slovakia 3–1 in Rijeka, topping the group and securing their place at the
finals
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. Applauded for his successful handling of the national team after the retirement of some prominent internationals such as
Mario Mandžukić
Mario Mandžukić (; born 21 May 1986) is a Croatian association football, football coach and a former player who was most recently an assistant coach for the Croatia national football team, Croatia national team. As a player, he played as a for ...
and
Danijel Subašić, successful integration of new names such as
Bruno Petković,
Josip Brekalo and
Nikola Vlašić
Nikola Vlašić (; born 4 October 1997) is a Croatian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an Midfielder (association football)#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder for Italian Serie A club Torino FC, Torino and the C ...
into the team and successful qualifying campaign, Dalić signed a new contract on 23 July 2020 with the Croatian Football Federation that kept him at the position of Croatia manager until the end of 2022, earning an annual salary of €1.6 million.
Croatia entered their
2020–21 UEFA Nations League
The 2020–21 UEFA Nations League was the second season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The competition was held from Septembe ...
campaign poorly, losing heavily to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
and France away, 4–1 and 4–2 respectively. After beating
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
2–1 at home, Croatia failed to win any of the rest of the matches. They finished third in their group and avoided relegation to
League B solely due to having better goal difference than last-placed Sweden. Croatia also notably conceded more goals than any other team in the
Nations League. Despite calls from the general public for Dalić to resign, he retained his job.
Croatia began their qualification for the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
with a loss away to
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
, drawing further criticism. However, after the first game, Croatia finished the campaign unbeaten, drawing only away to Russia and at home to Slovakia. A first place finish made Dalić the first coach in the history of the team to qualify them for three major tournaments. In the 2022 World Cup, Dalić led Croatia to their second consecutive semi-final and third in total, after beating
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on penalties in the quarter-finals. However, Dalić's side would be eliminated 3–0 in the semi-finals by Argentina. He would go on to beat Morocco 2–1 in the third place play-off, Croatia’s second-joint best finish in a World Cup.
In the
third edition of the Nations League, Croatia beat France 1–0 for the first time in history. Croatia won the group, ahead of France, Denmark and
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, and qualified for the Nations League Finals. They defeated the host
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
4–2 and won a silver medal, losing the final to Spain in a penalty shootout after the score was 0–0. Croatia finished second in the qualifying group for
Euro 2024 and therefore securing a spot at the continental tournament, its seventh in history.
Reception and the style of management
Dalić is widely regarded as the greatest coach in the history of the Croatian national team due to his success achieved at multiple World Cups, consisting of a runner-up and a third place finish. He describes a relationship of trust with his players as key to his coaching philosophy. 'If I can respect my players to the maximum, they will follow suit, they will respect me. Our relationship is frank and sincere. There are no secrets, there are no dilemmas. I think that such a relationship is very important in a national team because we are together for a brief time. There is no time for discussions or quarrels.'
Personal life
Born on 26 October 1966, in
Livno
Livno ( Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: ''Ливно'', ) is a town and the administrative center of the Township of Livno and Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bis ...
, then a part of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, within Yugoslavia, today's Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dalić comes from a
Croat
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
family of mother Kata and father Ivan Dalić. He holds
Croatian citizenship.
In 1992, Dalić married his wife Davorka Propadalo, whom he met at a high school in Livno. They have together two sons, Toni and Bruno. Dalić is a practicing
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, and prays the
Rosary
The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...
during every match.
In 2023, Dalić opened a football team restaurant in the Croatian city of
Varaždin
Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011).
The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...
, the city where he resides and where he started his career as a coach.
Playing statistics
Source:
Managerial statistics
Source:
Honours
Player
Hajduk Split
*
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...
:
1983–84
Manager
Varteks
*
Croatian Cup runner-up:
2005–06
Dinamo Tirana
*
Albanian Supercup:
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
Al-Hilal
*
Saudi Crown Prince Cup:
2012–13
*
Saudi Professional League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...
runner-up:
2012–13
Al-Ain
*
UAE President's Cup:
2013–14
*
UAE Pro-League
The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system.
The first team to w ...
:
2014–15
*
UAE Super Cup
The UAE Super Cup () and Charity Champions Cup in the first edition (1989–90), is the curtain raiser of the United Arab Emirates football season. It is played between the previous season's UAE League, Pro-League winners and UAE President's Cup, P ...
: 2015
*
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...
runner-up:
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
Croatia
*
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
runner-up:
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
; third place:
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
*
Honorary citizen of
Varaždin County
Varaždin County () is a county in Hrvatsko Zagorje. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.
Geography
The county contains the city of Varaždin, the towns of: Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Top ...
(2018) and
Tomislavgrad
Tomislavgrad ( Cyrl, Томиславград, ), also known by its former name Duvno ( Cyrl, Дувно, ), is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Tomislavgrad in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosni ...
(2023)
* Veliko zlatno srce ("Great Golden Heart"), conferred by Croatian war veterans associations (2018)
*
FIFA Series: 2024
Bibliography
*''Rusija naših snova'' (''
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
of Our Dreams''), Sportske novosti: Zagreb, 2018, (1 sr ed.), (2nd ed.)
Orders
*
Order of Duke Trpimir with Ribbon and Star
References
External links
*
Hajduk Split profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalic, Zlatko
1966 births
Living people
Footballers from Livno
Croatian sportspeople from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yugoslav men's footballers
Croatian men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
HNK Hajduk Split players
HNK Cibalia players
FK Budućnost Podgorica players
FK Velež Mostar players
NK Varaždin (1931–2015) players
Yugoslav First League players
Croatian Football League players
Croatian football managers
NK Varaždin (1931–2015) managers
HNK Rijeka managers
FC Dinamo City managers
NK Slaven Belupo managers
Al Faisaly FC managers
Al-Hilal Saudi FC managers
Al Ain FC managers
Croatia national football team managers
2018 FIFA World Cup managers
UEFA Euro 2020 managers
2022 FIFA World Cup managers
UEFA Euro 2024 managers
Croatian Football League managers
Kategoria Superiore managers
Saudi Pro League managers
UAE Pro League managers
Croatian expatriate football managers
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Albania
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates
Expatriate football managers in Albania
Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia
Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates