Press reports revealed that the shocking exit of the Croatian national team from the 2026 World Cup finals at the hands of Portugal has cast a shadow over the fate of coach Zlatko Dalic.
Zlatko Dalic's contract with Croatia has officially ended, and many reports indicate that he received a tempting offer to coach the UAE national team, for 5 million euros annually, and he had already agreed to it before the start of the World Cup.
Dalic is close to leaving Croatia
According to the Croatian newspaper "sportske," Dalic is expected to announce his final decision to the public by next Wednesday at the latest.
With the Croatian Football Federation's options narrowed down to two names: Slaven Bilic and Ivica Olic, officials have unofficially settled on Bilic to lead the team again.
The report indicated that the president of the Croatian Federation, Marijan Kustic, and his assistants preferred to wait out of respect for Dalic's history, giving him the opportunity to announce his plans first, but they have put in place a "backup plan" to avoid the trap of a sudden departure.
In preparation for the new phase, the federation surveyed the opinions of the Croatian national team's pillars about the possibility of Bilic's return, and the feedback was very positive.
Bilic (who left the team in 2012) is seen as the man who laid the foundation for the golden generation that later achieved World Cup silver and bronze, and he is considered to have the "charisma" and experience necessary to lead the next phase.
The Portuguese national team defeated its counterpart, Croatia, with two goals to one, in the match that brought the two teams together, yesterday morning, Friday, at the Toronto Stadium, as part of the round of 32 competitions of the 2026 World Cup.
After the Croatian national team took the lead at the beginning of the second half, Ronaldo succeeded in scoring the equalizing goal in the 69th minute, before substitute Gonzalo Ramos succeeded in scoring the second goal in injury time.
