Niko Kranjcar was a starry-eyed 13-year-old schoolboy when Robert Prosinecki inspired Croatia to finish third at the 1998 World Cup, and now the Portsmouth midfielder aims to surpass his hero by leading Slaven Bilic's side to their first major honor.
Croatia have been considered Europe’s perennial dark horses ever since Prosinecki and friends guided the tiny Balkan country to the semi-finals in France.
The 23-year-old believes Bilic’s emerging team can cap Croatia’s amazing rise by winning Euro 2008, despite only playing their first competitive match 14 years ago.
PHOTO: AP
The elegant playmaker, whose side have already ended England’s hopes of glory in Austria and Switzerland, said: “I am excited and looking forward to the tournament because it is one of the major international trophies in the world.”
“We, as a team, are always improving and have a great chance of going all the way,” he said. “We showed against England in the qualifiers how good we can be and we aim to show that again in the finals. A lot of things have to happen and there is always an element of luck involved, but we have the players and the ability to make history.”
Kranjcar has forged his career against a back-drop of unwanted comparisons with Barcelona legend Prosinecki and doubts over his international pedigree after being first called up by his father Zlatko Kranjcar.
The former Hadjuk Split midfielder has played a pivotal role in Croatia’s passage to next month’s finals after proving himself in the Premier League by leading Portsmouth into Europe for the first time in their history.
Kranjcar, part of Portsmouth’s victorious FA Cup winning team, said: “This has been the best year of my life, winning the FA Cup proves we have a great squad, a great team and now we have our reward going into Europe. This is possibly the peak of my career so far.”
“We have made great progress as a club and now we are ready for another experience when we play in Europe,” he said. “It could not be any better to have won the FA Cup for a club like Portsmouth. At the start of the season all I wanted to do was to get in the team and stay there, so to play over 40 games and come away with a trophy is unbelievable. Playing in a team managed by your dad is not easy, but I think I have proved in the last couple of years I have been picked by Croatia on merit.”
Croatia will have to see off the challenge of favorites Germany, France, Spain and Italy to lift the trophy, but their hopes of going all the way to the June 29 final have been dented by the absence of stricken Arsenal striker Eduardo following his horror leg break.
Kranjcar is aware of the hole left in the squad by Eduardo’s absence, but believes Bilic’s outfit are still strong enough to compensate for the loss of his teenage friend.
“The squad is coming together and although the loss of Eduardo will be a big blow, we have great team-spirit and great players,” he said. “We are also always backed by terrific support and with the Croatian fans behind us who knows what we could do?”
Croatia face weak co-hosts Austria in their campaign opener and Kranjcar believes a win could help create the momentum to ensure they return to Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium for the final.
“In a way our most important match is the opening one because the result could determine how our tournament develops. A win would be a fantastic start and give us the confidence to progress,” he said.
After an indifferent first season in England when he struggled to command a regular first team spot, Kranjcar has made himself a fans’ favorite at Portsmouth with some dazzling footwork and long-range goals. Kranjcar was among the scorers when Croatia beat England 3-2 at Wembley in October to deny Steve McClaren’s side a place in the tournament. His performances have earned admiring glances from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as he seeks to rebuild his squad, but despite rumors of a £12 million (US$23.7 million) approach after Euro 2008, Kranjcar says he is more than happy to remain at Pompey.
“I would love to play for a bigger club one day but for now I am very satisfied with how things are progressing at Portsmouth,” he said.
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