July 9, 2001: Goran Ivanišević wins Wimbledon. July 10, 2001: Over 100,000 fans welcome him in Split.
On Monday, the Croatia national football team saw the largest hero’s welcome in Croatian history, as half a million fans greeted the World Cup finalists on their return to Zagreb. You can check out the unbelievable scenes here.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time Croatia has pulled out all the stops for their sports heroes, and if you recall, Goran Ivanišević was welcomed to Split by over 100,000 fans after his Wimbledon win in 2001.
“Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic received a hero's welcome when he returned to Croatia on Tuesday. More than 100,000 people in Ivanisevic's hometown of Split flocked to the city's main waterfront to celebrate his remarkable five-set win over Australian Pat Rafter in Monday's final. Ivanisevic flew into his hometown of Split at around 1800BST in a private plane provided by Slavica Ecclestone, the Croatian wife of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. He then boarded a ship which took him to his final destination in the harbour, where he was greeted by prominent athletes and celebrities for a party to be capped by a firework display. The champion is definitely in need of some sleep in order to find out if he is still dreaming,” wrote the BBC on July 10, 2001.
Much like the scenes in Zagreb yesterday, people climbed on their rooftops, flew banners and flags, lit flares, sang, and danced, for one of the most memorable days in Croatia’s history.
Take a look below.
