Zlatko Dalić, one of the top three coaches in the world by FIFA, has also received a top honor from Croatia.
Zlatko Dalić received the famed Franjo Bučar State Award for Sports after leading the Croatia national football team to their historical success at the World Cup in Russia this summer, reports Goal.hr on November 27, 2018.
"This is the biggest and most successful year of Croatian sport, and in that same year to receive the state prize for sports makes me happy and proud. I hope that Croatian sport will be even more successful next year,” Dalić said.
Of course, Dalić is aware that the bar is now set very, very high.
“It will be challenging for all of the athletes to repeat these results, but we are working towards that; it is because of these results that we are here, and we will try to repeat them. This award commits us to better and more quality work. Being the second in the world, first in tennis or rowing, swimming, and water polo is really an incredible thing for Croatian sports. Our proverb, as it says, ‘Small Country, Big Dreams’ always stands,” added Dalić.
Dalić has received one the top awards from the state, but does the state invest enough in sport?
"The state provides as much as it can. We do not have the financial resources of others; there are not that many of us, but we have quality and talent!"
The Franjo Bučar Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018 was also awarded on Tuesday, with the winners including Vladimir Janković, Milka Babović, and Mate Parlov.
The total list of recipients for the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sports in 2018 is as follows:
Zlatko Dalić
Luka Modric
Tin Srbić
Miho Bošković
Josip Bilić
Ivo Trumbić
Dino Sinovčić
Boško Božić
Vjekoslav Šafranić
Petra Deša
Neven Bertičević
Croatia national football team
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