Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić has strongly defended his squad’s status on the global stage, rejecting claims that his team is “too old” to compete at the highest level ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Speaking in response to growing criticism about the age profile of the team, Dalić said Croatia have consistently proven doubters wrong since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where they reached the final and finished as runners-up.
He argued that despite repeated suggestions that the squad is past its peak, Croatia have remained one of the most successful national teams in recent World Cup tournaments.
The Croatia national men’s football team has an average age of 28.3 years.
“They’ve been saying we’re old since 2018, yet we’ve been among the most decorated teams at recent World Cups,” Dalić said. “England haven’t won a World Cup medal in 60 years, while Croatia have won three.”
Croatia finished as runners-up in 2018 and went on to secure third place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, strengthening their reputation as one of the most consistent teams in international football over the past decade.
Dalić dismissed claims that age is a weakness for his squad, insisting that experience has instead been a key strength. He stressed that Croatia’s success has been built on discipline, teamwork, tactical intelligence, and hard work rather than individual star power alone.
“They always underestimate us and say we’re worn out and too old,” he said. “We’ve maintained excellence for eight years and achieved it through quality, hard work, skill, and tactics. It’s much harder to stay at the top than it is to get there.”
His comments come amid ongoing debates in football circles about whether Croatia’s experienced core of players can continue to compete against younger, faster squads at upcoming tournaments.
However, Dalić remains confident that his team’s mentality and tournament experience will continue to make them strong contenders on the world stage as they start their group stage campaign against Ghana, England and Panama.
