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Croatia taking on Brazil: respect the history, but don’t ignore the facts

Zlatko Dalić

Zlatko Dalić

On Wednesday in Orlando, Croatia will take on Brazil in an international friendly.

Ahead of the match, Croatia manager Zlatko Dalić described the occasion as “a big honour.” And in one sense, he is absolutely right.

Playing Brazil still means something special in football. The yellow shirts, the samba style, the mythology of generations past, few teams carry the cultural gravity of the Seleção.

But respect for history should not obscure the reality of the present.

Because if we are being honest, the last several years suggest something that would have sounded unthinkable not long ago: since 2018, Croatia has been the more successful national team.

This is not a claim made lightly. Brazil remains football’s ultimate superpower.

Five World Cups. Legends who defined eras. Icons like Pelé, Ronaldo Nazário, and Ronaldinho shaped the sport’s global identity.

The Brazil national football team is not just successful, it is synonymous with football itself. For decades, Brazil set the standard that everyone else tried to reach.

But history, for all its power, does not win modern tournaments.

Croatia’s Remarkable Modern Record

Since the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Croatia has quietly built one of the most impressive runs in international football.

That summer in Russia, Croatia, led by captain Luka Modrić, reached the World Cup final. It was a tournament defined by resilience, extra-time battles, and a midfield that controlled games with calm intelligence.

Croatia ultimately lost the final to France, but finishing runner-up was an extraordinary achievement for a country of barely four million people.

Then came the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Many assumed Croatia’s golden generation had reached its limit. Instead, the team once again proved the doubters wrong. Croatia advanced to the semi-finals and finished third, after eliminating Brazil along the way.

Two World Cups. Second place and third place.That is not a lucky run. That is sustained excellence.

Brazil’s Modern Frustration

Meanwhile, Brazil’s story over the same period has been far less convincing.

At the 2018 World Cup, Brazil fell to the Belgium national football team in the quarter-finals. In Qatar in 2022, Brazil once again reached the last eight, and once again went home early.

This time the defeat came at the hands of Croatia.

Despite extraordinary attacking talent, most notably Neymar, Brazil has struggled to convert individual brilliance into tournament success.The Seleção still dazzles. They still entertain. But the ruthless efficiency required to win knockout football has been missing.

The quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil at the 2022 World Cup may have said more about the modern balance of power than any statistic.

Flair vs Steel

Brazil still plays football the way the world imagines it should be played, flair, creativity, attacking freedom.

Croatia plays a different game. It is a team built on midfield intelligence, discipline, and mental strength. They have a formed a group led by Modrić that understands how to navigate the tension of tournament football.

Where Brazil dazzles, Croatia endures. And in knockout competitions, endurance often wins.

None of this diminishes Brazil’s historic greatness. The Seleção remains the most iconic national team the sport has ever known.

But football moves forward.

Right now, the evidence is clear. Since 2018, Croatia has gone deeper in World Cups, shown greater resilience in decisive matches, and even knocked Brazil out of the sport’s biggest tournament.

So when Croatia steps onto the pitch in Orlando on Wednesday, Dalić is right, it is an honour to play Brazil.

But it is not a match between a giant and an underdog. In modern international football, Croatia has earned something even more important than honour. It has earned respect.

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