Squawka name best Dinamo Zagreb XI if they hadn’t sold their star players

Leading football analysis platform Squawka has dedicated a text to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb and the players it has sold over the years.

It is no secret that Dinamo Zagreb has one of the best youth academies in the world, evident by the fact that the club has consistently been among the world’s biggest net-profit transfer earners.

The club has produced and sold players to the likes of Juventus, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Inter Milan. The club has also produced an array of internationals and in 2018, Dinamo had the most home-grown players among the finalists. 

In 2018, the Croatian squad featured 14 players who had been at Dinamo Zagreb, including Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, and Marcelo Brozovic. 

“Since its inception in 1992, one team has reigned supreme over all others in the Croatian First League: Dinamo Zagreb. Over the past 27 seasons, Croatia’s biggest club has won an impressive 20 league titles, including all but one of the last 14,” Squawka writes as it put together what they consider the club’s best current XI had they kept their stars.  

“Fortunately, Dinamo possesses one of the finest youth academies in world football, enabling them to reinvent their side time and time again to cope with the loss of their most talented stars. Had they managed to keep hold of all of their best players, though, they would undoubtedly be one of the finest teams on the continent at one stage or another.”

There is so much talent that the likes of Josip Brekalo, Andrej Kramaric and Filip Benkovic failed to make the starting XI. 

The team is: Eduardo – Tin Jedvaj, Vedran Corluka, Dejan Lovren, Sime Vrsaljko – Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic – Dani Olmo, Mario Mandzukic, Marko Pjaca

Mateo Kovačić is the third-youngest goalscorer in Champions League history.

And he’s not the only elite midfielder Dinamo Zagreb can take credit for. ✊

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 8, 2020