Zlatko Dalić (foto: Getty Images)
Despite Croatia's early exit from Euro 2024, Zlatko Dalić has turned down a lucrative $20 million offer from Al-Ittihad to remain the national team coach.
The Croatian national team was disappointed at the Euro in Germany, having to return home after the group stage. This has led to much speculation about whether Zlatko Dalić will remain as head coach.
Croatia started the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Spain, followed by two unlucky draws, where they conceded goals in the final seconds. Against Albania, they led 2-1 until the 95th minute, ending in a 2-2 draw. A similar scenario occurred a few days later in Leipzig against Italy. The Vatreni were 30 seconds away from a significant victory, but Mattia Zaccagni scored a masterful goal for a 2-2 draw, leaving Croatia without a place in the Euro round of 16.
The day after the match, coach Zlatko Dalić held a press conference and said, "I thought nothing would shake me on my life path. I fully take responsibility for this, I am the coach, I choose the players, and the responsibility is mine alone. I won't look for any alibis, it's all on me, along with my staff. After so many successes, we've now faced failure."
It seemed this might be Dalić's farewell to Croatia, but the Livno-born coach evidently has no intention of leaving. Many fans and media have marked Dalić as the main culprit for the failure, yet he has received support from the Croatian Football Association (HNS).
"Dalić is the coach, and he will remain the coach of the Croatian national team. We talked and shook hands," said HNS President Marijan Kustić in an interview with Nova TV.
Dalić could have earned significantly from an offer from Saudi Arabia. He was offered $20 million per season by Al-Ittihad, a former Saudi champion boasting top players like Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante. Al-Ittihad previously had the renowned Argentine coach Marcelo Gallardo, who earned $24 million annually. Gallardo was dismissed after a conflict with Benzema, and Dalić was the top choice to replace him.
However, Dalić is already thinking about leading Croatia to the 2026 World Cup, with his contract with HNS ending after that tournament. After the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Dalić had a $10 million per season offer from China on the table but didn't hesitate to continue with Croatia. Now, he had another opportunity to enrich himself but demonstrated his "craziness" by prioritizing Croatia.
He has formed strong bonds with the red and white team and many Croatian players, drawing special strength from fans who travel in large numbers to the most distant and challenging away games. Under his guidance, Croatia reached the final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and finished third in Qatar four years later.
Previously, Al-Ittihad was coached by Tomislav Ivić, Luka Peruzović, Matjaž Kek, and Slaven Bilić. The Saudis hope that Dalić will soon join this list. However, nothing currently indicates that Dalić might leave Croatia, although he might receive other interesting offers from clubs, not just from the Middle East but also from Europe.
The 57-year-old has led Croatia 87 times since becoming head coach in 2017, with a record of 47 wins, 17 draws, and 22 losses.