Aljoša Asanović

Croatia’s achievement in coming 3rd at the 1998 World Cup in France was staggering. A nation barely established took on and beat the world’s powerhouse nations, coming within a whisker of lifting the trophy. But, this is much more than just a story about a talented football team, it is the tale of a nation emerging from the wreckage of the Balkan war and the disintegration of Yugoslavia to stand proudly as an independent country on football’s grandest stage.

Short stories about Fabjan, Luka, Fran, about Vis, Bajda, the fifties... About the crisis, the first cup, the year 1971, about the golden generation, the eighties, the nineties, about Torcida... The story of FC Hajduk Split and its 100 years.

The author of the film about the “coach of all coaches” and the celebrated coach of the ‘Vatreni’, who won bronze with Croatia at the World Cup in France in 1998, is Bosnian-Herzegovinian sports commentator Sabahudin Topalbećirević. Those who feature in the film include former players Davor Šuker, Robert Jarni and Aljoša Asanović, but also Bosnian-Herzegovinian national team players Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić, as well as many others. The film begins with a look back at Ćiro’s childhood, reminiscing about the difficult days of growing up in Travnik during World War II, and some sad and tragic moments in his life, and then experiences a twist by highlighting his famous playing and coaching days on football fields in Switzerland, former Yugoslavia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatian War of Independence narrated trough the experiences of the players of the National Soccer Team who won the third place during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in France. Their victory delivered joy to a war­torn population and it is the highest achievement of a post­Yugoslavian nation in soccer competitions.