Zlatko Dalić

Zlatko Dalić (; born 26 October 1966) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player, who currently serves as the manager of the United Arab Emirates national football team. He was the manager of the Croatia national football team between 2017 and 2026. His career as a footballer was primarily with Hajduk Split – during the 1980s and 1990s – where he played as a defensive midfielder. Dalić's managerial career at the club level was predominantly with emerging teams in the Middle East; namely Al-Faisaly, Al-Hilal, and Al Ain, where he collectively won four trophies.

As an international manager, he has led Croatia to a second and third place finish at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, respectively, securing two World Cup medals. He led the team to second-place and a silver medal in the 2023 UEFA Nations League, later winning the 2024 FIFA Series. As the longest-serving head coach of Croatia, he is regarded as the greatest manager in the team's history. His management style is known for midfield control, tactical efficiency, and advanced sports psychology.

Playing career

During his time as a player, Dalić played for a number of clubs as a defensive midfielder. He started off his youth career at Troglav 1918 Livno, before joining Hajduk Split in 1983 and thus starting his senior career. He stayed at Hajduk Split until 1986, after joining Cibalia, which was at that time known as Dinamo Vinkovci. Apart from Hajduk Split and Cibalia, Dalić also played for Budućnost Titograd, Velež Mostar and Varteks. He finished his career at Varteks in 2000.

Managerial career

Varteks After ending his playing career in 2000, he became assistant coach at Varteks. From May 2002 to May 2005, Dalić worked as the club's sports director, and during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons he simultaneously acted as assistant coach for Miroslav Blažević.

In May 2005, he was appointed manager of Varteks and in his first season at the helm he won third place in the Croatian First League and reached the final of the Croatian Cup. In the first leg of the final, which was played in Rijeka, Varteks lost 0–4 to HNK Rijeka. In the second leg in Varaždin, Dalić nearly created a sensation leading the team to a 5–1 win, but they were one goal short of winning the competition.

Dinamo Tirana In the 2008–09 season, Dalić managed Albanian champions Dinamo Tirana, with whom he won the Albanian Supercup. He resigned in February 2009 after losing two derbies in a row versus fellow capital teams Tirana and Partizani.

Slaven Belupo After a short stint in Albania, he returned to Croatia in 2009 and took over his third Croatian football club, Slaven Belupo. On 9 February 2013, he made his managerial debut with Al-Hilal against his old club Al-Faisaly in the semi-final of the 2012–13 Saudi Crown Prince Cup. Dalić eventually led Al-Hilal to the cup title–the team's sixth consecutive win–which was also Dalić's second major title in his coaching career. During the 2013–14 season, he was the main candidate for the position of sports director at Croatian club Hajduk Split. On 30 April 2014, Al-Ain announced that Dalić would remain head coach for the next two seasons. In the round of sixteen of the 2014 AFC Champions League, Al-Ain beat Al-Jazira by 4–2 to advance to the quarter-finals; in the quarter-finals, the team beat Al-Ittihad 5–1 to advance to the semi-finals, ultimately losing 4–2 to Al-Hilal, which was Dalić's former team.

On 18 May 2014, Al-Ain won the final game of UAE President's Cup against league champions Al-Ahli 1–0, which secured Dalić's first trophy as manager of Al-Ain. Dalić won the title of Best Coach of 2014 for his performances; at the end of the first round of the UAE Pro-League, Al–Ain took the first position with one game in hand. The club finished the season eleven points above runners-up Al Jazira and Al Shabab, only losing two games throughout the season; in this season, they also achieved several records, namely conceding the fewest goals (19), the longest unbeaten run (15 matches), the longest winning run (eight matches) and the biggest home win against Ajman (7–1). On 12 July 2015, Dalić received the Coach of the Year accolade during the UAE Pro-League award ceremony for the 2014–15 UAE Pro-League season for guiding his side to winning the league title.

Dalić's first match of the 2015–16 season was a UAE Super Cup match between Al-Ain and Al-Nasr, played on 15 August and resulted in victory for Al-Ain, which won 4–2. Following a 3–0 win against Al-Ahli in the tenth round of the UAE Pro-League on 5 December, Dalić became the best coach in the league's history since it turned professional, though Al-Ain ultimately finished second in the league in 2016. The club also reached the 2016 AFC Champions League final, ultimately losing 2–3 to Jeonbuk Motors. Dalić's tenure as manager of Al-Ain saw the club rise rapidly in the Football Database Ranking; initially, the club was ranked 335th in March 2014, when Dalić arrived, and by the time of his departure, the club was ranked 122nd in the world, also reaching fifth position in Asia, according to the ranking. Dalić formally departed Al-Ain in January 2017, citing fatigue as his reason for departing.

Croatia Dalić was announced the head coach of the Croatia national football team on 7 October 2017. His appointment by the Croatian Football Federation followed the dismissal of Ante Čačić due to an extended series of poor results. Upon arrival, Dalić announced that he would only remain head coach if Croatia successfully qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 19 October, Dalić named Ivica Olić, former Croatia international player, as his assistant manager. He led Croatia to qualify for the 2018 World Cup undefeated for their first five matches. That year's World Cup campaign became known as Croatia's second "golden generation", referencing their 1998 counterparts. Following this, Dalić officially signed a contract with the Croatian Football Federation, running until 30 July 2020, and would reportedly earn around €500,000 per year. The team topped their group with a 2–0 victory over Nigeria, a 3–0 win over Argentina, and a 2–1 win against Iceland – a best-ever group stage performance. alt= During the knockout stage, they beat Denmark in a penalty shoot-out for the first time after goalkeeper Danijel Subašić saved three penalties, equalling the record for most penalties saved in a shoot-out. In the quarter-finals, Croatia drew 2–2 with hosts Russia, becoming the first team since 1990 to win two consecutive penalty shoot-outs. Playing England in the semi-finals, Croatia equalized to force their third consecutive extra time, matching the tournament record. Mario Mandžukić and Perišić scored as Croatia won 2–1 making them the second-smallest country by population (after Uruguay) and land area (after the Netherlands) to reach a World Cup final. In the final they lost to France 4–2, finishing in second place and securing the silver medal. Dalić and the team were welcomed by an estimated half a million people at their homecoming in Zagreb. For the achievement, he received the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Award.

The team entered the Nations League's inaugural 2018–19 edition in League A, along with England and Spain in January 2018. Croatia lost 6–0 away to Spain in their first game, the side's record loss in a match. Croatia drew 0–0 home with England, played behind closed doors due to UEFA sanctions. In a rematch with the Spanish, Croatia won 3–2 with a goal in stoppage time, followed by a 2–1 away defeat to England.

The team topped their group for the qualifying campaign of Euro 2020, with a loss to Hungary, and draws against Azerbaijan and Wales. The 2020 finals were delayed to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, winning only two out of eight games in 2020, Croatia achieved their worst-ever aggregate win-rate. Croatia finished second in their Euros group, with a 1–0 loss to England, a 1–1 draw with the Czech Republic and a 3–1 win over Scotland. They advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to Spain 5–3 after extra time. The loss to Spain led to heightened criticism against Dalić by the Croatian public, a faction of whom called for resignations. Dalić refreshed the team roster by introducing younger debutants for the remainder of World Cup qualifying in 2021. Applauded for his successful handling of the national team after the retirement of seasoned players Mario Mandžukić and Danijel Subašić, he integrated newer counterparts Bruno Petković, Josip Brekalo and Nikola Vlašić into the team. Dalić signed a new contract on 23 July 2020 slated until the end of 2022, earning an annual salary of €1.6 million.

Croatia qualified for the 2022 World Cup with seven wins, two draws and one loss. The team advanced from group stage after a 0–0 draw with Morocco, a 4–1 win against Canada, and finished ahead of Belgium by a single point after drawing 0–0. They won against Japan in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 where Dominik Livaković saved three of four Japanese penalties, equalling a record held by Ricardo and Danijel Subašić. Croatia similarly beat Brazil during the quarter-finals in an upset victory on penalties, having come from behind to draw 1–1 in the final minutes of extra time. In the semi-final match, Croatia sustained their heaviest World Cup defeat, 3–0 against Argentina. They prevailed 2–1 over Morocco in the third place playoff, securing their second bronze medal and Dalić's second World Cup medal for Croatia.

The team topped their group in the 2023 Nations League, knocking out reigning champions France by winning 1–0 on a penalty – their first-ever win against the French. Croatia beat the Netherlands 4–2 in the semi-finals, advancing to their first Nations League final, against Spain. After drawing the Spanish 0–0 in extra time, the team lost the penalty shootout 4–5, finishing the tournament in second place. Croatia finished second in qualifying for Euro 2024, being drawn into a "group of death" with Spain, Italy, and Albania. The Italians eliminated Croatia from advancing to the knockout stage, on points, with a 98th minute stoppage-time goal from striker Mattia Zaccagni. In August 2024, Dalić controversially praised the national team's traditional values while condemning a "loud minority" that he claimed "does not love and does not want Croatia." They went on to win the 2024 FIFA Series tournament, Croatia's first international friendly championship.

Croatia topped their qualifying group undefeated for the 2026 World Cup – with 7 wins and 1 draw – in their best qualification run to date. After finishing second in group stage, they advanced to the knockout stage. They were knocked out by Portugal in a 2–1 defeat where an equalizing 103rd-minute stoppage-time goal from Joško Gvardiol was disallowed as offside by snickometer-enabled VAR. Dalić was highly critical of the technical refereeing and disallowed equalizer from his side. After nine years as head coach, Dalić stepped down from the position as his contract expired following the conclusion of the World Cup. He was officially succeeded by Slaven Bilić on 13 July 2026.

United Arab Emirates On 12 August 2026, Dalić was appointed head coach of the United Arab Emirates national football team following the dismissal of Cosmin Olăroiu.

Management style

As the longest-serving head coach of Croatia, he is regarded as the greatest manager in the team's history. An ESPN analysis found that Dalić retains tactical maneuverability through the midfield because, he believes, the "best defense is a good offense." Advanced sport psychology has been identified as a key marker of Dalić's management style. He is known for his effective integration—so-called —of newer and seasoned players throughout the 2010s and 2020s. Dalić explained in 2026 that "hierarchy is very important; this is not a club, this is a national team." He dismissed striker Nikola Kalinić for impacting "squad harmony" after the player refused to play during a match. The New York Times found that he was "forward-thinking" with gameplay analysis and uses reactive on-field player feedback to switch in-game tactics dynamically.

In 1992, Dalić married his wife, Davorka, whom he met at a high school in Livno. They have two children. Dalić is a practicing Catholic and prays the Rosary during every match. In 2023, Dalić opened a football team restaurant in the Croatian city of Varaždin.

Playing statistics

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Managerial statistics

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Honours Player Hajduk Split Yugoslav Cup: 1983–84

Manager Varteks Croatian Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Dinamo Tirana Albanian Supercup: 2008

Al-Hilal Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2012–13 Saudi Professional League runner-up: 2012–13

Al-Ain UAE President's Cup: 2013–14 UAE Pro-League: 2014–15 UAE Super Cup: 2015 AFC Champions League runner-up: 2016

Croatia

FIFA World Cup Runners-up (1): 2018 Third place (1): 2022

UEFA Nations League Runners-up (1): 2023

FIFA Series: Champions (1): 2024

Orders

Order of Duke Trpimir with Ribbon and Star (2018) Honorary citizen of Varaždin County (2018) and Tomislavgrad (2023) Veliko zlatno srce ("Great Golden Heart"), conferred by Croatian war veterans associations (2018)