Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who will watch the final football match Croatia-France with fans outdoors in the center of Zagreb, said on Sunday that he has the best expectations and wishes for the ‘boys in Moscow’.
Plenković will cheer for the Croatian national football team in the company of family, friends, and colleagues, and alongside him will be the President of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković. In the morning, he says, he listened to the ‘Zaprešić boys’ at home with his three-and-a-half-year-old son, played a bit, trained, and prepared for the match.
“A bit of Modrić, a bit of Rakitić,” he said, adding that a similar atmosphere is probably present in many Croatian homes today.
In a telephone conversation with Croatian Radio, he assessed the success of Croatian footballers as fascinating.
“This is a fascinating success that corresponds to the quality of the Croatian national team… Perhaps we are sometimes a bit too modest and put ourselves in the position of a sort of underdog, but the confidence of a winner is crucial in such situations… in the Final, anything can happen,” he said, adding that Croatian representatives “have the strength not to give in and a tremendous mentality”.
“In the eyes of many others, we are in the ‘top five’ football countries, and after this championship, we will probably feel differently ourselves. This experience so far is already wonderful… we must be happy that they have provided us with this… If we win, and we all hope so, it would be an epic revenge,” Plenković said.
He announced that he would cheer for the Croatian representatives among the fans in the center of Zagreb.
“We will go to the city center, some members of the Government will come, the President of the Croatian Parliament… We will be among the fans, with family and friends, cheering for Croatia,” he said.
“With the best expectations and wishes for the boys in Moscow,” he also wished that the rain, which has been falling in Zagreb since morning, would stop.
“There is great excitement since the semifinals. In fact, I look forward to every match of the entire tournament with great excitement, and today is special because today is a great opportunity for Croatia to become the world champion and, in fact, to perform a miracle. We are all with the Blazers,” Jandroković said in a telephone conversation with Croatian Radio.
He congratulated Croatian football representatives once again “for their courage, love for the homeland, and the strength they have shown”.
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“We hope that Luka Modrić, as captain, will lift the World Champion trophy today,” he said.
Jandroković says he will watch the final match with the fans.
“I have watched some matches at home, I was also in Moscow, and today I will be with the fans. Today is a special match, and the joy and happiness of performing in the final should be shared with the fans,” he emphasized, adding that he will cheer for the Croatian representatives in a Mandžukić jersey.
“I have a Mandžukić jersey that I wore in all six matches and which has brought luck. I hope it will bring luck for the seventh time,” Jandroković said.
