Pongračić: “The Croatia national team knows how to succeed, but we must stay humble”

Speaking at a press conference, he first addressed the strong competition among the team's center-backs.

“Of course, it will be important for us how the defense functions. The competition among us in the national team is positive; we have good relationships and we compete with each other, so everything is fine.”

On Harry Kane...

“He plays fantastic football, and I consider him one of the best strikers in the world. How do we stop him? The most important thing is the collective - that's how we'll stop him. England has many excellent individuals: Gordon, Saka, Bellingham... We have to be well organized and stay focused.”

On Croatia's past successes and whether they create pressure or motivation...

“We don't have to enter the tournament under pressure. We know what it's like to achieve success, and that's what we want again. We must stay humble and focus on what's ahead of us. We're taking it one match at a time - first England, then Panama and Ghana. The goal is to play as well as possible and achieve the best possible results. Our focus is on the present.”

On Luka Vušković...

“I didn't watch HSV that closely this season, but I've followed him through the media, and I think he deserves to be in the national team. He's playing incredibly well for his age, and I hope he continues to develop even further in his career. He has outstanding self-confidence for someone so young, which is excellent.”

On the reception the Croatian team received in the United States and growing up in the Croatian diaspora...

“We always learned the Croatian language — that's part of our family upbringing. We always followed the national teams, whether it was handball or football. My heart always beat for Croatia, and I was happiest when I received my first call-up. There was never any doubt about which national team I would choose.”

Copyright by Croatian Football Federation. Quoting text from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to HNS as a source and providing direct link to the original content at hns.family. Re-use of the photographs is not permitted.