UAE is Zlatko Dalic's second home - now he must help national team forge new identity
Back in 2019, when he was still basking in the glow of taking his homeland to the World Cup final a year earlier, Zlatko Dalic pondered what the future would look like. A job at a good club in a Big Five league, he said, then get a boat and retire. He would not, he said, “die on the bench” as the job of a football coach is too stressful. Life does not always work out as planned. In the…
In 2019, Zlatko Dalic was celebrating taking Croatia to the World Cup final when he reflected on his future career. Instead of retiring to a club in a Big Five league, he decided against "dying on the bench." Over the past seven years, he has added more impressive feats to his CV with Croatia. Now, at 59, he has taken a job as the coach of the UAE, a position with Big Five wages.
Reports suggest his salary will be among the highest for international football coaches, only slightly behind Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel, and Mauricio Pochettino. Although he is no longer in Croatia, he has not abandoned his supporters there. During his time with Croatia, he received messages of support from the UAE, including the illuminating of the Burj Khalifa with a Croatia flag.
Dalic sees the UAE job as a meaningful second career, filling a vacancy created when his previous employer, Cosmin Olaroiu, parted ways. He is well-equipped for the role due to his previous experience in coaching top-tier clubs in the UAE.
Written by urgent.news from The National Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.