Dalić concludes his tenure as by far the most successful and longest-serving head coach in the history of the Croatian national team. Under his leadership, Croatia won the silver medal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also guided Croatia to the silver medal in the 2023 UEFA Nations League and secured qualification for UEFA EURO 2020, UEFA EURO 2024, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"Being the head coach of the national team requires many difficult decisions, but this has certainly been the hardest one. I have always said that there is no greater honour than leading your national team, and that I could never have a more important, more responsible or more rewarding job than this. When I took over the team, I believed in both the quality of the players and in myself, but I never dared to dream that we would achieve everything we have over these nearly nine years.
I cannot describe how proud I am of every victory, every qualification for major tournaments, our three medals, and those unforgettable nights of Croatian football, such as defeating England and Brazil at the World Cups. Above all, however, I am proud of the unity we built within the team and with the Croatian people, something we witnessed most powerfully during the unforgettable homecoming celebrations after our World Cup medals."
"Achievements of this magnitude are impossible without quality, hard work and belief in what you do. Therefore, my heartfelt thanks go to everyone who invested their knowledge and energy into everything we accomplished together—my assistant coaches and staff, our doctors, physiotherapists, kit managers, and the entire HNS logistics team, who always supported us brilliantly.
I also thank the leadership of the Federation for their unwavering support, our fans for the incredible backing they gave us throughout this journey, and the media who helped create a positive atmosphere around the national team while also offering constructive criticism. Finally, I thank my family, without whose support none of this would have been possible for me."
"Of course, the most important contributors to all these successes were those on the pitch. I feel deeply privileged to have coached such outstanding footballers and exceptional people—from our captain Luka Modrić, through the experienced leaders who were with me back in Russia, to the young players we gradually introduced into the squad and who have continued to take on increasingly important roles.
I am immensely grateful to them for always putting Croatia above everything else and for consistently demonstrating, through their attitude, commitment and professionalism, what the culture of the Croatian national team truly represents. Croatia has a bright future in all of them, and as long as representing the national team remains as sacred to them as it has been for generations, Croatia will continue to be strong, competitive and capable of challenging anyone."
"I would like to thank President Kustić for his exceptional support, our excellent cooperation and the trust he placed in me to continue. The support I received over the past few days made me reconsider my decision to step down, but... the time has come.
Although I still have the ambition and desire to continue writing new chapters of success with Croatia, I feel this is the right moment to bring this incredible era to a close. I leave with a full heart, proud to have contributed to the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian football. I wish my successor, the Croatian national team and Croatian football many more successes, and I firmly believe they will come."
