One of the greatest Croatian players of all time, Zvonimir Boban played 447 times for 4 clubs (Dinamo Zagreb, Bari, AC Milan, and Celta Vigo) and 2 countries (Yugoslavia and Croatia). It was for Milan and Croatia where he excelled, winning four Serie A titles, one Champions League title, and a third place medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
But before that, there was the “football match that ‘started a war'”, between Red Star Belgrade vs Dinamo Zagreb:
There was still ten minutes to go until kick-off in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, when the fans of Dinamo Zagreb crashed through the metal fences that separated the stands from the pitch.
The Croatian ultras, the Bad Blue Boys, had been trading insults with their most bitter rivals, Red Star Belgrade, and sporadic violence had broken out throughout the stadium.
What happened next was described by sports journalist Boris Mutić as a “circle of hell”, as riots that began in the ground spilt onto the streets. In perhaps the most infamous incident, Zvonimir Boban, Dinamo’s captain, waded into the crowd to stop a police officer attacking a fan.
Within a year, the ultras of the Croat Bad Blue Boys and the Serb Delije were fighting each other on the battlefield, after Croatia declared independence and ended up in a war with Yugoslavia.
Zvonimir, you legend!