Ever since Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia, the international team has been a real force to be reckoned with.
This is reflected by the most recent world cup in which Croatia came agonizingly close to winning the world cup.
Only to be pipped by France in 2018, falling to a 4-2 defeat.
However, what this showed was how good the nation is at producing world-class talent that can compete on the world stage.
From the 1990s where players like Davor Suker were considered one of the best forwards in the world.
To most recently in the 2000s where Darjo Srna, Niko Kovac, and Ivica Olic played huge roles not only at clubs they played at around Europe but also for their country.
So as you can see Croatia has a number of quality players, and in today’s post we will be taking a little look at their highest-paid players, who play for some of the best teams in Europe.
Table of Contents
10) Andrej Kramarić – £52,000
Andrej Kramarić has been one of the top strikers in the Bundesliga ever since moving to 1988 Hoffenheim in 2016.
After a short stint in England with Leicester City where he only appeared 15 times, Kramarić scored 79 goals in 159 between 2016 and 2021.
9) Domagoj Vida – £67,000
Next up we have Domagoj Vida a sturdy centre-back who plays in Turkey for Besiktas.
The 32-year-old who scored in extra time against Russia in the World Cup quarter-final has made over 100 appearances for both Besiktas and Dynamo Kyiv.
8) Nikola Vlasic – £70,000
Nikola Vlasic recently made the switch to West Ham after previously being with Everton in the Premier League.
While his last spell didn’t go to plan in Merseyside, the attacking midfielder gained the attention from premier league sides again, after some impressive performances out playing for Cska Moscow.
It was West Ham though that sealed his signature, buying him from the Moscow club for 30 million while also giving him a 5-year contract that now sees him earn £70,000 a week.
7) Šime Vrsaljko – £76,000
Croatia’s first-choice right-back, Šime Vrsaljko currently makes £76,000 a week playing for Atletico Madrid.
This makes him one of the highest-paid right-backs in Europe, something you can expect for a player playing for one of the top clubs in Spain.
Vrsaljko is a versatile full-back who can both defend and get forward, has played in three countries over Europe.
Including Spain, Italy, and Croatia as well as 55 appearances for his country since making his debut in 2011.
6) Ante Rebić – £90,000
Ante Rebic who plays for title-chasers AC Milan currently makes £90,000 a week.
A player who can play both as a winger and a striker, as scored 23 goals for AC Milan since joining in 2019.
5) Dejan Lovren – £100,000
Centre-back Dejan Lovren is currently on £100,000 after moving to Zenit St-Petersburg.
The Croatian who most notably scored a last-minute winner against Dortmund for Liverpool in the 2016 Europa League, made 161 appearances in the premier league.
4) Ivan Rakitić – £106,000 A Week
Swiss-born Croatia Ivan Rakitić will be known most for his successful time in Barcelona in which he made 200 appearances between 2014-2020.
Now retired from international football, he concentrates on club football playing for Sevilla.
At Sevilla, Ivan is the highest-paid player earning £106,000 a week.
3) Marcelo Brozovic – £106,000
Marcelo Brozovic is also high on the list of high-paying Croatian footballers with a contract of £106,000 a week.
The all-around centre midfielder appeared at both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups for Croatia, including the tournament in which they finished as a finalist.
Now 29 he is playing some of the best football of his career, being instrumental in Inter Milan’s first Serie A title since 2011 in 2020.
2) Ivan Perišić – £125,000 A Week
A teammate to Brozovic at both club and international level is versatile winger Ivan Perišić.
At 32, Ivan has made a name for being a gifted player who possesses excellent ability on both feet.
Signed by Inter Milan by Wolfsburg in 2015, he has been based in Italy since 2015, apart from a one-year loan spell recently with Bayern Munich in 2020 in which he won the Champions League.
Perišić’s loyalty to Inter over the years as seen him rewarded with higher contracts over the years, with him making double the amount he was initially gifted back in 2015 when he first joined.
Previously on £66,000, he is now receiving at least £124,000 a week.
1) Luka Modric – £274,000 A Week
Luka Modric will always be seen as a legend in Croatia and will be up there with some of the most talented and decorated players the country has produced.
Now while Modric is getting towards the end of his career, he is still showing his class at 35 playing for Real Madrid.
In fact, some of the best football seen from his, as been in what would be considered his prime.
Performances over Real Madrid’s back-to-back Champions League wins and of course, Croatia’s world cup run, in which he was also named Ballon D’Or winner for 2018, shows how well he has played since turning 30′.
Despite mutually agreeing on two wage decreases over the past two seasons.
Modric remains Croatia’s highest-paid footballer bringing in £274,000 a week.
Back in 2020 though, he was receiving the most amount of his career, getting £388,000 a week.
Which at the time, made him one of the best-paid players in the game.
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