Zagreb: Slaven Bilic will return as head coach of Croatia, the national football federation announced Monday, replacing Zlatko Dalic who resigned after the country´s World Cup exit.
Dalic stepped down last week after a tenure that included a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup.Croatia failed to move into the last 16 of this year´s World Cup, losing 2-1 to Cristiano Ronaldo´s Portugal.
Former Croatian international defender Bilic previously coached Croatia between 2006 and 2012.The 57-year-old, who also coached English clubs West Ham, West Bromwich Albion and Watford, was “unanimously appointed” as head coach, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) said.
Bilic recorded a higher winning percentage than Dalic during his last tenure, with 42 wins, 15 draws and eight defeats in 65 matches.But his side´s best result was reaching the quarter-finals of the 2008 European Championships, which they lost on penalties to Turkey. With 44 caps for Croatia, Bilic´s club career was mostly spent at Hajduk Split with stints in England at West Ham and Everton in the mid-1990s.
