Croatia, an outsider player, looks like a champion

After all, it's a country of four million people where domestic football has long been debilitated by corruption, a country that lacks resources or foresight to invest in all the necessary structures and accessories .

It's a country that, in less than three decades since a fierce and brutal war for independence, has reached a World Cup semifinal and now a World Cup final, and has succeeded in producing successive generations of high caliber. players. It's also a team that has overcome the most discouraging obstacles: its three knockout matches have been extended, and two to penalties. He played 90 minutes more than France in this tournament; it took, in the words of Ivan Perisic, to show that it is "a real team finally".

In these circumstances, to believe that Croatia would be the most remarkable world champion of all time, it is to show a deficit of respect, but an overabundance of fear. Suggesting that the Sunday final is an underdog does not mean neglecting its strengths, but simply appreciating the magnitude of what it has already accomplished.

Croatia does not have the economic power of France. It does not have at its disposal the biggest talented greenhouse in Europe. There is no national training center at the cutting edge of technology. She does not have one of the strongest leagues in the world, one of the most important in most clubs selling young players, as a bonus, to aristocrats and parvenus of England and from Spain

. does well, when the traditional European powers maintain the balance of power to a greater extent than at any time in history, when they were able to industrialize the development of youth and produce big squads of players, when they took advantage of the most advanced sports Croatia's performance at this point is breathtaking.

She will qualify as a loser for Sunday's World Cup final due to financial reality, demographics, history, because country of her size has been world champion for nearly 70 years, not because his players are underrated or his talent is in doubt.