Silvio Marić (51), a former Croatian defender, is the third guest on the podcast 'As s klupe: Powered by Carlsberg', dedicated to the Croatian national football team. He played 19 matches and scored one goal for the national team, including the 1998 World Cup where Croatia won the bronze medal.

- I should have contributed more to the team, but unfortunately, injuries held me back. I had a severe knee injury right after the first match in Portugal, followed by another injury while playing for Panathinaikos. It's a pity I couldn't play more for the team. Luckily, I was there for the 1998 World Cup - Marić begins his account.

Do you remember your debut for the national team?

- It happened in Greece in 1997. It was the last qualifying match for the World Cup, and we needed a victory. Denmark had already secured their spot. We won, thanks to Davor Šuker, and then we needed Denmark to defeat Greece. Peter Schmeichel was performing miracles, stopping the Greeks. Šuker sent Schmeichel some ham, and he played brilliantly. Then we had additional qualifiers against Ukraine, a team dominated by Kiev Dinamo...

What first comes to mind when you think about the World Cup?

- The first association is Vittel, the camp where we stayed. It was isolated from everything... We didn't realize the magnitude of our victories and achievements. It was a resort where we had complete peace. As young players, we had to be mindful of our conduct, representing our country. I was amazed by everything. Davor Šuker was an excellent motivator, always pushing us to give our all...

How did you become aware of the celebrations in Croatia?

- We were devastated after losing to Argentina in the group stage, thinking we would face England. But Romania surprised everyone by defeating England and sending them to face Argentina. Then we faced Romania... We had a bit of luck. It was then that we realized the scale of the celebrations. Full stadiums, fans everywhere... Šuker and Boban collected tapes of the celebrations across Croatia...

How did you fit in with the older players?

- It was surreal. Being in a room with Prosinečki, playing alongside Boban. When Bilić and Štimac explained where I needed to stand... Bilić was a great leader, Štimac was a hard worker. Bokšić was a dangerous player, a pity he was injured for the World Cup. It was normal for me, Šimić, or younger players to handle the ball. We would go to the bakery if we were sent for something, but our older players weren't like that.

Did you have a fan club in Dinamo?

- Absolutely, it had 5,000 members. There were notebooks with our pictures, erasers... We always had fun. I knew how to market a shirt so well that David Beckham would have called me to ask how it was done, ha, ha!