There seemed to be no real danger when Croatia’s Niko Kranjcar controlled a cross-field pass eight minutes into his side’s Euro qualifier against England at Wembley last November. The home side’s defence failed to close him down, Kranjcar took a touch and, right-footed, hit a fizzing shot that bounced just in front of debutant goalkeeper Scott Carson, and into the corner of the net. It was just the start that England didn’t need – shell-shocked, they conceded another goal six minutes later – and their Euro hopes were on the way to being shattered.

For Kranjcar, the goal was just as significant. It marked the moment that the whole of Croatia put aside regional rivalries and nepotistic accusations to acknowledge his importance to the side. It marked the end of four tough years without recognition.

It did not help that Kranjcar was the playmaker in Croatia’s bruising 2006 World Cup side, coached by his father, Zlatko. The Croatian press, who nicknamed Kranjcar ‘Debeli’, Fatty, for his perceived lack of fitness, made him the scapegoat after the team, not set up to play attractive football, was eliminated after the group stage without winning a game.

“I remember Frank Lampard had the same problem with West Ham,” said Slaven Bilic, Kranjcar Snr’s replacement as Croatia coach, who spent a season at Upton Park. “People were saying Frank was there because his father was assistant manager, but look at him now; he’s one of the best players in Europe. Maybe some other coach would not have given Niko a chance but Croatia have missed that kind of creative player. We used to have Robert Prosinecki and Aljosa Asanovic but since them we’ve not had one. Most of our midfielders are more defensive so we really needed somebody.”

As soon as Bilic took over, he changed the shape of the midfield, playing with an attacking trident of Kranjcar, Luka Modric and Darijo Srna. “Slaven is a great manager and has brought the team together in a way that makes us all happy,” said Kranjcar, who has played in left midfield, the same position for Portsmouth as for Croatia, this season. “I don’t mind playing on the left if it helps the team. I have played in the hole for Portsmouth for a few games but if you put me there and the team suffers, I’d rather play on the left. If the team is fine, I am fine and there’s no reason to change things.”

Perhaps it is a sign of maturity that Kranjcar can talk about change like that: after all, it was his decision to change clubs in Croatia when he was just 20 that divided opinion in his homeland. He began his career with Dinamo Zagreb, the side for whom his father had played, and made an immediate impression, scoring on his league debut – three weeks before his 17th birthday. With his height and elegance, he drew comparisons with the young Zinedine Zidane and in 2002, aged 18, Miroslav Blazevic made him Dinamo’s youngest ever captain.
He led Dinamo to the championship in 2003, and came second in the Croatian Player of the Year award. The next year he won the Cup, but in January 2005, he stunned Croatian football by making the almost unheard of move to Dinamo’s rivals Hajduk Split. In one stroke, he had made himself an enemy in half of the country, and with a significant section of the Croatian media.

By that summer, he had another championship medal, which made him even more of a hate figure in Zagreb. The following season, Hajduk only finished in fifth place, losing 8-0 to Hungarian side Debrecen in a Champions League qualifier, and Kranjcar moved to Portsmouth.

That move coincided with Bilic’s appointment as national team coach, and gave Kranjcar’s career renewed impetus. “I have to say that Slaven has developed a great atmosphere in this group of players,” he said. “There is a good combination of young and experienced players and if you start getting some decent results, it helps pull you together even more. The results we got in qualifying boosted our confidence and now we feel we can take on any team.”

Not that Kranjcar is predicting a repeat of Croatia’s best tournament finish, a third-place at the 1998 World Cup, a tournament in which Bilic and his backroom staff Prosinecki, Asanovic and Marjan Mrmic all played. “Since the country gained independence, we have qualified for every tournament except for one, and the fans always have expectations on us,” he explained.

“They don’t expect us to win, but to get through the group stage is a realistic target for us. We are looking to do that and then see what happens.”

Like Kranjcar, Bilic has also been playing down this side’s chances but their excuses sound flimsy. This group of players are hardly a bunch of unknowns not used to big-pressure matches: Dario Simic has won two Champions Leagues (and a Serie A title) with AC Milan, Robert Kovac has finished top of the league twice in Germany (with Bayern Munich) and in Italy (Juventus), while Ivica Olic won two Russian league and Cup doubles and the Uefa Cup with CSKA Moscow.

That’s before you consider that Croatia’s most exciting talent, Luka Modric, completed a big-money move from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham Hotspur last month. Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus and Inter Milan were all linked with the playmaker who has been tipped for great things. “What can I say about Luka other than he is a very, very, very good player,” said Kranjcar.

“He is ready to prove himself on the bigger stage now. When you move to a new league, you have to settle in and hopefully he will do that and show the world how good he is. He has everything he needs to be successful, he is comfortable on the ball but has power going forward as well.”

The emergence of Modric may have reduced some of the pressure this summer on Kranjcar who finally seems comfortable with his position and status in the team. As Bilic said, “Niko has great technique, a good shot and reads the play brilliantly – and he has proved his quality in the national side’s toughest games.”