It was one of the bitter surprises that the Croatian national team had in the 2018 World Cup, and this Friday it returned to controversy by rejecting the runner-up medal of the World Cup. Nikola Kalinic appreciated the gesture but assured that he rejected it because he did not feel part of the team that achieved the historic qualification to the tournament final.
"Thanks for the medal, but I didn't even play in Russia," Kalinic said to Sportske Novosti, an important media outlet in his country. Let's remember that the striker refused to enter in the last minutes of the first match against Nigeria. That's why coach Zlatko Dalic decided to dismiss him.
Despite what happened, the Croatian delegation had a good gesture and decided to send him one of the runner-up medals, since after all, Kalinic was part of the 23 called-up players; however, Kalinic declined it.
In the sights of Atletico
Nikola Kalinic continues training with AC Milan while waiting for his loan to Atletico Madrid to be finalized for two million euros, with a mandatory purchase clause at the end of the season for 18 million euros.