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Croatia became an independent country in 1990 and established a national football team almost simultaneously. This team celebrated its new status by playing a debut fixture against the USA in October of that year. 1992 represented a significant year in the development of football in the new republic with the formalisation of admission to FIFA for Stanko Poklepovic's team.
Croatia's first games as an official football nation in those distinctive red and white chequered shirts came on tour in Australia. The Croatians would go on to make a huge impact on Euro '96 which was no surprise considering the depth of talent available for selection from its earliest days. Players of the calibre of Robert Jarni, Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban were seasoned international stars for Yugoslavia now turning out for their native Croatia, and the established players were complemented by a new and outstanding generation of emerging talent which included players like Slaven Bilic, Alen Boksic and Dario Simic.
