Croatia’s general

Slaven Bilic still walks with a slight limp, the legacy of an operation he had back in January. Doctors tried to fix his old hip injury, which dated back to the most glorious period of his playing days, an episode which effectively ended his career.

Two weeks before the 1998 World Cup, Bilic fractured his hip. It was a huge blow for Croatia, as at the time the Everton player was one of the best centre-backs in the world. Against all medical advice, he travelled to France with the team, playing the whole tournament with pain relief and hardly training. Just four years after the newly-independent nation was allowed to enter official FIFA competitions, Croatia finished third in their first World Cup appearance.

In France, Bilic knowingly sacrificed his health and career for his country. At 30, he was practically done: he tried to continue, but only managed to play a few games before retiring in 2000.