Croatia's Champions League Dominance

Over the past two decades, Croatia has reached a World Cup Final as well as finished third in another World Cup, but their nation of 4 million has also delivered a variety of footballers who have impressed in European football's premier club competition. Since 2012, a Croatian player has appeared in every UEFA Champions League Final, and since 2013, a Croatian player has won every final.

2012 would see Bayern Munich take on Chelsea at the Allianz Arena, with Thomas Müller opening the scoring in the 83rd minute and Didier Drogba equalizing five minutes later to send the game into extra time. 32-year-old forward Ivica Olić would replace Franck Ribéry in the 96th minute, but he would end up losing in the Champions League Final for the second time in three years, missing the team's fourth penalty as they lost 4-3 in the shootout before departing for Wolfsburg that summer.

The following year saw an all-German final take place at Wembley, with Mario Mandžukić playing 94 minutes and opening the scoring at the hour-mark for Bayern Munich, only for İlkay Gündoğan to equalize from the spot shortly after. Arjen Robben would restore Bayern's lead in the 89th minute as Bayern won their first Champions League in 12 years as well as their first-ever treble.

In doing so, Mandźukić became the fifth Croatian player to win the modern Champions League and the first since Igor Bišćan in 2005, commencing a trend that has continued until this day. After a disappointing debut campaign in the Spanish capital, Luka Modrić would excel for Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid as they beat crosstown rivals Atlético Madrid 4-1 in Lisbon. Los Blancos would secure a record 10th Champions League trophy, their first since 2002, with Modrić playing a key role in midfield in a historic night for Real.