A pure left–footed centre forward with an instinctive relationship with goal. Davor Šuker scored everywhere he played, relentlessly and often decisively, the only real exception being an ill-fated English spell at Arsenal that never truly clicked. For the rest, goals followed him like a shadow.

Alongside Zvonimir Boban, he became the symbolic leader of the newly born Croatian national team, shaping its identity with personality and numbers. In European Championships alone (qualifiers and finals combined), Šuker scored 20 goals – more than Marco van Basten and Gerd Müller, both stuck at 16. Not a trivial comparison.

At Real Madrid he won both La Liga and the Champions League, the latter in the 1998 final against Juventus, decided by Predrag Mijatović. His relationship with Fabio Capello during that league-winning season was tense: Šuker was often substituted, sometimes surprisingly so, yet he still ended the campaign as the team’s top scorer. A paradox only football can produce.

The summer of 1998 marked the absolute peak of his career. After lifting the Champions League with Real Madrid, Šuker led Croatia to an extraordinary third place at the World Cup in France, scoring six goals and claiming the Golden Boot. Few players have ever compressed so much relevance into a single year.

Inside the penalty area he was ruthless, almost predatory, but reducing him to a mere poacher would miss the point. Šuker possessed refined shooting technique, exceptional composure from the spot, and a sense of timing that allowed him to score goals of rare elegance. His delicate lob over Peter Schmeichel at Euro ’96 remains one of the tournament’s defining images — proof that, despite often being underrated technically, Šuker combined efficiency with genuine aesthetic quality.