Former Real Madrid and Croatia striker Davor Suker praised the recent Club World Cup, emphasizing the tournament’s rising standard: "The level shown was very high — I hope we can see this repeated every two seasons,” he said.

Now working as a FIFA ambassador ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, Suker highlighted global growth in football and FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s commitment to expanding the game across all five continents: "That’s why he’s fully focused on both the Club and International World Cups — and they’ll both be a success.”

Reflecting on the tournament, Suker noted the dominance of European clubs, pointing out that three of the four semi-finalists, PSG, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, were from Europe: "Tactically and physically, European teams are a step ahead. Brazilian and Argentine players showed technical quality, but Europe is currently leading.”

Suker, who served as president of the Croatian Football Federation (2012–2021), is proud of recommending Luka Modric to Real Madrid: "It’s no coincidence that the golden era of both Real Madrid and Croatia aligned with Modric’s leadership. He’s a contemporary genius. I hope we’ll still enjoy him at the 2026 World Cup.”

He evaluated Real Madrid’s performance at the Club World Cup under Xabi Alonso as promising: "He’s building a unit, and that can’t be done in just three games. But Madrid delivered in the U.S. I’m sure they’ll grow stronger and be title contenders by next spring.”

Suker also had the chance to meet Florentino Pérez during the tournament, praising the Real Madrid president’s vision and influence: "Florentino and Infantino have a strong relationship — and with Real Madrid pushing, the Club World Cup has the best backing possible.”

Recalling past memories, Suker shared emotional moments from the competition, meeting legends like Ronaldo Nazário and Hristo Stoichkov: "They were both great scorers, but El Fenómeno was on another level.”

And despite being the top scorer of the 1998 World Cup in France, Suker says nothing compares to the thrill of scoring for Real Madrid: "The World Cup is every footballer’s dream stage — but nothing beats the feeling of scoring at the Santiago Bernabéu and hearing the crowd sing your name.”

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