Davor Suker

Davor Šuker (born 1 January 1968) is a Croatian football executive and former striker. He was president of the Croatian Football Federation from 2012 until 2021. Widely considered the finest striker his country has produced, he holds the national team record of 45 goals in 68 appearances and has been Croatia’s all-time leading scorer since 1998. During his tenure as federation president, Croatia finished as runners-up at the 2018 World Cup, the nation’s best-ever result. Šuker started his playing career at age 16 with hometown club NK Osijek, leaving as the league’s top scorer.

He joined Dinamo Zagreb in 1989, but the Croatian War of Independence led him to Spanish side Sevilla in 1991. In La Liga, he consistently ranked among the division’s top scorers. Five years later, he signed with Real Madrid, again finishing near the top of the scoring charts. At the Bernabéu, he helped Madrid win the league title and the UEFA Champions League.

A move to Arsenal followed, where he contributed to the club’s run to the 2000 UEFA Cup final. He later played for West Ham United and ended his career with German club 1860 Munich. After making his Croatia debut in 1990, Šuker led the team to third place at the 1998 World Cup, securing the nation’s first bronze medal. He won the Golden Boot with six goals in seven matches and earned the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player, behind Ronaldo.

He was named Croatia’s Golden Player at the 2003 UEFA Jubilee Awards, finished third in the 1998 FIFA World Player of the Year vote, and second for the 1998 Ballon d’Or. He is the only Croatian on Pelé’s 2004 FIFA 100 list. Šuker won Croatian Footballer of the Year a then-record six times: in 1992 and from 1994 to 1998. Born in Osijek to a Bosnian Croat family from Livno, Šuker began playing for NK Osijek in 1984. He moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1989, scoring 34 goals in 60 Yugoslav First League matches over two seasons.

His performances earned him a call-up to the Yugoslavia national team and attracted interest from Sevilla, which he joined in 1991. Šuker made his Primera División debut for Sevilla on 17 November 1991 as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw at Espanyol. In his first start, at home against Real Sociedad, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw. He finished his first season with six goals in 22 appearances. The following season, he scored his first Primera hat-trick in a 4–3 win at Albacete, improving to 13 goals in 33 matches.

In 1993–94, he was the league’s second-highest scorer with 24 goals, behind Barcelona’s Romário, and recorded five braces and one hat-trick in 34 appearances. He played alongside Diego Maradona at Sevilla during the 1992–93 season. Over two seasons, he scored 33 goals in 64 Primera matches. Šuker moved to Real Madrid before the 1996–97 season. He scored 24 goals in 38 appearances, finishing as the league’s third-best scorer behind Ronaldo and Alfonso.

That season, he netted three hat-tricks as Madrid won the league title. Alongside Raúl and Predrag Mijatović, he formed a potent attacking trio. The following season, Madrid won the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League, with Šuker scoring 10 goals in 29 league appearances. In 1998–99, his playing time decreased despite a strong World Cup performance; he made only 19 league appearances and scored four goals.

He left Madrid at season’s end, closing an eight-year spell in Spain with 114 goals in 239 Primera matches. Šuker joined Arsenal for the 1999–2000 season, where the British press nicknamed him “Sukerman.” He made his league debut as a substitute in a 2–1 loss to Manchester United on 22 August 1999. After two more substitute appearances, he started against Aston Villa and scored a brace in a 3–1 win. He played as an extra-time substitute in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final, missing his penalty as Arsenal lost to Galatasaray.

He also scored once in the League Cup against Middlesbrough and twice in the Champions League against AIK. In total, he scored eight league goals (including three braces) in 22 Premier League appearances. At West Ham United, Šuker struggled to secure a regular first-team place, making 11 league appearances and scoring twice—against Manchester United and Sunderland—plus a League Cup goal against Blackburn Rovers. His time in England ended after that season, and he joined 1860 Munich for the 2001–02 campaign.