Tomislav Butina
Made his debut for Croatia in September 2001, against San Marino, aged 27. Currently playing for Club Brugge, Butina has won 27 caps for Croatia (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: March 30, 1974
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Fact: Butina looks set to be Croatia's first choice goalkeeper this summer; he played in eight of the country's ten qualifying matches, conceding only four goals.

Joey Didulica
Made his debut for Croatia in April 2004, against FYR Macedonia, aged 26. Currently playing for Austria Wien, Didulica has won 1 cap for Croatia (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: October 14, 1977
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Fact: Third-choice goalkeeper Didulica is another Australian-born member of the squad; he qualifies to play for Croatia as his father was born there.

Stipe Pletikosa
Made his debut for Croatia in February 1999, against Denmark, aged 20. Currently playing for Hajduk Split, Pletikosa has won 47 caps for Croatia (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 8, 1979
Height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
Fact: Before joining FC Shakhtar Donetsk in 2003, Pletikosa spent seven successful seasons at Hajduk Split, winning the Croatian Cup twice (2000 and 2003) and the Croatian League in 2001; in his final season in Croatia, he scored three goals for his club.

Defenders

Robert Kovac
Made his debut for Croatia April 1999, against Italy, aged 25. Currently playing for Juventus, Kovac has won 51 caps for Croatia and scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: April 6, 1974
Height: 1.83m (6ft)
Fact: The younger of the Kovac brothers, Robert was part of the Bayern Munich league and cup-double winning side in 2003 and 2005.

Igor Tudor
Made his debut for Croatia in November 1997, against Ukraine, aged 19. Currently playing for Juventus, Tudor has won 49 caps for Croatia and scored 3 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: April 16, 1978
Height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
Fact: In 2001—at the end of his first season with former club Juventus—Tudor was named Croatian Player of the Year.

Josip Šimunic
Made his debut for Croatia in November 2001, against South Korea, aged 23. Currently playing for Hertha BSC Berlin, Šimunic has won 40 caps for Croatia and scored 3 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: February 18, 1978
Height: 1.95m (6ft 4in)
Fact: Born in Canberra, Australia, Šimunic has been heavily criticized by some for not choosing to play for his birth country despite having studied at the elite, publicly funded Australian Institute of Sport.

Stjepan Tomas
Made his debut for Croatia in April 1998, against Poland, aged 21. Currently playing for Galatasaray, Tomas has won 44 caps for Croatia and scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: June 3, 1976
Height: 1.87m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Tomas is not the only Galatasaray player to be starring in the 2006 World Cup; Czech winger Marek Heinz and Serbian midfielder Sasa Ilic will also be hoping to represent their respective countries in Germany this summer. However Tomas's famous partner at the heart of the Galatasaray defence—long-serving Cameroonian international Rigobert Song—will be absent form the competition after the Lions failed to qualify for the finals for the first time since 1986.

Mario Tokic
Made his debut for Croatia September 1998, against Republic of Ireland, aged 23. Currently playing for Austria Wien, Tokic has won 24 caps for Croatia and scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: July 23, 1975
Height: 1.79m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Tokic picked up the only trophy of his career to date—the Croatian Cup—in 2001, at the end of his final season with Dinamo Zagreb before he joined Austrian side AK Graz.

Marijan Buljat
Made his debut for Croatia in March 2006, against Argentina, aged 24. Currently playing for Dinamo Zagreb, Buljat has won 1 cap for Croatia and scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: September 12, 1981
Height: 1.87m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Prior to his inclusion in the Croatian World Cup squad, Buljat had only played one minute inernational football at senior level (he entered the pitch as a 90th-minute substitute in a friendly match against Argentina in March of this year.)

Dario Šimic
Made his debut for Croatia in March 1996, against South Korea, aged 20. Currently playing for AC Milan, Šimic has won 76 caps for Croatia and scored 3 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: November 12, 1975
Height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
Fact: The most capped member of the current Croatia squad, Šimic spent four relatively uneventful years with Inter Milan before moving across the city to join rivals AC Milan in 2002.