Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has left no doubt over who he’s backing to win at the World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia.
The Croat, who won the Wimbledon title as a wildcard in 2001 in one of the most incredible modern day sporting fairy-tales, teased the England fans for being arrogant with the whole ‘football is coming home’ mania that has gripped the country.
“I hope that we will not lose to the English because you were already in the final, ou already won, you’re coming home, you’re bringing a trophy, you are so arrogant, you are the best, you are the most beautiful. For sure you’re coming home, but I hope without a trophy,” Ivanisevic told BBC in a cheeky tone.
“I hope that it’s not playing at the same time [as Wimbledon]. I’ll go somewhere to the pub and watch it with other English people, and you know, hopefully, I’m going to be the last one standing and laughing!”
The adoration between Ivanisevic and the football team goes back a long way. Before the country’s previous semi-final appearance in 1998, the entire team posed before the match with the ‘Thanks Goran’ spelled out on their inner t-shirts to show solidarity with the legendary tennis player losing his third Wimbledon final in heartbreaking fashion.
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