Ante Rebic — The Croatian Lightning
Noted for his speed and being kind of a late bloomer, Ante Rebic went on to turn himself into one of the key figures in the Croatian 2018 World Cup final run.
On a national team full of stars like Mario Mandzukic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Ivan Rakitic, it seemed like Ante Rebic would not be more than a rotation player, maybe entering in the second half of games just to spark some energy in the team. But since Zlatko Dalic tenure started, Rebic dominated the right wing side and has shown his good skills to a stellar Croatian side.
Rebic, or Rebo as he’s called in Croatia, began his career at RNK Split, where he went on to make his debut as a second half substitute against a strong Dinamo Zagreb side. He scored the late equalizer against them, which would make the score 1–1 at the end. His good appearances on the Crveni side called attention from Fiorentina, who went on to sign him to a 5-year contract. His tenure at the Viola wasn’t good, unfortunately, marred by some injuries and lack of space in the first team, which led him to be loaned unsuccessfully to RB Leipzig — back then in 2.Bundesliga — and later to Hellas Verona — which would be relegated from the Serie A.
Finding himself out of his best form, he would accept a loan offer from Eintracht Frankfurt, where he would rejoin his former national team manager, Niko Kovac. At Die Adler Rebic found his better form, playing usually as a second striker on a 3–4–1–2 alongside Haller or Jovic, while being fed with good passes by Kevin Prince Boateng. His reunion with Kovac worked so well that Eintracht went on to mount a challenge against bavarian giants Bayern München at the DFB Pokal Final, where they went on to create an upset, winning 3–1. In that game, Rebic scored 2 goals, both of them in his best style: The first, in a high up recovery where he would receive Boateng’s pass in between the 2 bavarian defenders. The other one, which put the Frankfurt side again on top, would begin on a long ball by da Costa where Rebic, at the 80', went to make a full run to go throught the bavarian defenders and score against Ulreich one-on-one.
His success at Frankfurt, where he was the key player in a title that hasn’t come to the die Adler side in 30 years, made him a first team regular in the Croatian national team. During the World Cup, Rebic scored a goal and has been a player of utmost importance in the right side of the pitch, alongside Atletico’s full back Sime Vrsaljko, combining for goals and key passes and helping the Vatreni in reaching their first World Cup final.
Rebic’s skill and speed may prove important to the Croatian side. Since Croatia went on to extra time every game since the Round of 16, the Croatians may struggle against a solid and rested French side on Sunday’s matchup. But for a team who has fought so much to be where they are, Rebic’s Croatia is not to be taken softly. His speed and skills may prove more important than ever to mount for the World Cup championship.
