Remember Nikola Kalinic? Well, hold that thought. In all probability, you might not be able to recall who Nikola Kalinic is. Now, try to remember the Croatian player who was sent back home after he refused to take the field as a substitute in their match against Nigeria at FIFA World Cup 2018? Yes, now you know who Nikola Kalinic is!

As Croatia beat England in the second semi-final match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, on Wednesday, one person who would be ruing Croatia’s win, other than all of England players and fans, would be Croatian striker Nikola Kalinic.

Kalinic, who also plays as a striker for AC Milan club, would be one of the saddest persons in the world right now. Given the fact that he has missed the bus to glory, Kalinic would be regretting to show his numpty behaviour to Zlato Dalic – Croatia football team coach – in their tournament opener against Nigeria, last month.

Picked up as a perfect back-up to Mario Mandzukic in the Croatian squad, Kalinic had signalled that he was experiencing back-pain when he was asked to be a substitute. Coach Dalic said, “During the Nigeria encounter, Kalinic was warming up and was supposed to come on in the second half. However, he then stated that he wasn't ready to come on due to a back issue.”

This wasn’t the first time the Croatian striker was seen showing his erratic behaviour. During a friendly game against Brazil, in England, Kalinic had resorted to the same tactic. Coach Dalic said, “The same thing happened during the Brazil friendly in England, as well as before the practice session on Sunday. I have calmly accepted that, and since I need my players fit and ready to play, I have made this decision.”

Perhaps luck was not on his side or maybe because of his repetitive mercurial attitude; he won’t be a part of the World Cup winning Croatian squad if at all Croatia wins the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final against France.

World Cup fans had a field day as they trolled the Croatian striker Nikola Kalinic, as Croatia beat England 2-1 in the second semi-final match of the FIFA World Cup 2018!

The teams of France and Croatia have had memorable campaigns so far. Come Sunday, both the teams would be vying for glory; whereas, on the other hand, Kalinic would be sitting and crying buckets for his deficient attitude!

The Luka Modric-led team will be playing their first World Cup final in their history. It will be France vs Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium, on July 15. The final match of the FIFA World Cup 2018 will start at 8.30 PM (IST).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2018 09:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).