ZAGREB, Croatia (AFP) — Croatia’s most successful football coach, Zlatko Dalic, resigned on Wednesday, ending a tenure that included taking the team to the 2018 World Cup final.

“As much as I still feel the ambition and desire to achieve new successes with Croatia, I feel that this is the right moment to bring this incredible era to a close,” he said in a statement.

“I am leaving with a full heart and proud that I have made my contribution to the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian football,” the 59-year-old added.

Dalic took over as coach in October 2017.

Apart from their final defeat in Russia, where Croatia, led by Luka Modric, lost to France, Dalic guided the nation to the 2022 Qatar World Cup semi-finals and the Euro 2020 last 16.

“Zlatko’s name will remain forever written in golden letters in the history of Croatian football,” Croatian Football Federation (HSN) head Marijan Kustic said.

Croatia failed to move into the last 16 of this year’s World Cup, losing 2-1 in a gripping match against Portugal earlier this month.

Local media are tipping former national coach Slaven Bilic as Dalic’s likely successor.

Bilic, 57, led Croatia from 2006-12. He recorded a higher winning percentage than Dalic, with 42 victories, 15 draws and eight defeats in 65 matches but his best performance in a major tournament was to reach the quarterfinals of the 2008 Euros where Croatia lost on penalties to Turkey.

Bilic was a defender who played 44 times for Croatia. He has coached several clubs, including West Ham United, where he played in the mid-1990s.

The former defender’s last coaching position was at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Fateh, during the 2023-2024 season.

Dalic has repeatedly said he considered his job the “biggest privilege and pleasure a coach can have”.

His most notable previous coaching spells came outside Europe — he was in charge of top Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Faisaly and Al-Hilal.

In 2014, the former defensive midfielder took over Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, where he was named coach of the year twice, leading the club to the 2016 Asian Champions League final.