Sports Nicknames - Zuti, the Yellow One

Robert Prosinecki was a technical and creative genius on the football pitch.



The Croatian midfielder played for Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid and Barcelona and was famous for his arrogance in the way he took on the opposing players with drag-back and pirouette moves. He could fire powerful shots with both of his feet and still preferred to set up his teammates for goals instead.

"Zuti" as they called him in his homeland, translates to the "Yellow One", as he could easily be recognized on the pitch due to his blond hair.

At one point in time Prosinecki was the most wanted young player in the world, after winning the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade in his early twenties. Robert also helped Croatia famously finish third in the 1998 World Cup. Prosinecki had to miss the semi-final game Croatia lost to France due to injury.

Prosinecki was a gifted yet enigmatic player. He smoked heavily (even at half-time during games) and enjoyed alcoholic beverages perhaps too much. He is one of the greatest talents to come out of former Yugoslavia and he probably would have reached greater heights if he was more disciplined in his life off the pitch.

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