We bring you a list of the famous people from Zadar who are recognized beyond our beautiful Croatia. As Zadar has spawned a lot of celebrities and has many celebrities, this is just a part of the list that we will present to you. So let’s go:

Luka Modrić- the best football player in the world 

Luka Modrić is a world-famous football player born in Zadar. He entered football history in 2018 after winning four of the most prestigious football awards in the same year – the Golden Ball of the World Cup, the FIFA Award for Best Footballer, the UEFA Award and the Ballon D’Or, and as captain he led the Croatian national football team to a silver medal at the World Cup in Russia.
Few can forget the spectacular welcome that the people of Zadar prepared for their hero and his teammates (also a native of Zadar) Šime Vrsaljko, and goalkeepers Danijel Subašić and Dominik Livaković after winning silver at the World Cup.
Although a star of world renown, a player of the great Tottenham and Real Madrid, he often mentions his Zadar origins, and the people of Zadar are proud to talk about their compatriot.

Krešimir Ćosić- Croatian basketballer and coach

Krešimir Ćosić is a famous Croatian basketball player born in Zagreb, but he grew up in Zadar, where he started his basketball career at the Zadar basketball club. According to his successes and results, he is known as the best player of the former Yugoslavia and one of the better European players. He was also the first player of European descent in the NBA Draft. He started his coaching career at the Slovenian club Olimpija, and as the coach of the Yugoslavian  national basketball team he won silver at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He is one of three people of non-American descent who have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, which further speaks of the achievements and fame of this famous citizen of Zadar.
The fact that the sports hall in Zadar bears his name speaks a lot about how much this basketball player is appreciated in Zadar.

 

Nikola Bašić- Croatian architect and creator of the Sea Organ and Greetings To The Sun

Nikola Bašić, although born in Murter, spent most of his life in Zadar. This famous Croatian architect stands out with many interesting architectural buildings, but he is widely known for his Sea Organ and Greetings to the Sun. These are modern installations that adorn the western part of the Zadar waterfront and have become a symbol of the city. In addition to these two achievements, special attention is drawn to another work by architect Bašić, and that are the memorial crosses on the island of Kornati erected in honor of the twelve fallen firefighters of the Kornati tragedy in 2007. These are 12 crosses built in the technique of drywall construction for 12 fallen firefighters. About twenty national and international awards show the importance of this Croatian architect.

The Group Riva- Winners of the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 

Eurovision fans will surely remember the hit “Rock me”, which was proclaimed the winner song at Eurovision 1989. The song was performed by the group Riva  from Zadar, led by singer Emilija Kokić. It remained the only song that brought victory for Yugoslavia and Croatia in this prestigious competition. Interestingly, the award was given to the group by Celine Dion, who had won the year before. After the victory, the group was very popular in faraway Japan, but in 1992 the group ceased to exist in the lineup, and the members turned to solo careers.

Stipe Miočić- UFC-Champion

Another world-famous person who has his roots in the Zadar area is Stipe Miočić. He is a famous fighter, who was born in America, but his father is originally from Rtina in Zadar County, so the people of Zadar can boast of another great athlete. Since 2016, he has been the UFC-Heavyweight-Champion, and in 2018 he became the most successful heavyweighter in MMA history who defended his title 3 times.

Nevena Dujmović- a world-famous model

Nevena Dujmović, a world-famous model, originally from the island of Pašman, managed to achieve an enviable 20-year career on the world fashion scene. Her career is adorned by countless campaigns with major fashion, cosmetics and media brands such as Guess, Garnier, Pupa, L’Oreal, Vogue, etc.

Klapa Intrade- champions of Dalmatian klapa-singing

Klapa Intrade is one of the most famous and beloved klapas in Croatia. Specific klapa singing, which UNESCO has included in its list of intangible heritage, was promoted by this klapa all over the world, as they performed far beyond the borders of Croatia. They performed in Italy, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovenia, as well as Canada and the USA. Tomislav Bralić, as a recognizable baritone, won numerous awards with the klapa for his interpretations of Dalmatian songs. For 35 years, this klapa has been entertaining many Croats in the country and throughout the diaspora with its songs. Some of the more famous songs are Croatio iz duše te ljubim, Zora bila, Da te mogu pismom zvati, Zalutali pogled, Neka ti bude postelja meka, Zašto uvik pivan….

 

Tomislav Ivčić – performer of the famous song about Zadar “Kalelarga”

Tomislav Ivčić is one of the most famous Croatian singers and the composer of many songs that are still regularly played on the radio and performed at celebrations. His famous music career was tragically interrupted in 1993 when he died in a car accident in Zagreb. This recognizable author and singer has released 24 albums, 22 gold records and several platinum records for millions of copies of his releases. His most famous songs are: “Najljepša si (Crna ženo)”, “Kalelarga”, “Večeras je naša fešta”, “Gdje si sad, moj anđele”, “Otrov s tvojih usana”, “Tamo gdje sam rođen“ and many others . In the period from the beginning of his career until his death, he performed at numerous festivals and held hundreds of concerts. He has toured extensively in the United States since 1974, four times in Australia and New Zealand, once in South America and several times throughout Europe.