Ronaldo isn't the only player at this year's World Cup whose weight is being
closely scrutinized.
Croatia's Kranjcar (C)
challenges Argentina's Demichelis during their friendly soccer match in
Basel.[filephoto] |
Croatia's central midfielder
Niko Kranjcar has criticized for being too heavy all season.
The negativity peaked coming into the World Cup with some detractors alleging
that Kranjcar's inclusion in the team was because his father, Zlatko, is coach.
Kranjcar is unconcerned.
"Maybe we will see at the World Cup that I am not overweight," Kranjcar said.
He also said Ronaldo, leading scorer at the last World Cup, will produce
performances to quiet his critics.
"I think Ronaldo will be the best striker at the World Cup and that will be
his response to such questions," he said.
The 21-year-old Kranjcar is skillful but often out of breath on the field.
Coaches have regularly pointed to his lack of stamina and reluctance to chase
back as the main reasons he has not become one of the country's biggest stars.
Kranjcar made his name at age 16, scoring a goal in his debut with Dinamo
Zagreb. A year later, he became its youngest ever captain.
In 2005, he joined rival Hajduk Split for a record domestic fee and, at 20,
made his debut with the national team .
He has since become a midfield lynchpin, but he also lacks the clinical
finishing touch that was his father's main trait.
Zlatko Kranjcar also began at Dinamo Zagreb, while Croatia was still a part
of the old Yugoslavia. He won a league and two cup titles with the club, scoring
more than 100 goals before moving to Rapid Vienna, where he won two league
titles and four cups _ again, scoring more than 100 goals.
Niko Kranjcar scored the only goal in Croatia's 1-1 draw with Brazil in their
only other meeting last summer.
He said he'd again be more than happy with just a point against the five-time
world champions in their opening Group F match in Berlin on Tuesday.
"Not only Croatia, but a whole lot of countries would be ecstatic not to lose
against Brazil," Kranjcar said
