Chain-smoking World Cup star who 'couldn't run' was actually 'genius' that made history

Chain-smoking World Cup star who 'couldn't run' was actually 'genius' that made history The former midfielder is the only player to have scored at a World Cup for two different countries Robert Prosinecki was labelled a 'chain-smoking genius' and continues to hold a record that will, in all likelihood, never be surpassed. The former Real Madrid star etched his name into history by scoring for two separate nations at a World Cup - Yugoslavia and Croatia. The ex-midfielder headed to the 1990 tournament representing Yugoslavia, finding the net in a 4-1 triumph over the United Arab Emirates, which helped them advance to the knockout stages. They were, however, knocked out by Spain in the round of 16, going down 2-1 after extra time. Eight years on, Prosinecki turned out for Croatia in their inaugural World Cup as an independent nation. He netted in a 3-1 victory over Jamaica before helping his country clinch third place that year with a goal in the 2-1 win against the Netherlands. Numerous players have gone on to represent different countries at the World Cup. Notable instances include Luis Monti with Argentina in 1930 and Italy in 1934, and José Altafini 'Mazzola' with Brazil in 1958 and Italy in 1962. Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now! Yet nobody has quite matched Prosinecki - and it's highly doubtful anyone in football ever will. The current Kyrgyzstan national team boss enjoyed a varied career that was unfortunately blighted by injury. He had stints at Sevilla, Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb, Barcelona and even a period in England representing Portsmouth. He arrived at Fratton Park in 2001 as a 35-year-old heavy smoker and spent just a single season there. Yet he went on to achieve cult status in a Pompey shirt, playing a key role in helping the club steer clear of relegation from the First Division, now known as the Championship. Gary O'Neil was just 19 years old when Prosinecki arrived and wasn't entirely won over by the signing initially. However, the World Cup star swiftly won O'Neil round, with the former midfielder telling talkSPORT in 2020: "He was ancient when he came to play for us, but he was still brilliant. When he came to the club I thought: 'He's rubbish! He cant run, how's he going to play for us?' "But he'd get the ball and you were just like: 'Oh my God, this guy is a genius!' You couldn't get the ball off him, he'd do step overs that would fool an entire team. "He literally couldn't run, it was like playing football with your Dad! But he was an unbelievable player. He trained at a tempo he wanted to train at, he'd just play in the number ten and I would do all his running, but he was breathtaking. The stuff he did was incredible." Shedding light on Prosinecki's smoking habits, O'Neil added: "I remember he scored a hat-trick against Barnsley and we still managed to lose 4-3 at home [it was actually a 4-4 draw]. In the dressing room after the game he just threw his boots down and looked at us with disgust, like: 'You lot are rubbish. I just scored a hat-trick at home and we still can't even beat Barnsley.' "And then he went to the kit room with the kit man to have a fag. When you walked in the dressing room at half-time there was always someone in the toilet cubicle and you could just see smoke coming out the top of the door. "He would smoke through a good couple of cigarettes every single half-time. Smoking is bad and it's definitely not good if you want to be a footballer, but Prosinecki was unbelievable." His former Portsmouth team-mate Peter Crouch is of the same mind. When asked by the Daily Mail about which ex-teammate "would have most trouble avoiding the biscuit tin in isolation", he replied: "I won't be too harsh. I had someone in mind, but I'll use this question as a chance to talk about Robert Prosinecki who was not - shall we say - the most committed to physical activity. "Robert fitted the word 'maverick' perfectly and the only time he wasn't smoking a Marlboro Red was when he was on the pitch. We would barely see him at training during the week but, my God, when he played for Portsmouth he was unbelievable." He added: "He had this trick where he would shape to shoot, feint and then roll his foot over the ball to leave the defender absolutely bamboozled. You knew it was coming, you could see a mile off what he was going to do, but it was just impossible to stop. "He must have been some sight in his pomp, when he played for Red Star Belgrade and Real Madrid. He was a one-man band for Portsmouth, a joy to behold." Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL. Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.