He went on to score in both legs of the play-off against Slovenia to ensure Croatia's place in the tournament.

The week before that he had equalled the individual Champions League goalscoring record when he netted four times in a single match in Monaco's astonishing 8-3 win over Deportivo la Coruna.

All that from a player who was not classed as a natural goalscorer and who struggled to make his mark when he first moved to Monaco.