DARIJO SRNA - CROATIA

Date of birth: May 1, 1982
Birthplace: Metkovic, Croatia
Club: Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Position: Midfielder
International debut: November 2002 vs. Romania

Darijo Srna has been called the "Croatian David Beckham" and it's not because of his charming good looks and sense of style.

Like Becks, the 24-year-old Srna is a right-sided midfielder renowned for his dangerous crosses into the middle and his curling free kicks.

One of the best of the current crop of young Croatian talents, Srna, a star with Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukrainian league, causes defenders serious fits with his explosive speed and dangerous runs down the right wing.

Srna is a solid two-way player — he always drops back and fulfills his defensive responsibilities, and can bomb forward in an instant to lend support to the attack. Srna also has an eye for goal, as he scored five times in the qualifiers, including the winner in both of Croatia's crucial matches against Sweden.

Srna is also very versatile — he plays as a right midfielder for Croatia, but lines up as a right fullback for Shakhtar.

Srna began his career in his native Croatia when he signed with the youth team of Hajduk Split, one of the country's biggest clubs, in 2000. He came of age in the 2000-01 season when he was nominated for the Croatian player of the year award and helped Hajduk win the Croatian league title.

Another strong season at Hajduk earned him a call to the national side after the 2002 World Cup and he's been a regular for the team ever since, helping Croatia qualify for Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.

Following a strong 2002-03 campaign with Hajduk — he was voted league MVP — he made the move to Shakhtar. More team honours came Srna's way in Ukraine, as Shakhtar won the Ukrainian Cup in 2004 and the league title in 2005.

Srna was used sparingly by Croatia at Euro 2004 in Portugal — he made only two appearances as a substitute — but cemented his role as a first-team starter during the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup by scoring several important goals.

After sitting on the bench in Portugal, Srna will figure prominently in Croatia's plans in Germany and will keep opposing goalkeepers on their toes with his wicked free kicks.