Bilic went into the 1998 World Cup with Croatia,
where the team were the surprise package of the tournament,
falling in the semi-finals to hosts France.
Croatia finished in third place after winning the playoff game.
Bilić was involved in controversy during the tournament for the role he played in the dismissal of Laurent Blanc in the semi-final with France.
With Croatia behind, a free kick was awarded which saw Bilić marking the French defender.
He held Blanc and to free himself, Blanc pushed Bilić, making contact with his chin and chest.
Bilić fell to the ground clutching his forehead. Bilić later admitted that he was acting,
and went down only after encouragement from teammate Igor Štimac.
Blanc was sent off and missed the World Cup final through suspension.
Bilić did not apologize but did say, "I swear if I could change
that so [Blanc] could play in the final, I would."
We saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing,
it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire;
but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady
radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth
with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice:
