Croatian international Domagoj Vida became one of the key players of Vatreni's defense with brilliant performances during European Qualifiers. In an interview ahead of the international friendlies in Osijek and Budapest, Vida talks about the qualification phase, the fans in Osijek and the new Croatian kit.

Domagoj, you have been one of the best Croatian players in the European Qualifiers and have imposed yourself as one of Croatian key players. Is it only a result of a proper opportunity to play or a product of your maturity as a player?

"I believe that both is true. I had the opportunity to play in the starting 11 and have played in all matches except the opening one against Malta. I have, most certainly, grown as a player in this period, but also as a person, and you could see that on the field."

After the turbulent qualifiers, how would you explain the fluctuations in the Croatian form, from the brilliant performances to the disappointing ones in Azerbaijan and Norway?

"For the first time I've played almost the whole time during the qualifiers, but I have, of course, followed Croatia earlier and it seems that we always have similar problems in the qualification phase. It is difficult to say why that happens. We had everything in our hands up until Azerbaijan and Norway, where we did not play well, but the most important thing is that it all ended well and that we have secured a place at the Euro in France. In most of the qualification games we have shown our true quality and that gives us the confidence ahead of the Euro."

Croatia has players coming from the best clubs in Europe. Therefore, Vatreni definitely have the right to be optimistic ahead of the Euro 2016. What are your thoughts about our group and what are your expectations for the whole competition?

"We don't have to repeat what kind of players we have and in what clubs they are playing. We have an excellent national team which is ready for big things. But, there is no need to talk about that too much. We have to prepare ourselves in the best possible way,  through the games in our clubs and also through the preparations for the Euro. It is important that everyone comes healthy to the training camp and that there are no injuries. After that we have to 'talk' on the fields in France. It will be tough, we have a challenging group, but it all depends on us."

You have started you career in Osijek and you have also made your debut for Croatia there, in the match against Wales. You are familiar with the fans in Osijek that adore you. Maybe you can reveal why does Croatia have such a great hospitality in Osijek?

"The people in Osijek always make a really good atmosphere, they always fill out the stadium and I am certain that same can and will be the case in all cities in Croatia. For me personally, it is always really pleasant in Osijek because I am 'at home' here, but I also know that all Croatian players like to come to Osijek because of the great support we receive. People can't wait for the national team to come and you can feel the positive atmosphere in the streets and at the stadium. We can't wait to gather again and to run out in our new jerseys so we can try to reward our fans for their support with a good game and of course a victory."

You have mentioned the new jerseys, how do you like them?

"They are excellent, I really like them. The first jersey reminds me of the one from the World Cup in France in 1998. But I am also thrilled about the blue jersey, which is amazing. I can't wait to put them on and I hope we will celebrate a lot of great moments in them."