Serbia, like many at this summer’s World Cup, have half of the ingredients needed to become a footballing powerhouse.
They are a nation of just 7m, but the appetite for football is indisputable, the role models are there in abundance and they even have a recent taste of international success.
In 2015, around 50,000 fans gathered in Belgrade to welcome their heroes home from New Zealand after winning the Under 20 World Cup, where a bunch of hungry, disciplined kids gave a glimpse of just what this country can achieve in the game.
Their manager at the time, Veljko Paunovic, remembers the return to Pioneers Park in Serbia’s capital with pride.
“It was amazing, unforgettable,” Paunovic told Sky Sports. “We brought emotion back to the people, and even today, when our fans see us, wherever we are, they remember that emotion. And emotion is the most important thing.”
Having won the Under 19 European Championships two years previous with many of the same players, there was talk of a golden generation as they began qualification to the 2018 World Cup.
Seven of the 2015 World Cup winners have been included in the 27-man preliminary squad for this summer, a good return three years on, including Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United.