Davor Suker has left a lasting legacy in football – but the iconic striker once found himself on the wrong side of the law.
The 57-year-old played for Arsenal and Real Madrid during a glittering 19-year career between 1984-2003.
During his three-season stint at the Bernabeu, he won the LaLiga title and Champions League, as well as the Spanish Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
A £3.5million switch to Arsenal followed in 1999, where he fired in 11 goals in 39 matches in all competitions during his only season in north London.
But he is perhaps remembered for his dazzling displays at the 1998 World Cup in France where he helped Croatia reach the semi-finals.
He won the Golden Boot with six goals during the tournament – including in the third-placed play-off victory over Netherlands.
His performances saw him scoop the Silver Ball for being the World Cup’s second best player behind Ronaldo.
And his exploits on the international scene – coupled with winning the European Cup – saw him finish second in the 1998 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with Zinedine Zidane coming out on top.
With 45 goals in 68 caps for his country, he remains Croatia’s record goal scorer – nine strikes ahead of closest rival Ivan Perisic.
But while he found himself in the headlines for all the right reasons during his career, he landed himself in hot water eight years into his retirement.
In February 2011, during a flight from Milan to London, Suker stumbled upon a collection of antique coins left behind by a passenger.
However, instead of handing them over, he decided to keep them for himself.
The passenger who misplaced them subsequently alerted staff members, who proceeded to question everyone else that boarded the flight.
But Suker stayed quiet when pressed for information, and instead handed the coin collection over to his friend.
The friend then got into contact with an expert to inquire over the valuation, which was said to be worth around £21,000.
That expert then alerted police having previously been made aware that such a collection was missing.
It led to an investigation, with Suker eventually fined £6.9k in October 2011 by a court in Munich.
The incident perhaps summed up his time in London, who struggled to showcase his world class talent at both Arsenal and then West Ham.
Suker was brought to Arsenal alongside future club legend Thierry Henry as Arsene Wenger added much-needed firepower following Nicolas Anelka‘s sale to Real Madrid.
Upon Suker’s arrival, Wenger said of the player: “It was imperative that we strengthened the strike-force at Arsenal before the start of the season and Davor is a special talent who will help boost our campaign.
“He is a quality striker with experience in the Champions’ League and will undoubtedly be a great asset for us.”
But he couldn’t replicate his goalscoring prowess in England – scoring just eight times from 22 Premier League appearances for Arsenal.
His last appearance for them came in the UEFA Cup final defeat to Galatasaray, where he missed in the penalty shootout.
After just one campaign, he swapped north for east London after joining the Hammers for £2m.
His time at West Ham was even less successful – featuring just 13 times in all competitions under Harry Redknapp‘s in an injury-hit season.
He scored just three times, with his two Premier League goals coming in draws to Manchester United and Sunderland in his first four top-flight outings.
Just like at Arsenal, Suker only lasted a single year at West Ham, opting to move to Germany where he spent two campaigns at 1860 Munich before retiring.
