Simunic, who has looked strong since his international debut in November last year, is joined in defence by two other Bundesligas players, Bayern Munich's Robert Kovac and Bayer Leverkusen's Boris Zivkovic.

BBC: Balaban gets Croatia call

Barcelona and Bayern Munich have at least seven foreign players at their top of their roster, though some, like Barca's Lionel Messi, essentially grew up in their club's academy.

WSJ: Real Madrid's Bid for World Domination

Nevertheless, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Bayern Munich, the fans, the coaches, the players and my colleagues for an exciting time.

CNN: Klinsmann dismissed as Bayern Munich coach

Then there was the time when Madrid's Juanito stamped on the head of Lothar Matthaus, the Bayern captain, in 1987, or the time Munich's players staged a walk-off midway through a 1981 exhibition game.

WSJ: It's a Very Cross-Border Rivalry

Players missing include defensive stalwarts Igor Tudor of Juventus and Bayern Munich's Robert Kovac, top scorer Davor Suker, now with 1860 Munich, and Middlesbrough striker Alen Boksic.

BBC: Big names miss friendly

English soccer fans see Chelsea as a nouveau-riche upstart, while Germans refer to Bayern Munich as "FC Hollywood, " which sounds like a compliment, but actually means the club's players are a bunch of entitled, egotistic monsters.

WSJ: Champions League Final: A Dream Match, This Is Not