Mario Hezonja may have proven to be the lucky charm for the Croatian national football team after the New York Knicks forward proclaimed his own name to be the celebratory cheer for his country's FIFA World Cup quarterfinals matchup.
Croatia took on hosts Russia last night in the final match of this edition's World Cup quarterfinals. They were heavy favorites to progress against an overachieving Russian squad, and despite a valiant effort from the home team, the Croats eventually came out on top.
Among the millions who tuned in to watch the game, a Twitter user asked how he should react should Croatia score a goal. Hezonja replied in jest with a simple tweet stating ‘Mario Hezonja!'.
Croatia did score twice against the Russians, which means that anyone who heeded Hezonja's advice would have screamed his name at least a couple of times during the match.
After two underwhelming seasons with the Orlando Magic, the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is looking to revive his career with the Knicks. He is living on borrowed time, so to speak, with only a one-year deal in place. He will need to step up his game this season if he has any desire to up his stock for the coming years.
Hezonja will likely be coming off the bench for the Knicks, behind five-year guard Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks could surely use his firepower in the second unit, so let's all hope that he finds his form in the Big Apple.