The paper examines the connection between famous Croatian athletes and their influence on the student population when choosing a study destination in one of the exchange programs. Numerous athletes and great successes they have achieved playing for the national team or their club are an excellent prerequisite for the sports promotion of Croatia in other countries. During the preparation of the final paper, a short survey was conducted among 104 respondents of foreign students who were staying in Croatia on the occasion of their studies. The aim of the research was to see if there is a connection between famous Croatian athletes and their promotion in sports and the motives for foreign students to come to Croatia for one of the mobility programs. The paper consists of five chapters. After the introduction, the second chapter discusses sports in Croatia, a brief description of the life and success of the most famous Croatian athletes and the branding of Croatia through sports competitions. The third chapter deals with student mobility and the two most represented Erasmus + and CEEPUS mobility programs. The fourth chapter of the paper includes the already mentioned research and analysis of the results. A relatively small number of respondents participated in the research, only 104, taking into account that during the academic year 2017/18. Croatia counted 2485 incoming foreign students through the Erasmus+ program. The results of the research showed that among the surveyed population of students, Croatian famous athletes did not have an influence on their choice of Croatia as a mobility destination. The fifth chapter refers to the conclusion of the final paper.