FCB full-back opts to represent Croatia
Called up to the Croatian national team for the first time, Bayern full-back Josip Stanisic has signaled his desire to commit to Croatia.
| Josip Stanisic. | Photo: Bayern München/OneFootball |
"My family is from Slavinski Brod, a town in Eastern Croatia. It is a dream for me to play for the Croatia's senior men's national team," the youngster is quoted as saying in a statement released by his German club, "The Croatian Football Association recruited me intensively some months ago and provided me with an angle [into the team]."
As the case of Jamal Musiala last year illustrates, it is not uncommon at all for the DFB to coax players back into the national team fold. As football fans know, allegiances can always be switched.
In an interesting parallel case, Stanisic's countryman and fellow fullback Borna Sosa of VfB Stuttgart also appears to presently lean toward the Croatian national team even after the DFB helped him attain a German passport last spring.
Sosa earned his first call-up to the Croatian senior side in the September round of World Cup qualifiers. Both Sosa and Stanisic are on head-coach Zaltko Dalic's roster for the October round of qualifiers, which begin on October 7th.
