This is a list of theCroatian soccer players who played for theCroatia senior national football team , born outsideCroatia . Most of them are born in the formerYugoslavia countries, especiallyBosnia and Herzegovina , or outside Yugoslavia they're born inGermany .[ 1] In this list are included naturalized players and born abroad.
Players inbold are currently playing for theCroatia national football team or active, in brackets there are their caps. The list is updated as 17 November 2025.
Bosnia and Herzegovina[ edit ] Austria-Hungary[ edit ] Kingdom of Yugoslavia[ edit ] SFR Yugoslavia[ edit ] Born after Bosnia's Independence from Yugoslavia[ edit ] Born after German reunification[ edit ] SFR Yugoslavia[ edit ] SFR Yugoslavia[ edit ] Austria-Hungary[ edit ] Kingdom of Yugoslavia[ edit ] SFR Yugoslavia[ edit ] United States of America[ edit ] This section is only about players born outside Croatia. Players inbold are currently active.
Most capped players [ edit ] Stats by country of birth [ edit ] ^ Davis, James (2002-04-28)."Turkey's world challenge born in Germany" .the Guardian . Retrieved2018-09-28 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Joey Didulica" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ "Ante Šerić - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ "Josip Šimunić - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Franjo Ivanović (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2025-03-24 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mateo Kovačić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-28 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Luka Sučić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-03-27 . ^ "Miroslav Brozović - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Mirko Kokotović onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=10872 ^ Sulejman Rebac onhttps://eu-football.info/_manager.php?id=1076 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mladen Bartulović" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mario Bazina" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ "Stanko Bubalo - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Ante Budimir" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2020-10-15 . ^ "Nino Bule - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Vedran Ćorluka" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-28 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Darko Dražić (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-10-16 . ^ He switched toBosnia and Herzegovina in 1996 ^ "Sead Halilović - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mato Jajalo (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-10-16 . ^ He switched toBosnia and Herzegovina in 2016 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Nikica Jelavić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Vedran Ješe" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Krunoslav Jurčić onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=9933 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Marin Leovac" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Dejan Lovren" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Mato Neretljak onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=14905 ^ He also played for theSwitzerland under-17 andunder-21 national team ^ "Mladen Petrić - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mladen Romić (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-10-16 . ^ Mario Stanić onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=19934 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mario Tokić (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-10-16 . ^ Stjepan Tomas onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=21155 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Boris Živković (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-10-16 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Jakov Filipović" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved30 September 2018 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Nikola Katić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^a b He switched toBosnia and Herzegovina in 2024 ^ He also played forBosnia and Herzegovina under-17 , under-18 andunder-19 national team ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mirko Marić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved30 September 2018 . ^ He also played forBosnia and Herzegovina under-19 andunder-21 national team ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Petar Sučić (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved21 March 2025 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Ivan Šunj" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved4 August 2019 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Josip Šutalo (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-09-06 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Eduardo da Silva" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ He also played forBrazil under-17 and under-18 national football team ^ "Sammir é convocado para a Seleção Sub-17" .www.furacao.com (in Portuguese). Archived fromthe original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved2018-09-28 .^ "Sammir é convocado para a Seleção Brasileira Sub-18" .www.furacao.com (in Portuguese). Archived fromthe original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved2018-09-28 .^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Sammir" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Ivo Iličević" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Niko Kovač onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=11165 ^ Robert Kovač onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=11167 ^ Ivan Klasnić onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=10699 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Marijo Marić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Tomislav Marić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Robert Prosinečki onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=17077 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Filip Tapalović" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Vladimir Vasilj onhttps://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=21976 ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Antonio Čolak" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-03-27 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Igor Matanović (Player)" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-09-09 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Marco Pašalić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-03-27 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Mario Pašalić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Marin Pongračić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2021-10-09 . ^ He also played forGermany under-19 national team ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Josip Stanišić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2024-03-27 . ^ He also played 2 unhofficial matches forKosovo .https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/15736/Ardian_Kozniku.html ^ "Ardian Kozniku - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ "Kujtim Shala - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ "Dževad Turković - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ Born inManđelos , in 1917, last yearVojvodina was still under Austro-Hungarian administration, he was an ethnic Serb who was unlucky to find himself playing inGrađanski Zagreb at time of the start of the war. Under Ustashe regime, Serbs became the target of a genocidal policy which meant to exterminate one third, expel another third, and convert the remaining one. He had already become one of main players of the club, which was the most successful Croatian club and symbol of national pride, and has made three appearances for theYugoslavia national team in its last games before the war started and Yugoslavia was dismembered and divided among Nazi Germany and its allies, one of them beingIndependent State of Croatia (NDH). He had already made three appearances as well for the team of theBanovina of Croatia , but when he received the call from NDH to play against Germany in Vienna in June 1941, it was a match of extreme symbolical importance as it was to be the debut of Croatia as independent state. And so it was, Croatia got defeated 1:5 and Džanić played. With the country in full-scale war, and living in Zagreb with very limited chances of escape, turning down the call was not even an option. However, despite his efforts in hiding dissatisfaction with the Nazi policies, Croatian authorities found out that he was secretly a member of theKPJ and executed him on June 18, 1941. This makes this inclusion in this list very special and controversial. He played in what was the most important game of Croatia until then, just to be brutally executed three days after. ^ "Anton Lokošek - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ "Srebrenko Posavec - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ He switched toSlovenia in 1992 ^ "Gregor Židan - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .^ He also played for theSwitzerland under-21 national team ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Ivan Rakitić" .www.national-football-teams.com . Retrieved2018-09-30 . ^ "Zvonko Jazbec - national football team player" .eu-football.info . Retrieved2018-09-30 .
Lists of international association football players UEFA European
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CONMEBOL South American
CONCACAF North American
CAF African
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