Rakitic, who was born in Switzerland, eventually chose to play for Croatia. The reason why he has such a choice may be due to the Croatian national team uniform given to him by his father as a child. Recently, theplayerstribune.com published Rakitic's autograph article: The Jersey of the Plaid Army, the best jersey in the world.
When my dad took them out of the box, my brother and I knew...
We will never take it off.
Of course, when the box first appeared in our Swiss home, we didn't know what it would be. Scrawled on the box was a Croatian address. It was a place we called home (Croatia), but that was also a place my brother and I had never been.
We speak Croatian at home, and there are a lot of Croats in the Small Swiss town where we live, but the Croatian national team is still out of reach for us. When war broke out in 1991, my parents chose to leave, and we never went back. My brother Dejan and I were both born in Switzerland, and we've both only seen Croatia on TV, in the pictures our parents showed us.
Then there is croatia overhearing the parents' phone calls.
When I was a kid, it was hard to understand what was going on in the Balkans. My parents never really told me about the war – and understandably, they didn't want to talk about the war. I remember when they talked to people on the phone over there in Croatia, they would cry. I just think... I don't know to explain it to you. Maybe it's a nightmare? We were lucky and we were so far away from it that we couldn't see what was going on. But for my parents, none of this went far. They have a lot of friends and family who are still in Croatia, and they have lost a lot of people they care about.
Then, I remember when I was only four or five years old, I saw a news report on TV. I saw photos and videos of the Croatian War. I lay in bed that night and thought, it can't be like this, how can such a thing happen?
Before Croatia officially declared its independence, our national team had already played a game. I think it also shows how important football is to us, to any country, really, to people – no matter where we live. So, when my dad opened that box and took out two Croatian national team jerseys for me and my brother... That feeling is very strong. Like, yes, we're part of it, too.
We all wore jerseys when we slept. We would also wear our jerseys to school the next day, and the following day would do the same. We don't want to take them off. wow! We had the Croatian national team shirt, red and white plaid shirts, although there was no name printed on the back. We want 10 shirts like that because we don't want to wear other shirts. They're so special to us.
But when I started playing, I wasn't wearing a Croatian shirt. I was wearing another "home" Swiss shirt. I have to be honest with people: "I'm a Swiss. "It always looks very strange." Swiss? Ivan Rakitic? "After all, I was born in Switzerland, grew up in Switzerland, studied in Switzerland, and my friends are from Switzerland.
So when I played in the youth team, we were really proud to be able to wear the Swiss national team shirt for five years. But my heart still belongs to Croatia, and it has always been so.
A few years after the end of the war, our family was finally able to travel to Croatia. When we got there, the war was still a wound that people didn't want to talk about. It's like: We have to forget about it. We have to move on and leave it behind.
On my first trip to Croatia, I was reminded of our hometown of Maureen in Switzerland. A lot of Croats have moved to the city, so there are a lot of Croatian restaurants in our community and a lot of Croatian families. In 1998, when Croatia participated in the World Cup for the first time, the Croatian flag was hoisted outside the windows of many houses and in front of shops. Everyone is going crazy with joy.
During the 1998 World Cup, I was watching at home in Switzerland with my brother and dad – wearing our jerseys – and we were forbidden to speak. In 90 minutes, watching a game on TV is the most important thing. "We'll talk about it after the game." My dad said, "Now, let's watch the game." ”
Ask any Croatian and they will remember the quarter-final against Germany. How can this game be forgotten? Our team was not officially recognized until 1992, and six years later, we reached the quarter-finals of our first World Cup against Germany. My dad was going crazy. I don't think I've ever met anyone crazier than my father, Luca. This statement comes from a player who plays for Barcelona, which should be very telling. After we moved to Switzerland, my dad got a job in the construction industry. He's a strong guy. When he was younger, he also played football himself. He's a defensive midfielder and wears the number 4 shirt.
So, after Croatia defeated Germany?
yes...... He (Rakitic's dad) all flew up. To this day, many times, I feel like I'm fulfilling my dreams for both of us. Before he decided to head to Switzerland, he was good when he played in Bosnia. After he didn't play, every time I played a game, he came back to watch.
Football and Croatia are very important to my father.
When I decided whether to play for the Swiss national team or for the Croatian national team, I could hear him pacing in front of my house.
Honestly, there was a time when I thought I wouldn't play for any other country than Switzerland and never thought about the possibility. I was born for Switzerland, this is my team. But 10 years ago Bilic and the Croatian Football Association talked to me after watching my performance in Basel.
First of all, share a room with Bilic... Yes, I'll say whatever he says, "Okay, I want to do it with you." "He's the hero in my heart. At that moment, he didn't put any pressure on me. He just told me his plans for the team and that he wanted me to be a part of the Tartan.
"Follow me." He said, "Play for our country. We will play football in the best way possible. ”
In my heart, I have already made up my mind that I will go with him. He gave me so much confidence, like: Wow, let me go with you, let's go now!
What do I think of Bilic? He was one of the most important people I met in football. Not just as a coach, but as a life coach. He's different, he's so special. Some of his things will make you think about playing for him over and over again, whether it is today or tomorrow. You will do what you can because he will let you realize your potential. You'd feel like this man could make me give everything.
But even though Bilic was sitting across from me and listening to every word he said, I knew I couldn't make a decision there. Switzerland has given me a lot, so I need to spend some time thinking about it. My time in Basel was over and I stayed at home for a while before moving to Schalke. The choice of the national team put me under a lot of pressure for a long time. Before I go to Germany, I need to sort out my thoughts. I want to start my new life with a clear head and a focused attitude.
Sitting in the room, I still didn't know what I was going to do. I kept walking back and forth, thinking about the people who had brought me to where I am today.
Then I decided to listen to my heart.
I picked up the phone and started dialing.
The first phone call I made was to the head coach of the Swiss national team. Throughout my career, I have always been a member of the Swiss national team. For me, I first called him to explain why I wanted to play for Croatia and it was important to play for Croatia. I told him that it wasn't a decision made against Switzerland, it was just a decision made because the other party was Croatia. Then I called Bilic.
"I'm going to follow you, I'm going to be a member of the Grid Army."
Bilic told me: "Everyone in Croatia will be proud of your arrival. Forget about anything else, just enjoy the football. ”
I didn't make any of these two calls for long, but I could always hear Daddy pacing outside my door. The sound of him pacing in the hallway.
When I opened the door, he stopped and looked at me. I didn't tell him my decision in advance. But he told me that no matter what I chose, he would support me. It was a crucial moment between the two of us...
So, I decided to make a joke with Daddy.
"I will continue to play for Switzerland." I told him.
"Oh." My dad said, "Okay. ”
"No, no." I laughed and said, "I'm going to play for Croatia." ”
With tears in his eyes, he cried.
When I show up in a Croatian shirt, I often think of my dad, and that moment. I knew my dad would stand in my place and wear my shoes. I guess many Croats want to do the same. Being able to serve your country and defend its dignity ... There is no language to describe it.
The Croatian people are special. They have such a character. When I show up with my team in front of the fans, it's like... You never want the game to end. Like, I don't know, like... I just want to give everyone a big hug, or whatever. You never want to leave. You want to play with them every day. You want to be there every day.
Interestingly, I'm a lot older now than I was when I received the Croatian shirt, but I still don't want to take it off.
Wearing this jersey is stressful. But I think it's positive pressure. You want to show the world what Croatia can do. You want to play like Bilic and Davao-Souk.
I think we're still showing the world what we can do. Our qualifiers against Greece were the most beautiful games we've played in five or six years. I told everyone in the locker room: "We're going to keep going like this. ”
Modric and I looked at each other as if to say, Haven't we done this before?
As you learned before, my wife is Spanish and we have been raising two daughters in Barcelona. It's special because my daughters have had the same experiences as I did – coming from different countries and living in different ways. My daughters are definitely my biggest fans.
So before the World Cup started, I ordered something very special that I needed to do...
One day, I came home with a box. Inside are two brand new Croatian jerseys. They told me they never wanted to take off the shirt.
I know how they feel.
(Sildenafil)
<b>Players write their own football stories - tell their own football stories</b>