This is a list of the Croatian football players who played for the Croatia national football team born outside Croatia. This list is inclusive of both naturalized and dual citizen players. There is a separate list for Croatian football players born in Croatia.

Players in bold are currently playing for the Croatia national football team or active, in brackets there are their caps. The list is updated as 3 October 2026.

Australia Joey Didulica 2004–2006 (4) (0) Anthony Šerić 1998–2006 (16) (0) Josip Šimunić 2001–2013 (105) (3)

Austria Franjo Ivanović 2025– (12) (2) Mateo Kovačić 2013– (120) (5) Luka Sučić 2021– (23) (1)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Austria-Hungary Miroslav Brozović 1940–1944 (17) (0) Mirko Kokotović 1941–1944 (15) (2)Mirko Kokotović on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=10872 Antun Pogačnik 1941 (1) (0) Sulejman Rebac 1956 (1) (2)Sulejman Rebac on https://eu-football.info/_manager.php?id=1076 Aleksandar Živković 1940 (1) (0)

Kingdom of Yugoslavia Florijan Matekalo 1940 (4) (1)

SFR Yugoslavia Mladen Bartulović 2006–2009 (2) (0) Mario Bazina 2002 (1) (0) Stanko Bubalo 1999–2000 (2) (0) Ante Budimir 2020– (43) (7) Nino Bule 1999–2004 (3) (0) Vedran Ćorluka 2006–2018 (103) (4) Darko Dražić 1990–1991 (2) (0) Sejad Halilović 1994 (1) (0)He switched to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996 Mato Jajalo 2014–2015He switched to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016 Nikica Jelavić 2009–2014 (36) (6) Vedran Ješe 2006–2008 (2) (0) Krunoslav Jurčić 1997–2000 (21) (0)Krunoslav Jurčić on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=9933 Goran Jurić 1997–1999 (15) (0) Marin Leovac 2014–2019 (5) (0) Dejan Lovren 2009–2022 (78) (5) Mato Neretljak 2001–2006 (10) (1)Mato Neretljak on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=14905 Željko Pavlović 1996–2001 (7) (0) Mladen Petrić 2001–2013 (45) (13)He also played for the Switzerland under-17 and under-21 national team Mladen Romić 1992 (3) (0) Mario Stanić 1995–2003 (49) (7)Mario Stanić on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=19934 Mario Tokić 1998–2006 (28) (0) Stjepan Tomas 1998–2006 (49) (1)Stjepan Tomas on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=21155 Boris Živković 1999–2007 (39) (2)

Born after Bosnia's Independence from Yugoslavia Jakov Filipović 2017– (3) (0) Nikola Katić 2017 (1) (0)He switched to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024 Mirko Marić 2017– (1) (0)He also played for Bosnia and Herzegovina under-17, under-18 and under-19 national team Petar Sučić 2024– (24) (2)He also played for Bosnia and Herzegovina under-19 and under-21 national team Ivan Šunjić 2017– (1) (0) Josip Šutalo 2022– (39) (0)

Brazil Eduardo da Silva 2004–2014 (64) (29) Sammir 2012–2014 (7) (0)He also played for Brazil under-17 and under-18 national football team

Germany West Germany Ivo Iličević 2010–2013 (9) (1) Niko Kovač 1996–2008 (83) (14)Niko Kovač on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=11165 Robert Kovač 1999–2009 (84) (0)Robert Kovač on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=11167 Ivan Klasnić 2004–2011 (41) (12)Ivan Klasnić on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=10699 Marijo Marić 2002–2004 (8) (1) Tomislav Marić 2002–2003 (9) (2) Robert Prosinečki 1994–2002 (49) (10)Robert Prosinečki on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=17077 Filip Tapalović 2002 (3) (0) Vladimir Vasilj 1998–2002 (2) (0)Vladimir Vasilj on https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=21976

Born after German reunification Antonio Čolak 2020–2021 (3) (0) Igor Matanović 2024– (14) (2) Marco Pašalić 2023– (20) (2) Mario Pašalić 2014– (92) (12) Marin Pongračić 2020– (24) (0) Josip Stanišić 2021– (37) (0)He also played for Germany under-19 national team

Kosovo SFR Yugoslavia Ardian Kozniku 1994–1998 (7) (2)He also played 2 unhofficial matches for Kosovo.

https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/15736/Ardian_Kozniku.html Kujtim Shala 1990 (1) (0)

Montenegro SFR Yugoslavia Dževad Turković 1994–1995 (6) (0)

Serbia Austria-Hungary Svetozar Džanić 1941 (1) (0)Born in Manđelos, in 1917, last year Vojvodina was still under Austro-Hungarian administration, he was an ethnic Serb who was unlucky to find himself playing in Građanski 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 the Yugoslavia 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 being Independent State of Croatia (NDH). He had already made three appearances as well for the team of the Banovina 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 the KPJ 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.

Slovenia Kingdom of Yugoslavia Antun Lokošek 1944 (1) (1)

SFR Yugoslavia

Srebrenko Posavec 2006 (1) (0) Gregor Židan 1990 (1) (0)He switched to Slovenia in 1992

Switzerland Martin Baturina 2023– (24) (2) Ivan Rakitić 2007–2019 (106) (15)He also played for the Switzerland under-21 national team

United States of America

Zvonko Jazbec 1940 (3) (1)

Records This section is only about players born outside Croatia. Players in bold are currently active.

Most capped players #PlayerPeriodCapsGoalsBirthplace1Mateo Kovačić2013–12052Ivan Rakitić2007–2019106153Josip Šimunić2001–201310534Vedran Ćorluka2006–20181034 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)5Mario Pašalić2014–92126Robert Kovač1999–2009840 (then )7Niko Kovač1996–20088314 (then )8Dejan Lovren2009–2022785 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)9Eduardo Da Silva2004–2014642910Robert Prosinečki1994–20024910 (then )Mario Stanić1995–2003497 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)Stjepan Tomas1998–2006491 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)

Top goalscorers #PlayerGoalsBirthplace1Eduardo Da Silva292Ivan Rakitić153Niko Kovač14 (then )4Mladen Petrić13 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)5Ivan Klasnić12 (then )Mario Pašalić127Robert Prosinečki10 (then )8Mario Stanić7 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)Ante Budimir (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)10Nikica Jelavić6 (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)

Stats by country of birth CountryTotal3514333222111

References