"It wasn't easy to make this decision because I grew up in Australia, which I represented at youth levels, so I would like to express my gratitude to the coaches and teammates with whom I shared the dressing room. However, my family is from Croatia and I feel a connection to the Croatian people. I felt the desire to represent Croatia as my homeland."
"I thank the Croatian Football Federation for their dedication during this process. I clearly felt the desire from people in the federation for me to become part of the Croatian football family."
Adrian Segecic, a 21-year-old attacking midfielder born in Sydney, has formally changed his international allegiance from Australia to Croatia. The talented player impressed in England's Championship with Portsmouth this season and won the A-League Men's golden boot previously. He represented Australia at junior levels through under-23 and was called up to Socceroos camp by Tony Popovic but never made a full debut. Segecic cited family heritage and connection to Croatian people as reasons for the switch. Though he was a potential World Cup prospect for Australia, he faces long odds breaking into Croatia's squad given his age relative to current players. His focus shifts to the European Under-21 Championships in Serbia and Albania.
#international-football-allegiance #socceroos-talent-retention #adrian-segecic #croatian-national-team #youth-player-development
Read at www.theguardian.com
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