What is Croatia's record with scouting, recruiting and capping dual nationals? What about immigrant players who may have been born in the country, or whose parents moved them there? And have there been many or any Croatians Serbs on the team historically? Who on this year's World Cup squad may have Croatian Serb roots? And how many of the players on the 2018 team may be natives of Bosnia-Herzegovina, or maybe Montenegro or another nation? Thanks! Any info, articles, old thread references or other resources appreciated.
This question can be asked on every thread of any European countries, since every European country has connections with their neighbours or even colonial connections, like Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, England, etc. Currently, Croatia doesn't have great football diaspora at the moment. Croatia missed US player Pulisic. I also think that he could have more peace in USA team, weaker competition. So he picked the easy way. Croatia doesn't have strong immigrant atmosphere. Historically, Croatia has settlements with Italians, Serbs, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Croatia Around 10% of people are not Croats. Orthodox Christians of Montenegro attached with Serbs. In last decades they started to feel their Montenegro ethnicity. Catholics of Montenegro are attached with Croatia, coastal Montenegro. There are a lot of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Croatia, those who are Roman Catholics. Because they don't feel Bosnia and Herzegovina as their original nation. Orthodox Christians of Bosnia and Herzegovina are attached with Serbia. Basically, only Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina feel Bosnia and Herzegovina as their country, but they were converted through periods after Ottoman Empire conquests. Balkan Peninsula didn't had Muslim settlements before 15th century. Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina use identical language, just like people of Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, with small variations and differences in vocabulary. They are all just like Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina don't speak Turkish fluently. But, they feel attached with them because of religion. They try to learn in last decades. Before 1990, they declared as Muslims, equal in religious and ethnic sense, which is rather strange. What about atheists, agnostics? Croatia has a lot of people abroad, Pittsburgh for example is one of their locations in the USA, also South America, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, similar countries like all other Mediterranean countries. Also in European countries. Of course, Croatia had non-Croats in many sports, their clubs, national teams. Same thing is with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia who have foreign influx. Serbs live in Croatia maybe 300-400 years and many of them came in Croatia during Yugoslavia period. Same thing is with Croats who live in Serbis 300-400 years and during Yugoslavia. Albanians live in area of Zadar (Arbanasi) also around 300-400 years. Roman Catholics of Bosnia and Herzegovina live much longer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and they often settled in Croatia in the last 300-400 years and especially in the 20th century. Italians (ex-Venetians, ex-Romans) settled also in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some footballers of Croatia with Serbian origins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Serbs_of_Croatia Dado Prso, Milan Rapajic, Bosko Balaban, Vladimir Beara. Some say that Milan Badelj, Ognjen Vukojevic, mother of Luka Modric, mother of Dario Srna might have Serbian background. But it's not popular to be Serb in Croatia, or Croat in Serbia. Some even changed their names. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanja_Udovičić Tennis player Novak Djokovic, Montenegro and Croatia, but he was born in Serbia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croats_of_Serbia During Yugoslavia, many mixed marriages were created, so many children feel some complex because of that, so they become either great Croat, great Serb, great Montenegrin. They often dislike the other half of his origins. Sinisa Mihajlovic disliked his Croatian origins, through his mother. Funny to see, but people really feel like that. Wide majority of sports people in Croatia have origins from Bosnia and Herzegovina. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Croats_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina Most prominent ones have Bosnia and Herzegovina origins: Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban, Vedran Corluka... In Balkan Peninsula, there is no ethnic purity. During centuries people settled. For example, my distant origins are Latin origins, during Roman Empire, people settled from what is today Italy, Venice. My family used Latin language until 16th,17th maybe 18th century. But they mixed with Croats, so I have Latin Croatian origins, southern regions have that. But I also have origins or Roman Catholics of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cosmpolitan lifestyle. That's why I like today Italy, Spain, Portugal, I follow things in those countries. Especially in Italy. But my origins came before Italian unification. Italic states were divided and often unfriendly to each other. Genova and Venice state had mutual wars which is absurd in today's era. Father of Subasic is a Serb of Croatia, Croatian goalkeeper. If you have more questions, feel free to ask.