July 18, 2021 - Croatian footballer Filip Ozobić should play for the national team of Azerbaijan, the local football federation confirmed. He has received permission from FIFA and is expected to be on the next player list of Azerbaijan coach Gianni De Biasi.
Ozobić used to be known as a great hope of Croatian football. From the age of 15, he played for all the younger selections of the Croatia national team. At the U19 Euros in 2010, where Croatia reached the semifinals, he was included in the best 11 of the tournament, as the only Croatian. In total, he played 60 times for Croatia, reports Index.hr.
He also has two appearances for the A team, but they were not in official matches. However, he played two matches in the China Cup in 2017 in a team mostly made up of HNL players. Ozobić was one of the two who did not play in the Croatian league at the time.
Ozobić has been playing in Azerbaijan since 2016 and has met the five-year deadline for a player to play in a country to qualify for the national team. He has spent two years in Gabala and has been playing in Qarabag for the last three seasons. Last year, with 11 goals, he was the third-best scorer in the league, while he was the best with the same number of goals in the first season.
As an 18-year-old from Zadar, he went to Spartak Moscow. After that, he spent one year on loan at Hajduk, then over to Slaven Belupo, where he left for Azerbaijan after three seasons.
Unlike Borna Sosa, Filip Ozobić was able to change his football citizenship because he has no official appearance for Croatia national teams after his 21st birthday. On the other hand, Sosa performed on several occasions after his 21st birthday, so he could not play for Germany, although he could obtain citizenship.
Azerbaijan will play its next match in the World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg on September 1, when Ozobić is expected to play. Games against Ireland and Portugal follow.
To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.
