Handball player Marko Grgić (22) will threaten Croatia in the semi-finals of the Euros on Friday in the German jersey.
Born in 2003, this Flensburg-Handewitt and German national team player, despite his Croatian roots, chose to build a career under the German flag.
Older generations remember his father Danielwho was born in BiH, more precisely in Travnik, and was an occasional member of the Croatian national team who played in the era of Lina Červar.
I don’t know if there was ever a call from Croatia. But I always said that, if I’m going to play for a national team, then I want to play for Germany, Grgić once said and added that he doesn’t even know the Croatian language, so he doesn’t feel like a Croat:
Although many people in Germany speak Croatian, I do not speak that language. I grew up here, I’ve always lived here and I feel like I belong here. It was an easy decision.
The Grgić family briefly moved to Zagreb when Marko was two years old, but then they returned to Germany, where father Danijel after the toy began his coaching career. The older Grgić made 26 appearances for the Croatian national team, mostly playing for clubs across Germany. In Croatia, he played for Badel 1862 and Agram-Medveščak.
Grgić was called up to the German national team for the first time in May 2024, and made his debut in a friendly match against Sweden on May 12, 2024. He scored his first goal for the national team a month later, in a friendly against France, as part of the preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games.
This decision, although perhaps unexpected given his family ties, testifies to his ambition and desire to advance on the international stage.
It is interesting that handball is deeply rooted in Grgić’s family. His father, Daniel, left his mark on German handball, a mother Ina was also an active handball playerplaying in the top league for TSG Ruhl.
By the way, Marko’s father Danijel Grgić (born in 1977 in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina) knows the Croatian language very well and he once played for the Croatian national team. It was in the first era of manager Lin Červar (from 2002 to 2010) when Danijel wore the “Cowboy” jersey 26 times.
Ina’s mother is also a handball player and they met while Danijel was playing for Eisenach, for which Marko also played before the big transfer to Flensburg, one of the best clubs in the Bundesliga, reports Večernji.ba.
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: X)
