Niko Kovac retires from Croatia national team

Niko Kovac will no longer play for the Croatian national team. The captain announced this in an interview with newspaper Sportske Novosti.

“The decision has been made. I will never play for Croatia again. It wasn’t easy to decide this, because I have achieved a lot with the national team, as a person and as a footballer,” the 37-year-old said.

Kovac made his international debut in 1996, but missed the 1998 World Cup as he did not fully recover from an injury. He did however appear in all three 2002 World Cup group matches but failed to help his team to the next round.

Following a similarly unsuccessful Euro 2004, Kovac took over the captain’s ribbon. The 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 were both reached, but Croatia again failed to make it to the second round at both tournaments. In 2008 they were close, but a last-gasp goal from Turkey eventually meant elimination in the group stage.

The defensive midfielder currently plays his club football at Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg.