Canada's national soccer team nabs young star away from Croatia

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Canada will have to prove its worth as one of the world’s top soccer nations.

While the country has seen its fair share of negative headlines in recent years, there was a positive development on Wednesday, as Canada’s men’s national soccer team received a commitment from 20-year-old midfielder and right-back Niko Sigur, who had represented Croatia at the youth levels.

“We are sorry for this outcome because we believe in Niko’s potential and we saw him as a player who is a candidate for the A national team. Of course, we understand that such a change in thinking can occur in a young person and we respect that he admitted in time both to himself and to us that he wants to represent Canada, where he grew up. We thank him for his contribution to the youth national team and of course we wish him good luck and success in his football career,” said Croatia U-21 national team director, Stipe Pletikosa, via Google Translate in a statement originally posted on X.

Sigur, who was born in Burnaby, BC, to Croatian parents, is reportedly targeting the October international window to make his debut, as per The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke. He currently plays professionally for Croatian club Hajduk Split.

“It was an honour to represent Croatia, which is a football superpower and which is my family’s homeland, but with the passage of time I felt that I wanted to represent the country where I grew up and started my football career, Canada,” Sigur himself added. “I appreciate the open communication and understanding of this decision by [the Croatian federation] – and I thank the coaches and teammates in the national team for the pleasant time I spent as a young Croatian national team player. I will always be a big fan of Croatia, to which I wish a lot of luck and success.”

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