Antonio Colak has opened up on his World Cup heartbreak and admitted he found out about his squad snub on TV.
The Rangers star was in good goal scoring form and hoped to join team-mate Borna Barisic as part of the Croatia World Cup squad for Qatar 2022. Former Celtic star Josip Juranovic joined the Light Blues full-back in the pool but it wasn't good news for the former PAOK man.
And to make matters worse for the 29-year-old, he says head coach Zlatko Dalic didn't even make contact to deliver the news to him and he only found out he would be staying at home after watching the squad announcement being made live on an internet stream. His country would go on to have a majorly successful time at the finals and finish third and secure bronze medals. The run included a memorable quarter-final win over Brazil.
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Colak admits he was happy for his good pal Borna and other international team-mates and also got a chance to hold his medal admitting: 'It's quite heavy'. However, despite the frustrations at missing out, he hopes to be part of the national team in the future and will work hard to force his way back into the selection process.
Speaking via the Scottish Sun, he said: “He [Dalic] didn’t phone me! I found out via the live stream on the TV when they made the public announcement. I don’t want to comment more on that.
“I am happy for Croatia for what they achieved for such a small country. To get another medal is unbelievable success and great work.I hope I can be a part of that in the future.
“I watched Borna and the other players do so well. They are all friends of mine, so I was happy for them.
“I listened to Borna and the stories to get some inside information of what it was like. It’s always fun to hear that. I also got to hold his medal when he came back — and it’s quite heavy!”
He continued: “It was very, very frustrating to miss out.
“Some players were there who weren’t nearly close to the numbers I had. They didn’t even play Champions League or anything like that.
“So it was really frustrating as I saw myself there and it would have been nice to have a medal at my home now like Borna has.
“It’s just part of the game. Sometimes you’re disappointed and you have to work again and stand up to it. It is about going for what is ahead of you.”
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