Dani Olmo reveals being called for Croatia's 2018 World Cup squad

As a young prospect at FC Barcelona's renowned academy, Dani Olmo had aspirations of joining the first squad like Andres Iniesta and countless others before him. However, this potential Spain international's path to prominence was not the same as his current one as a regular member of the national team.

It was as strange in 14 as it is today that they moved to Dinamo Zagreb. Due to financial constraints, the typical route takes place from east to west. However, Olmo's family had another plan for him, a plan that they believed would speed up him more quickly.

It was successful and proved to be a teaching moment both on and off the pitch. Later on, Olmo would play for the first team in Croatia for six seasons, making over 100 appearances, collecting numerous awards, and developing both as a player and as an individual.

Prior to the UEFA Euro 2024 campaign, he spoke about his time in Croatia. He said, "In Croatia, it was another culture and I learned a lot physically. In Spain, it was more about the ball, especially at Barcelona when I was young in the academy. I learned things in Croatia. I also learned a lot of things here in Germany. It is all part of the process.”

The former RB Leipzig superstar said, "But Croatia, in particular, helped me a lot. I was 16 and training with national team players who had played at World Cups. That was such a big step for me. It made me improve as a player physically and mentally because the game was faster and everything."

“My dream was to play for Spain” : Dani Olmo

As quoted by DAZN during a recent interview, Olmo spoke about the time he was called to the Croatian national team. He had the chance to be part of the team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The FC Barcelona superstar said, “At that moment, I was the best player in the Croatian League, but the Spanish national team didn't call me. I thanked HNS and Dalić, but my dream was to play for Spain."