Former Bosnia and Herzegovina international Rade Krunić, who currently plays for Red Star Belgrade, has revealed the circumstances that led to his decision to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina instead of Serbia.

In an interview with the show "Super indirektno kod Popa i Milana," Krunić recounted a period during his career when he was close to playing for the Serbian national team. He shared that he had been invited to a few training camps for the "B" squad, where young players from domestic leagues were selected. Despite initial promises, he never received a formal call-up from the Serbian national team.

“It was talked about at the time that I could play for Serbia... There was an idea that I could be part of the 'B' team. I attended two training camps, but despite the promises, no one called me again,” Krunić explained.

He also mentioned that Bosnia and Herzegovina contacted him around the same time, but only after his chances of playing for Serbia seemed to fade. Krunić admitted that he felt more connected to Serbia but ultimately chose Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the lack of a concrete call-up from Serbia.

“Honestly, I probably would have played for Serbia. I feel like a Serb and I am a Serb. But there was no concrete call when it was needed,” he said frankly.

Krunić, who has built a respectable career playing for clubs such as Empoli, Milan, and Fenerbahçe, emphasized that he does not regret his decision to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“I have refused a couple of call-ups to the Bosnia and Herzegovina youth team. I might have been slacking off. At the end of the day, I just didn't have the time and decided on Bosnia and Herzegovina. I don’t think it was a wrong decision since I am from Bosnia and it’s normal,” he added.

Career Highlights

Born in Foča in 1993, Krunić started his career in the local club Sutjeska, where he became a first-team player at the age of 17. He then moved to Serbia to play for Donji Srem in Pećinac as a loan player from Verona. After playing for Borac Čačak, he joined Empoli in Italy, where he won Serie B. He later won Serie A with AC Milan. He then moved to Fenerbahçe in Turkey, but did not stay long, and joined Red Star Belgrade in 2024, with whom he has won two double championships.