The double jersey of Argentina and Croatia: the surprising story of who wears it in Qatar 2022

Zeljko Buljubasic, 50, was born in Croatia and when he was three months old he moved to Argentina with his family. He now lives in Santa Fe, where he studied, made a new home and runs a nightclub. But in this World Cup Qatar 2022 bought tickets for the matches of both teams: Argentina and Croatia.

“I was born in the city of Split, the second largest city in Croatia after Zagreb. When I was three months old, my parents took me to live in Argentina. This happened because we had relatives living here and they had told them that they saw a future in the Americas. From that moment I stayed here and I have been living in this beautiful country for 50 years now. Here I had and still have the greatest part of my life: my children, my family, my work and my friends,” he told Olé. buljubasic.

Nicknamed the ‘Double Jacket’ in Qatar 2022, he is satisfied with the progress of Argentina and Croatia in this World Cup. “Whoever wins, I’m already in the final,” he says.

At home in Santa Fe, Croatian is still spoken. He says that it was difficult for him to adapt to a very different reality.

“It was difficult for me to learn Spanish. Until fourth grade of primary school I was adapting to the language. What’s more, sometimes I spoke to my classmates in Croatian. It was quite a complicated stage of my life,” she said.

Despite regularly traveling to his native Croatia, Buljubasic can’t imagine a life outside of Argentina, where he also works as a DJ.

This is how the idea of ​​wearing a double design jersey to his first trip to the World Cup was born. “When we decided to come to the World Cup, I had this shirt made that unites Luka Modric and Lionel Messi like ‘My captains’ This comparison arises from the fact that I love the two players: there are 10, they are captains, one is from Real and the other from Barça and, for me, both are the best”, he explained.

When asked who fans, Argentina or Croatia, Buljubasic is clear about his decision: “Despite the fact that I have a divided shirt and my feelings too, I want Argentina to win. It is the country that raised me and gave me everything. Me and my son are Argentines so I’m going to support our land, always”.