Bayern Munich needs to have at least one Croatian in the team, right? Striker Ivica Olić was that representative from Croatia from 2009 to 2012, joining from Hamburger SV in a somewhat surprising move. The striker was never Bayern’s top choice at striker but always played a crucial role during his time at the club, helping the club to a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in 2010 (though, of course, the game is better remembered for that one Arjen Robben wonder goal) and scoring a hat trick in a Champions
League semifinal to bring Bayern to the 2010 UCL final.
Perhaps he saw something of himself in Jošip Stanišić. The academy graduate was never supposed to become a crucial player, initially being promoted to the first team as a squad player and continuing to be that until the 2025/26 season. Suddenly, he has become an indispensable member of the first team that plays almost every minute.
Regardless of the duo’s similarities, Olić knows about Stanišić due to his role in the Croatian national team. Speaking to reporters David Verhoff and Nico Linner, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, the former CSKA Moscow player only had good things to say about his countryman:
“Josip has become my absolute favorite player here in Croatia. When he joined our national team in 2022, I was still an assistant coach. Because of my time as a player in the Bundesliga, it was my job at the time to look after the Croatian players who were playing in Germany. That’s why I followed Josip very closely. His development at Bayern was surprisingly fast for us – from being the 12th or 13th man in the squad to a really important player. He benefits a lot from being able to play well in any defensive position and always being willing to do so. That’s why Josip is a player every coach wants. His qualities are extremely important for a team.”
Ivan Rakitić has much less of a connection to Bayern or the Bundesliga, spending three years in the German top division with Schalke 04 before moving to La Liga and eventually joining FC Barcelona. Still, the current Hajduk Split midfielder has also paid attention to Stanišić’s journey and is united with Olić on his praises for Bayern’s #44:
“Josip has developed extremely well – and that’s no coincidence. The loan to Leverkusen was smart. I believe he became a better footballer there because he had less pressure than at Bayern and was thus able to develop calmly under Xabi Alonso. The big success there has also made him much more self-confident. And now he’s in such good form that you can’t imagine FC Bayern without him. We Croatians are very proud of Josip. He’s already indispensable to our national team, and I’m sure that he will increasingly develop into one of the leaders of our new generation.”
Due to his emergence in 2022, Stanišić was not nominated for the 2022 World Cup. The 2026 World Cup will be his first his country. If he can take his current form into the competition with Croatia, though, he might be capable of helping Croatia achieve something special.
