Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic announced his international retirement on Wednesday one month after starring in the World Cup final.
“The time has come after 10 years on the national team to say goodbye my favourite jersey,” Subasic wrote in a letter published by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), a day after striker Mario Mandzukic retired.
“I made my decision long before the World Cup because my dream was to end my career with the national team at a World Cup,” Subasic added.
“The one in Russia was the most emotional moment of my career… thank you all,” added the Monaco goalkeeper. The native of Zadar made his debut for the “Vatreni” (Fiery Ones) in 2009.
At the World Cup in Russia he was the hero in the last 16 against Denmark, making three penalty saves in a nail-biting shootout. In the quarter-finals, he stopped two goalbound shots to help eliminate hosts Russia, before seeing off England and then falling to France in the final.
His international retirement comes after Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic and defender Vedran Corluka also announced their international retirements.
Subašić made his international debut with the Croatian under-21 national team, in a friendly match against Denmark on 1 March 2006. During the same year, he won a total of 6 international caps with the team, including two competitive appearances in the qualifying for the 2007 European Under-21 Championship.
In 2009, he was called up to the Croatian national team at the full international level, and made his debut for the team on 14 November 2009 in a friendly match against Liechtenstein in Vinkovci, playing the full 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in Croatia’s 5–0 win. In May 2010, he won another two international caps in friendly matches, in the away fixtures at Austria and Estonia, keeping clean sheets in both matches. After Stipe Pletikosa retired from international football in 2014, Subašić became Croatia’s first-choice goalkeeper.
In May 2016, Subašić was selected in Croatia’s final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. Subašić played in all of Croatia’s group games, particularly playing a key role in Croatia 2–1 win over Spain; saving a penalty from Sergio Ramos, marking Spain’s first defeat at a Euro finals match since 2004.
In 2018, he was named in Croatia’s final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Subašić was Croatia’s regular starting goalkeeper throughout the tournament. Subašić played a key role in Croatia’s match against Denmark in the round of sixteen, where he saved three penalties during the penalty shootout; thereby also equaling the record number set by Ricardo in the 2006 World Cup. His opposite number, Kasper Schmeichel, had saved a penalty kick in extra time and two penalties in the shootout to earn the Man of the Match award; Subašić and Schmeichel thus combined for a record six saves from the penalty spot in one game.
On 7 July, in the match against hosts Russia in the quarter-finals, Subašić suffered a minor injury in the last few minutes of the match, but despite this, Subašić kept on playing the match, making several important saves. In the penalty shootout, Subašić saved the first penalty from Fyodor Smolov; thereby becoming just the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to have made four or more saves in penalty shootouts at the World Cup finals; equaling the record made by Sergio Goycochea and Harald Schumacher, also making Croatia just the second team to have advanced on consecutive penalty shootouts, after Argentina in 1990.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, Croatia lost 4–2 to France. Subašić received praise for his performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, even receiving praise from legendary German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.