Mate, if you didn't see this one coming, you weren't paying attention. Adrian Segečić has quietly walked away from the Socceroos, switching his international allegiance to Croatia without ever pulling on the green and gold for Australia. The Portsmouth midfielder finalised the move on Friday, with the paperwork visible on FIFA's change of association platform by Saturday. Less than three months out from the World Cup, and one of Australian football's most promising young attackers is simply gone.
Here's the frustrating part. Segečić represented Australia at under-17, under-20 and under-23 levels. He came into the senior camp under Tony Popovic in September for the matches against New Zealand. Two games, zero minutes. Not even a sniff of action. He was left on the bench and never called up again.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation since joining Portsmouth from Sydney FC. Six goals and two assists across all competitions. He'd previously told anyone who'd listen that his dream was to play for the Socceroos at the World Cup. That clearly changed. A few months ago, when Croatia came knocking, Segečić decided he'd had enough waiting.
This isn't the first time it's happened. Midfielder Nectar Triantis attended a Socceroos camp and later switched to Greece, where he's since debuted. But losing someone with Segečić's form and potential right before a World Cup campaign stings. The bloke was the joint A-League Golden Boot winner in the 2024-25 season, remember. Thirteen goals. Off the bench half the time. That's the kind of impact that makes you fall in love with the game.
Let's be fair to Popovic: he's made it clear he won't be pushing players around. "We're not selling the shirt," he said when asked about dual-eligible players. No ultimatums, no pressure. But there's a difference between respecting a player's agency and simply watching them walk out the door.
The complicating factor is FIFA's rules. Once Segečić gets on the pitch for Croatia, there's no coming back. He'd need formal approval from FIFA's Football Tribunal to switch back. So far, he hasn't played. If he never does, there's technically a path home, but let's be honest, that's wishful thinking. Croatia is ranked number 11 in the world. They've got friendly matches against Colombia and Brazil this month. The bloke won't sit on the sidelines forever.
There is one bright spot in all this. Cristian Volpato remains undecided. The 22-year-old turned down a spot in the 2022 World Cup squad to stick with Italy, but Popovic and assistant Paul Okon recently met with him in Italy. He's indicated he's open to playing for Australia. He was born in Sydney, raised in Australia, has family there. Unlike Segečić, this one's still alive. But again, Volpato has been waiting on Italy for four years without getting a senior cap. How much longer can you honestly ask him to wait?
At the end of the day, this is what happens when young talent sits in squads watching rather than playing. They think, "Why wait?" and go somewhere else. It's a lesson worth remembering.