[VIDEO] Croatia Star Ivan Perišić Makes International Beach Volleyball Debut

(Ivan Perišić and partner Dell’Orco celebrate a point. Photo credit: Marjan Radovic)

Croatia and Inter Milan football star Ivan Perišić has swapped his boots for board shorts today as he made his debut in the Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series on Thursday.

Perišić received an invitation from tournament organisers of the prestigious FIVB World Tour Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series held in Poreč this week.

The 28-year-old Croatian international had a tough start to his international volleyball career as he has been drawn in Pool A, alongside Fort Lauderdale Major winners Alvaro/Saymon and Americans Brunner/Patterson and Gibb/Taylor Crabb.

(Photo credit: Bernhard Horst / Swatch Series)

In his opening match with partner Nikša Dell’Orco they lost toAlvaro/Saymon 0:2 (10:21, 10:21).

Perišić and Dell’Orco will play another match on Thursday night at 9 pm against Americans Casey Patterson and Theodore Brunner.

(Photo credit: Marjan Radovic)

The tournament has become a popular feature of the summer in Poreč over the past two years, with 1,500 fans turned away from the men’s final match last year after it was sold out.

(Photo: Istria Tourist Board / Swatch Majors)

The Poreč Major, which is the second stop of the Beach Major series after Fort Lauderdale, has a total prize money of $600,000.

Check out how the football star went on in his first match in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD3wn7VCP3Y

You can follow the tournament on the official website here.