The Croatian-American brothers living their football dreams in Croatia

Markie and Adrian Hrvojevic (Photos: Private album)

Many young football players with Croatian roots around the world dream of playing in Croatia someday. For brothers Markie and Adrian Hrvojevic, who are second-generation Croatian Americans, that dream has turned into reality.

The entire Hrvojevic family, including mother Ana, father Mikey, and sister Nina, has had an immensely proud week.

Adrian, a goalkeeper, is currently with Robert Jarni’s Croatia U-16 squad playing in a UEFA tournament in Croatia featuring Austria, Turkey and Norway, whilst Markie, who is a midfielder, is with the Hajduk Split U-19 squad which is set to face AC Milan for a place in the UEFA Youth League Final.  

Markie and Adrian, who were born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, hold dual US and Croatian citizenship. Their paternal grandparents, Nikola and Janja Hrvojevic, hail from Slunj, while their maternal grandmother, Josie Braovac, comes from Slavonija and their maternal grandfather, Milan Braovac, from Tomislavgrad.

Markie and Adrian with their grandfather Milan Braovac (Photo: Private album)

“Both boys have always been connected to their Croatian roots. They understand and speak Croatian and have visited Croatia many times. They received all their sacraments at Blessed Alojzije Stepinac Croatian Church in Chicago and went to Croatian School every Saturday. They were also both part of Hrvatska Loza Croatian folklore group where they danced, sang and played,” the boys’ mother, Ana, tells us, adding.

Adrian (Photo: Private album)

“One of their fondest memories was when Hrvatska Loza performed on tour of Croatia during the 2018 World Cup. They were celebrating on the Ban Jelacic Trg in Zagreb when Croatia defeated England!”

Adrian, Markie and Nina (Photo: Private album)

Football has always been in the boys’ blood. 

“The boys have played football their entire lives. As soon as Markie was able to figure out he could put Adrian in goal, when he was around 4 years of age, he started shooting at him and essentially made a goalie out of him,” Ana recalls. 

Markie (Photo: Private album)

Adrian (Photo: Private album)

The boys’ first club was HRVAT CHICAGO, a Croatian club that their grandfather Milan Braovac helped found and played for. They had a deep admiration for their Croatian team and went on to play for other clubs in Chicago before eventually joining Chicago FC United, where they have played for the past 9 years.

Markie in his early days playing for the Croatian team in Chicago (Photo: Private album)

In the Spring of 2021, when Markie was 16, he received an opportunity to go on trial at Hajduk Split. 

Markie was spotted at one of coach Vlado “Ćema” Zadro’s famed training sessions in Chicago in 2020 when club football came to a stand still due to COVID. Chicago scout Phil Lisnich was at a session with his son and recognized Markie’s talent. He suggested that the timing was right for Markie go on on trial to Hajduk Split and within a few days he was at the famous Poljud Stadium training with the U-19 Hajduk Academy.

Markie at Hajduk Split (Photo: Private album)

Markie’s trial went very well, and he became the first Croatian-American to be invited to be a member of Hajduk Split Youth Academy.  

Markie after Hajduk played Dinamo Zagreb (Photo: Private album)

The Hajduk “Juniori” squad has been on a dream run in the UEFA Youth Champions League this season, reaching the semi-finals where they face AC Milan on Friday. The team is also juggling the domestic league schedule where they hope to be Champions of Croatia again for the 3rd year in a row. 

Markie in action with Hajduk (Photo: Private album)

“It has been incredible and exceeded all my expectations, the team has traveled to Azerbaijan and  Albania, while hosting and beating Shahktar Donetsk, and Manchester City.  We then traveled to Borussia Dortmund playing the quarterfinal a the famed Westfalenstadion where Hajduk earned a spot in the semifinals vs AC Milan in front of 10,000 traveling Hajduk fans. Practices are intense and there is media presence everywhere, the whole city of Split is 100% behind us which has made it even more special,” says Markie, who hopes to one day play for Hajduk’s first team.

Celebrating the title (Photo: Private album)

Markie reveals that at Hajduk, players are immersed in the culture and passion of the city. 

“At Hajduk you are surrounded with incredible coaches and an amazing staff with strong leadership.  There are multiple training sessions per day, dorm life and living with your teammates is convenient at the Poljud stadium, lunches with the first team, training opportunities with the first team and an environment at the Poljud Stadium and City of Split like no other in the world,” he says, adding. 

Markie during his first week at Hajduk (Photo: Private album)

“Football in Croatia is played with much more emphasis on tactics then in the US. The team is well prepared for every game with a clear objective and plan for that particular game that must be followed. Practices all have a certain professional feel to them, that is different.”

Markie’s kit in the Hajduk dressing room (Photo: Private album)

Whilst Markie is in Geneva hoping to help Hajduk reach the final of the UEFA Youth League, his younger brother Adrian has just donned the red and white checkers of Croatia for the first time in an U-16 UEFA tournament.  

Adrian was scouted by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) when he attended the ID camp for 13-16 year-olds in Cleveland during the HNS tour of Australia, Canada and the USA.  

HNS ID Camp which Adrian was at (Photo: Private album)

At the end of the camp, Croatian Technical Director and former national team goalkeeper, Stipe Pletikosa, and Youth Academy Director, Petar Krpan, identified Adrian as a talented goalkeeper and a prospect for upcoming camps in Croatia. 

Adrian in action (Photo: Private album)

Things moved quickly as he was then called into his first U-16 camp in December of 2022 where he performed well. Adrian then received his second call up earlier this month and is currently with the U-16s in Ludberg, Croatia and made his first start in their 1-0 over Turkey on Wednesday, notching five big saves. 

Hrvatski reprezentativci do 16 godina pobijedili su u Čakovcu vršnjake iz Turske 1:0, u prvom kolu @UEFA razvojnog turnira – bravo! 👏

⚽️ Mislav Čutuk (28′)#Obitelj pic.twitter.com/BuyfIe6hQv

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) April 19, 2023

“He is beyond honored to wear the checkers that he has been wearing since he was an infant. It is surreal, dreamlike,” mother Ana concludes.