The Croatian Football Club With 21 Players With the Same Surname

A second division Croatian football club may be about to set a new Guinness World Record…

NK Vrčevo Glavica, who are based just outside of the city of Zadar on the Croatian coast, could well be the only club in the world to field a side in an official match where every player in the starting eleven has the same surname.

There are 21 players registered at the NK Vrčevo Glavica club, which was founded in 1994 and plays in the Zadar Region second division, with the surname Števanja.

“There can be up to 14-15 Števanjas at one match. We have 3 Ivan Števanjas in the side, as well as brothers Ivan and Stipan, Bruno and Ante and Tomislav and Roko,” coach Željko, who not surprisingly is also a Števanja, told daily 24sata, adding the names can be a nightmare for referees when dishing out cards.

In the club’s last match, played on 25 September against Podgradina, there were 10 Števanjas in the starting line-up – Luka, Ivan, Kruno, Bruno, Josip, Ante, Josip, Stipan, Tomislav and Ivan.

NK Vrčevo Glavica could be a candidate for the Guinness Book of World Records because to date there is no entry for a club fielding all 11 players with the same surname in an official match, 24sata reports.

“We did not know that, that is interesting. You have given us an idea. Maybe in the next match we will start with 11 Števanjas”, Željko quipped.

An Italian football team a few years ago fielded a side with the same last name of De Feo. The team, Serino from the province of Avellino, was created for a little publicity.

Check out the NK Vrčevo Glavica and the Števanjas in action here.