Wednesday night's international friendly between Bosnia & Herzegovina and the USA was always going to have special meaning for one player in particular.
And what is now becoming customary for Vedad Ibisevic, he marked the occasion with a goal against a country that gave him his first crucial opportunity on his path to professional football.
The VfB Stuttgart striker won his 47th cap for Bosnia & Herzegovina in Sarajevo, scoring the second goal in a blistering start from the hosts, but found himself on the losing end of a 3-2 result.
While Ibisevic is now an established Bundesliga presence – with 24 goals in all competitions in 2012/13 for the Swabians – the 29-year-old has travelled a long and winding road to get to where he is.
And a central component of his journey in football was provided by the very country he was striving to inflict defeat upon on Wednesday night.
Ibisevic moved to Switzerland with his family when he was 16 after the outbreak of war, before moving to the United States 10 months later to reunite with relatives on the East Coast of Missouri.
The 29-year-old and his sister, who still lives in St Louis, are Green Card holders and Ibisevic spends his close season stateside with American-based family.
While Ibisevic was discovering a devastating goalscoring touch in the college soccer scene for St Louis Billikens – which would draw eyes from Paris Saint-German scouts after 18 goals in 22 games – he was still dabbling in International Business at St Louis University.
Collegiate football in the United States and his unstable upbringing has shaped the Ibisevic starring in the Bundesliga today. Humble, determined and a passionate family man, the environment was a good starting point for the Bosnian international.
Different experience
“It was a very different experience. In my case, it was a light journey that brought me to college football,” he tells Sport360° in an exclusive interview.
“I was just wanted to make the best out of it, but it definitely isn’t easy for a young footballer to play in college leagues and get prepared for the professional game.
“The level is pretty good and there are a lot of good players, but the feeling of the competition is really different.
“It’s a good possibility if football doesn’t work, professionally, so by going to school, you get the other chances. But I always wanted to be a professional, so there was no Plan B. “I would have found another way if I found it hard.”
Ibisevic left the States for Paris in 2004, but his stint in France lasted less than two years when chances at PSG were limited and flanked by a loan-spell at Dijon. Germany was the next destination on an already whistle stop tour at the age of 21.
And there is no doubt the Bosnian has found comfort in German football. It’s the place he calls home, which started out at Alemannia Aachen, before the deep pockets of Dietmar Hopp took him to Bundesliga-aspiring rookies Hoffenheim.
Four months in, Ibisevic had smashed 18 goals in 17 league matches in the German top-flight, leading the Bundesliga ahead of their late hinrunde clash with Bayern Munich.
The unthinkable was indeed unthinkable as Ibisevic picked up a cruel knee ligament injury that derailed Hoffenheim in the second half of the season.
No regrets
Asked if he has any regrets during that time, he says: “Not anymore.”
“I used to think about it a lot, especially for a few years after,” he continues. “But it was a while ago, and I’m happy now, playing well, scoring goals, so I don’t think about it. It was really difficult in that time because there were a lot of questions not answered.
“Firstly, what would I have achieved for the whole team if nothing changed? If it happened, it’s meant to be. I’m very glad I came back from the injury and I’m playing really successfully.
“I was just too long at the one time in Hoffenheim. I needed a change and some new motivation. I feel it was the right decision, and that’s something you can see on the pitch.
“I’m happy when playing now, that’s important.”
Since his £4m move to VfB Stuttgart, the smile – and clinical goalscoring prowess – has returned to Ibisevic in the Bundesliga.
Scoring all of the Swabians’ goals this season in the league, Cup and Europe, his record in the German top-flight with Hoffenheim and Stuttgart stands at 67 goals in 138 matches (he also scored six goals for Aachen in the Bundesliga).
Four of those goals were scored in each of the first four rounds of the German Cup as Stuttgart reached the final; falling at the last hurdle to an all-conquering Bayern Munich side after a thrilling 3-2 contest.
Aiming high
While there is bound to be heartache from getting so close to a major trophy, Ibisevic looks back at the occasion with nothing but fond memories.
“It was my first final,” he recalls. “I cannot explain how awesome that is, really.
“The happiest time for me in football, for sure – and I want to play in more. It’s not easy for us, but we have three competitions to make that happen.
“The other teams are getting better and they will want to play internationally, too. Like I said, the feeling of getting close to titles is amazing, but it will be difficult to repeat that.”
Just 72 hours separate tonight’s friendly with the United States and Saturday’s league match with Bayer Leverkusen, but international football means something special to Ibisevic.
Five wins from six World Cup qualifiers s put Bosnia in an excellent position to reach their first major international championship since the split of Yugoslavia in 1993. Ibisevic already has four goals to his name, but admits the team aren’t getting ahead of themselves just yet.
He adds: “We are doing well. We’ve played excellently so far. It’s important we’re patient and we have important games in September.
“That would be a dream come true to make it at the World Cup.”
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