Olmo left Barcelona for Dinamo Zagreb at 16 and spent six years in Croatia, where he developed into a first-team player before returning to Spain after a spell with RB Leipzig. He will now face Croatia at Split’s Poljud Stadium in the Nations League.
“It’s a country that has given me almost everything as a footballer and as a person,” Olmo said. “Playing a match here, even though it isn’t in Zagreb, is still very emotional. My family and the friends I made here will come.”
Olmo’s move to Dinamo was a major decision for a teenager. He travelled with his mother to a new country and an unfamiliar language, but says the club’s belief in his potential convinced him to make the move.
“What led me to make that decision was the interest Dinamo had in having me and the vision they had for me,” he said. “They thought I could become the player I have become. I trusted them, and I was 16.”
Croatia’s interest went beyond his club career. Olmo confirmed there had been a possibility of representing the national team after being approached about the prospect of taking Croatian nationality.
“It was a possibility, they told me about their interest,” he said. “I’ve always said that Croatia was special, but my dream was to play for Spain.”
The Barcelona midfielder also explained that his responsibilities differ between club and country. Hansi Flick asks him to play more vertically and attack spaces for Barcelona, while Luis de la Fuente gives him greater freedom with Spain.
“They are two different coaches, although the style is similar, and they ask me for different things,” Olmo said. “At Barça, it is more about being vertical and attacking spaces. Here there is more freedom. But I feel good in both ways of playing. I think I can still give more.”
Olmo has also welcomed Lamine Yamal’s progress this season, praising the winger’s improved goalscoring contribution and importance for both Barcelona and Spain.
The return to Croatia therefore carries more weight than a standard Nations League fixture for Olmo. His career was shaped there after leaving La Masia, and he will now represent the country he always wanted to play for in the place where his senior career began.