Borna Sosa

3.1. Dinamo Zagreb

Sosa joined the youth system of GNK Dinamo Zagreb in 2005. He made his professional debut in the Prva HNL for Dinamo Zagreb on March 7, 2015, at the age of 17. Coach Zoran Mamić gave him a full 90-minute start in a 2-0 home victory against NK Zagreb. He quickly progressed, playing a crucial role in Dinamo Zagreb's success. On May 10, 2016, he played the entire 90 minutes in the Croatian Cup Final, where Dinamo defeated Slaven Belupo 2-1. His European debut came on July 12, 2016, when coach Zlatko Kranjčar brought him on as a substitute in the Champions League second qualifying round match against Vardar in Skopje, which Dinamo won 2-1. Over four seasons with his hometown club, Sosa made 41 appearances and contributed six assists.

3.2. VfB Stuttgart

On May 14, 2018, Borna Sosa signed a five-year contract with German club VfB Stuttgart, effective from July 1, with a reported transfer fee of around 8.00 M EUR. His debut for Stuttgart occurred on August 26, when he came on as a substitute in the 84th minute of a 1-0 loss to Mainz. His initial seasons with Stuttgart were challenging due to frequent injuries, which significantly limited his playing time. In his first two seasons, he made only 24 appearances, during which time the club was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. He scored his debut goal for Stuttgart on December 16, 2019, in a 1-1 draw against Darmstadt.

The 2020-21 VfB Stuttgart season marked Sosa's breakthrough. He found form and consistency in coach Pellegrino Matarazzo's 3-4-2-1 formation. His performances in the 2020-21 Bundesliga earned him widespread praise and comparisons to football legends like David Beckham, whom he, along with David Alaba, cited as a role model. On November 27, 2020, he extended his contract with Stuttgart until 2025. He concluded the season with an impressive nine assists. At the start of the 2021-22 season on August 7, Sosa notably captained Stuttgart for the first time in a DFB-Pokal match against Dynamo Berlin, contributing a goal and an assist in a dominant 6-0 victory. A week later, on the opening matchday of the 2021-22 Bundesliga, he delivered a hat-trick of assists to Marc-Oliver Kempf and Hamadi Al Ghaddioui as Stuttgart routed Greuther Fürth 5-1.

3.3. AFC Ajax

On September 1, 2023, Sosa transferred to Eredivisie club Ajax, signing a contract that runs until 2028. He made 16 league appearances and 9 European appearances for the club in the 2023-24 season.

3.4. Loan to Torino

On August 17, 2024, Borna Sosa joined Torino in Italy on a loan deal that includes an option to make the transfer permanent. He has since made 18 league appearances and 1 national cup appearance for Torino in the 2024-25 season.

4.1. Youth National Teams

Sosa began his international journey with the Croatian youth national teams. He represented Croatia at the under-14, under-15, and under-16 levels between 2012 and 2014. He participated in the 2015 UEFA Under-17 Euro and the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Croatia U-17 squad, making 21 appearances and scoring one goal. He also played for the Croatia U-18 (2015), U-19 (2016-2017), and U-21 (2017-2020) national teams. He was included in Nenad Gračan's squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and Igor Bišćan's squad for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. However, he was unfortunately ruled out of the latter tournament at the last minute due to a knee injury.

4.2. Senior National Team and Eligibility Controversy

In May 2018, Borna Sosa was named in Zlatko Dalić's preliminary 32-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but was ultimately not included in the final 23-man roster.

A significant controversy arose on May 7, 2021, when reports from Sportske novosti and Sky Sport indicated that Sosa had obtained German citizenship. This move, reportedly initiated by Germany coach Joachim Löw, was facilitated by his mother, Vesna, who was born and raised in Berlin. It was widely expected that he would represent Germany at the UEFA Euro 2020. Sosa himself confirmed this decision to 24sata on May 8.

However, the situation quickly changed. On May 11, Oliver Bierhoff, the technical director of the German Football Association, announced that Sosa was ineligible to play for Germany according to FIFA rules. The rule in question stipulated that players must have been under the age of 21 when they last played for their previous national team, and Sosa had played for Croatia U-21 after turning 21. Two days later, on May 13, Sosa issued a public apology to the Croatian public, the Croatia national team fans, and the Croatian Football Federation via the Federation's official website, acknowledging his "wrong decision."

Despite the controversy, Sosa earned his first call-up to the Croatian senior national team on August 16, 2021, ahead of the September World Cup qualifiers. He made his debut on September 1, starting in a goalless draw against Russia. On November 14, in a crucial qualifier against the same opponent, Sosa delivered a cross that led to Fyodor Kudryashov's own goal, securing Croatia's 1-0 victory and qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On September 22, 2022, he scored his debut goal for the national team in a 2-1 Nations League victory over Denmark.

4.3. Major Tournament Participations

Borna Sosa has participated in major international tournaments with the Croatian national team. He was part of the squad that finished third at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also played a role in Croatia's campaign as runners-up in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

5.1. Club Statistics

5.2. International Statistics

Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sosa goal.