Robert Prosinecki holds a record that will almost certainly never be surpassed: he is the only player to have scored at a World Cup for two different countries. The former Real Madrid star first found the net for Yugoslavia in 1990, firing in a 4-1 win over the United Arab Emirates that helped his side reach the knockout stages. Yugoslavia were eventually eliminated by Spain in the round of 16, losing 2-1 after extra time.
Eight years later, Prosinecki represented Croatia at their first World Cup as an independent nation. He scored in a 3-1 victory over Jamaica and later helped secure third place with a goal in the 2-1 win against the Netherlands. Other players have represented different countries at the tournament — Luis Monti played for Argentina in 1930 and Italy in 1934, while José Altafini turned out for Brazil in 1958 and Italy in 1962 — but none have matched Prosinecki's feat.
“Robert Prosinecki, the only player to score at a World Cup for two nations, was labelled a 'chain-smoking genius'.”
The midfielder's career was blighted by injury, but he still enjoyed stints at Sevilla, Real Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb, Barcelona and, in 2001, Portsmouth. He arrived at Fratton Park as a 35-year-old heavy smoker and spent just one season there, yet became a cult hero by helping the club avoid relegation from the First Division (now the Championship).
Gary O'Neil was 19 when Prosinecki joined and was initially unimpressed. "He was ancient when he came to play for us, but he was still brilliant," O'Neil told talkSPORT in 2020. "When he came to the club I thought: 'He's rubbish! He can't run, how's he going to play for us?' But he'd get the ball and you were just like: 'Oh my God, this guy is a genius!' You couldn't get the ball off him, he'd do step overs that would fool an entire team. He literally couldn't run, it was like playing football with your Dad! But he was an unbelievable player."
Now the manager of Kyrgyzstan's national team, Prosinecki remains the only man to have scored at a World Cup for two nations — a record that, in all likelihood, will never be broken.