Back to the United States Newsfeed

Barca midfielder Pjanic reveals he turned down France call-up

Bosnia-Herzegovina and Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic has claimed he turned down the chance to represent France at international level.

The Blaugrana midfielder, who moved to Camp Nou from Juventus in the summer transfer window, was born in Tuzla, in what was then Yugoslavia, before his family moved to Luxembourg shortly after the outbreak of the Bosnian War.

Pjanic represented Luxembourg's national youth teams during his formative years and signed for Metz at 14, later turning out for Lyon.

Editors' Picks

And it was while he was playing in Ligue 1 that he was telephoned by then France head coach Raymond Domenech about the prospect of declaring himself available for Les Bleus.