Mile Svilar’s international dilemma: How one Serbia appearance changed his career
Mile Svilar has established himself as one of the leading goalkeepers in European football. After earning recognition as Serie A’s best goalkeeper for the 2025/26 season, the Roma star might seem an obvious choice for a national team. Instead, he has not represented Serbia since 2021—and FIFA eligibility rules mean the Belgium-born keeper cannot simply return to the country where his international career began.
The story turns on a single appearance: a friendly against Qatar in Debrecen, Hungary. It was an ordinary midweek match for most of the players involved, but for Svilar, then 22, it became a defining decision. His experience now offers a cautionary tale for young footballers weighing national allegiance, sporting opportunity and personal identity.
The friendly that became a turning point
On 1 September 2021, Serbia faced Qatar at a neutral venue in a warm-up match ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Serbia won 4-0, and Svilar came on at half-time to replace Predrag Rajković. The second-half appearance marked his senior international debut.
At the time, it appeared to be the first step towards a long international career. Svilar remained in Serbia’s squad for four subsequent World Cup qualifiers, but he did not play again. That brief outing is still his only senior appearance for the country, despite his rise into one of Europe’s most highly regarded goalkeepers.
For supporters, international friendlies can feel low-stakes compared with major tournaments or qualification matches. But FIFA’s eligibility rules can give even a short appearance lasting consequences. In Svilar’s case, the match against Qatar closed a door that he later wanted to reopen.
Belgian roots and a family connection to Serbia
Svilar was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in August 1999 and developed through the country’s youth football system. His father, Ratko Svilar, had a distinguished career as a goalkeeper, earning nine caps for Yugoslavia and spending 16 years at Royal Antwerp before retiring in 1996. The family connection to Serbia therefore carried both sporting and emotional weight.
Mile joined Anderlecht as a child after starting at Beerschot AC. He progressed through Belgium’s youth national teams from under-15 level and impressed at the 2016 European Under-17 Championship. In 2017, aged 18, he moved to Benfica, where he began gaining experience in senior football.
Svilar has spoken about learning much of his goalkeeping style from his father. That influence extended beyond technique. When the opportunity to represent Serbia emerged, his father encouraged him to consider it, balancing the family’s heritage with the practical realities of international selection.
Why Serbia looked like a realistic route
Choosing a national team is rarely just a matter of birthplace. Players may also consider family background, identity, coaching plans and the likelihood of earning a regular place. For Svilar, Belgium offered a strong connection through his upbringing and development, but it also presented fierce competition in goal.
Thibaut Courtois was Belgium’s established first choice when Svilar switched associations in 2021. Courtois was 29 and entering the peak years of his career, making a clear path to Belgium’s number-one role difficult to imagine in the short term. Svilar had represented Belgium at youth level but had not received a senior call-up.
Serbia, meanwhile, offered a chance to connect with his father’s homeland and potentially compete for a place. Rajković was the leading option at the time, with Vanja Milinković-Savić also in the picture. Serbia later rotated between its goalkeepers, but Svilar did not secure the role he may have hoped to claim.
Why Svilar cannot simply return to Belgium
After making his Serbia debut, Svilar reportedly changed his mind and sought to represent Belgium instead. However, FIFA’s eligibility regulations sharply limit when a player can change national associations. A switch may be possible under specific conditions, but a senior appearance for the new country—including in a friendly—can make a further change impossible.
Svilar’s appearance against Qatar is the obstacle. Although he has tried to obtain an exemption, Belgium’s national team has not been able to call him up. In 2024, then Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco acknowledged that the situation had been reviewed but said the goalkeeper could not play for the country.
That restriction has remained a source of frustration as Svilar’s club career has accelerated. He joined Roma from Benfica in 2022 and developed into a standout performer in Serie A. His 2025/26 recognition as the league’s top goalkeeper only intensified the contrast between his growing reputation and his lack of international involvement.
A difficult choice for player and country
Svilar has also declined to resume playing for Serbia, even though he remains eligible and has been welcomed back by the national team. Serbia coach Veljko Paunović has said he spoke with the goalkeeper and made clear that a place would be available if Svilar wanted to return. For now, however, the keeper appears unwilling to represent Serbia while hoping that a route back to Belgium might still emerge.
That leaves him in an unusual position: a top-level goalkeeper without an active international role. National-team football is not the only measure of a player’s success, but it can shape a career’s biggest moments, from major tournaments to the chance to compete alongside a country’s strongest generation.
What Svilar’s story means for Nicolo Tresoldi
The case has renewed attention on another young forward facing a national-team decision: Nicolo Tresoldi. Born in Italy and raised in Germany from the age of 13, the Club Brugge striker has represented Germany at youth level and is focused on helping the country’s under-21 side pursue European success. Whether he ultimately chooses Germany or Italy remains an important question.
Svilar’s experience is a reminder that such choices should not be based solely on which team appears to offer the quickest route to selection. A player must also consider personal ties, long-term competition for places and the precise rules governing eligibility. A friendly appearance, while seemingly minor, can carry the same lasting significance as a competitive match under the relevant regulations.
For young footballers and their families, the practical lesson is clear: seek reliable advice before making a switch, understand the rules in detail and take time to weigh the emotional and sporting consequences. A national-team decision can be difficult to reverse—and, as Svilar’s career shows, one evening on the pitch can shape the options available for years.
Football prediction: What happens next for Svilar?
Any prediction about Svilar’s international future remains uncertain. His club form may keep the debate alive, but performance alone cannot override FIFA eligibility rules. Unless regulations or his status change, a Belgium call-up appears unlikely, while a return to Serbia would depend on whether he chooses to accept the opportunity. For now, his story stands as one of modern football’s clearest examples of how a single international decision can have consequences far beyond the match itself.
