'Taught me to be the man I am': All White Marko Stamenić playing in late father's memory at World Cup
Saturday, 13 June 2026
Marko Stamenić made a point of returning to football with the All Whites, rather than his club, after the death of his father Niko last October.
He told Stuff he “couldn't have asked for more love and support than” he got from his international team-mates.
Stamenić is set to be a key figure for the All Whites at the FIFA World Cup, where their first match is just three days away.
He said his father would be “here with us in spirit” throughout the tournament.
When Marko Stamenić needed support last November, the All Whites were there for him.
After his father, Niko, died suddenly at the end of October, shortly after watching his son play for the national team in Europe, the Swansea City midfielder put football to one side.
“When I heard the news from my mum in Greece, I pretty much dropped everything and went straight to Greece and stayed there for two weeks,” Stamenić told Stuff during the All Whites' pre-World Cup camp in Florida.
“Those two weeks were the last two weeks before the national team break, so I made the decision then and there that I wasn't going to play my next football game for club – I wanted to do it for my national team, for New Zealand.“
Stamenić's close friend Matt Garbett was the first team-mate he spent time with upon arriving in the United States, for matches against Colombia, in Florida, and Ecuador, in New Jersey last November: “He really looked after me”.
Then came the rest of them: “I couldn't have asked for more love and support than I received in America from my national team team-mates. It was a difficult period of course, but I had the best possible support to get me through that.”
After consulting senior players, coach Darren Bazeley made Stamenić captain for the Ecuador match, then hailed afterwards as “an amazing young man” for the way he had dealt with a situation “nobody would want anyone to go through“.
“He wanted to be around his mates. He’s so tight with so many of the players, so I think this was a really good place for him to be.“
On being given the armband, Stamenić said: 'I was really surprised and really honoured. It was a dream of mine to play for my national team, let alone captain my national team, so when they told me, I was full of excitement and happiness, and just really proud the boys supported me'.
Seven months on, Stamenić is at the heart of the All Whites' FIFA World Cup hopes, set to play a big part in their pursuit of a first win and a place in the knockout stage.
Playing at a World Cup was something that was always in the plans he made with Niko, who “by far, was the biggest” influence of all the people who had a hand in getting him to where he is today. Aged 24, he has been part of league and cup doubles in Denmark, Serbia and Greece and joined the elite group of Kiwis to have played in the Uefa Champions League, while earning 38 All Whites caps.
“The sacrifices he made, the money spent, the time spent – it's hard to comprehend how much a person really meant to me and how much a person can contribute to what I have done in my career so far.
“But besides football, I think he's been someone who's taught me to be the man I am, which I think is more important and goes above and beyond football. It's hard to talk about, but he lives on in good memories and good love as well.”
This week in San Diego, where the All Whites are going about their final preparations before facing Iran in Los Angeles on Monday night (kickoff 1pm Tuesday NZ time), Stamenić spoke about how he would play in his father's memory over the next few weeks, with his mum and sister set to be in the stands watching on.
“We have a meeting once every tour with the whole squad, where it gives us an opportunity to speak, and I spoke about what's important for me and why I do this, and I talked about how the journey of where I am right now started at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, watching it with my dad early in the morning.
“It was quite an intimate time. We would wake up early and we would talk football, and I remember talking to my dad, saying, I want to be there one day, so I said to [the team], it feels like a full circle. now that I'm actually here.
“Obviously without him in person, but I know he's here with us in spirit, so I'm really proud of the journey I've had with him and also my family to get me to this point.”
Stamenić has been a top prospect from a very young age, possessing a combination of physical strength and technical ability rarely seen in New Zealand footballers.
A Wellingtonian from Stokes Valley, he came through the Olé Football Academy when former All White Declan Edge was at the helm, at a time when fellow World Cup All Whites Callum McCowatt, Nando Pijnaker, Eli Just and Garbett were all present, and another, Ryan Thomas, was the example their coach pointed to as to what was possible.
Stamenić's grace on a football pitch was evident even back then. Evading pressure and keeping control of the ball, he carries himself in a way that immediately stands out, but which can be hard to put into words.
“It's art, isn't it?” was how Edge put it to Stuff. 'It's beauty. It's like how some musicians move you, and you can't really explain it.'
But, he added, a lot of work went into ensuring that beauty was nourished at a time when Stamenić could have dominated his peers merely by using his physical strengths.
“I always used to say to him, you can't use your power, you can't use your strength yet, because your mates are going to catch you up soon and you're going to meet a heap of kids around the world who are big and strong as well, so you have to become technical, you have to understand how to play in the tight spaces. It was always 'do not use your power to solve your football problems – it's going to be a hindrance to you'.
“At that time, Marko, was like, okay, I get it, so what you see now is this amazing beast – he's a big boy, he's a big unit, but he plays … he moves the ball, he's still doing those things.”
Stamenić said Edge was “monumental in my career“.
“I remember that, because I had my Samoan roots [from his mum's side], so naturally I was bigger – tall, but quite skinny – and I remember Declan always doubling down on the technical abilities first.
“That's been a huge factor in my success in my career so far, because he really doubled down on that from an early stage, then as you come into Europe, it starts to be more physical.
“I think the physical side of it is a lot easier to adapt to than the technical side of it, so I'm really grateful that he really got that into us from a young age.”
Stamenić left Olé and New Zealand for Europe in 2020 and played for three iconic clubs on the continent – FC Copenhagen, Red Star Belgrade and Olympiacos – before moving to Swansea in England's second-tier Championship a year ago.
He played in the Champions League for Copenhagen in 2022 and Red Star in 2023, where he joined All Whites Wynton Rufer as the second New Zealander to score at the highest level of club football, netting in a loss to German club RB Leipzig.
Now he is looking to leave his mark on the highest level of international football as well.
All Whites – 2026 FIFA World Cup
Squad
GK: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud; DF: Callan Elliot, Tim Payne; Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Finn Surman; Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries; MF: Lachlan Bayliss, Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Eli Just, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh, Marko Stamenić, Ryan Thomas; FW: Kosta Barbarouses, Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall, Ben Waine, Chris Wood
Fixtures/results (NZ time)
Friendlies
World Cup group G
June 16, 1pm: v Iran; SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California
June 22, 1pm: v Egypt; BC Place, Vancouver
June 27, 3pm: v Belgium, BC Place