This article is part of the Guardian's World Cup 2014 Experts' Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.
Asmir Begovic
Now considered to be one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League, Asmir Begovic made the first steps in his career under the guidance of his father Amir. As a third of the population did, Begovic's family fled the country in 1992 to escape the war, and spent years in exile in Germany and Canada. His father, being a former goalkeeper of local side Leotar Trebinje in the Yugoslav second division, kept working with his son the whole time, being his personal coach until Asmir moved to England. Begovic often points out how his old man was a great teacher and how he learned the goalkeeping basics from him. Asmir is a big fan of all sports, including ice hockey, basketball and baseball. His wife Nicole, who is a dressage rider, recently received Bosnian citizenship and hopes she can represent Bosnia in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Sejad Salihovic
After not getting enough playing time at Hertha Berlin, Salihovic decided in 2006 to go down the ranks and join Hoffenheim, the team that was at the time in the third tier of the German league system. Since then he has become their loyal lieutenant, playing 230 matches and helping establish them as Bundesliga regulars. The 29-year-old midfielder, who is considered to be one of the best takers of a free-kick in Germany, claims that he rejected an offer from Bayern Munich to stay in the small village of Sinsheim. He still lives there, refusing to join the rest of the team in Heidelberg,
Izet Hajrovic
In November 2012, when Bosnia-Herzegovina had already started their march towards Brazil, the then 20-year-old Galatasaray midfielder was in Tunisia, having made his debut for Switzerland. He replaced Tranquillo Barnetta and while Ottmar Hitzfeld praised him, he became unpopular in the homeland of his parents. But after Hitzfeld left him out of the Switzerland squad for the qualifiers, Hajrovic suddenly changed his mind and less than a year later he was wearing the Bosnia shirt. However, his call-up has caused controversy. Edin Dzeko, who publicly criticised him when he opted for Switzerland, as did a couple of other experienced players, did not hide his anger. But when Hajrovic struck a superb goal in Slovakia to earn a 2-1 win in the most important match of the qualifiers, all the disputes were forgotten.
Haris Medunjanin
The midfielder, who has played for AZ Alkmaar, Real Valladolid and Maccabi Tel Aviv before moving to his present club, Gaziantepspor, in Turkey, is the only Bosnian international who has actually won a trophy at international level. Medunjanin was a member of the Dutch under-21 side who won the European Championship played in Portugal in 2006. Raised in Holland, he celebrated the title with his then team-mates Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ron Vlaar, and Milan's Urby Emanuelson.
Edin Dzeko
The Manchester City striker is the top scorer in the country's history and its biggest star. The start of his career was completely different - even though he was given a professional contract by his parent club, Zeljeznicar Sarajevo, and a first-team debut as a 17-year-old prospect, he was mocked by his own fans who nicknamed him "Kloc" – the local slang term for a lamp-post. He was forced to move first to the Czech league and then to Germany, where he flourished under the guidance of Felix Magath at Wolfsburg. He had a reputation for being a ladies man, but is now in a relationship with the Bosnian-American model Amra Silajdzic – the Bosnian tabloids' favourite topic.
Tino-Sven Susić
The midfielder, who now plays for Hajduk Split, was given his international debut in March and by putting the 22-year-old in his provisional squad for the World Cup, Safet Susic opened a can of worms. Tino-Sven is Safet's nephew, and his call-up automatically raised the question of nepotism. The manager did not help himself by refusing to explain the reasons for selecting the player, who does not feature regularly in the team in the mediocre Croatian league and whose position is already covered by such as Miralem Pjanic and Zvjezdan Misimovic.
Elvir Baljic (assistant coach, former international)
In 1999, Safet Susic's right-hand man hit the headlines after John Toshack decided to pay Fenerbahce £20m for his transfer to Real Madrid. A series of injuries prevented him from establishing himself as a first-team regular at the Bernabéu. Five years later, while he was still an active player in Turkey, he recorded his first folk music album. He always claimed he did it for the love for music, refusing to record videos and promote the album. However, just a couple of weeks ago he released a new single …
Miralem Pjanic
The Little Prince, as he has been nicknamed by fans, is a man who can keep a secret. Even though he is always the centre of attention for Bosnian and Italian tabloids, the Roma midfielder has managed to keep his private life hidden. In February 2013 he surprised the public by announcing that he and his French girlfriend Josefa had become parents to a son who was born five months previously. The proud father named his son - Edin.
Sasa Ibrulj is a Bosnian freelance journalist who writes for sport.ba