Last month, Ibisevic scored the goal that sends Bosnia to next year's World Cup finals in Brazil -- the team's first trip to soccer's biggest competition since Yugoslavia dissolved as a country.
But Ibisevic was probably looking forward to challenging Messi in a stadium filled with thousands of fellow Bosnians. Messi is Ibisevic's favorite player, according to FIFA, though he thinks Franck Ribery could pose a threat to Messi's fifth Ballon d'Or win.
Ibisevic will have lots of family and friends in the stands. He asked for 50 tickets for the match, according to the New York Times.
"Now I am going back to St. Louis, and it's crazy how it came about," Ibisevic tells the New York Times. "I'm going to play against one of the best teams in the world. I am looking forward to this game in St. Louis, where I spent a couple of great years of my life."
Follow Lindsay Toler on Twitter at @StLouisLindsay. E-mail the author at [email protected].
