Canada and Croatian War of Independence.

Borjan: They had spent their first few months in Canada in Winnipeg, according to Hamilton Spectator. Of Serbian descent, Borjan was born in the Croatian part of the former Yugoslavia in late 1987 and the family fled to Belgrade eight years later during the Croatian War of Independence. Instead, he opted for Canada, which sits this week in the 93rd slot and is in tough to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. "That my way of returning the favour for taking my family in during the war," Borjan said this week from Austria where, as Canada first-string goalkeeper, he'll backstop the national team in friendlies against lightly-regarded Azerbaijan and No. 66 Uzbekistan. "The nicest way to pay back is to help Canada fight to make the World Cup." When he was in his very early teens Borjan settled in Hamilton with his parents, brother and sister as refugees from the Yugoslav Wars. He learned to play soccer in Serbia — "always a keeper" — and continued his love for the game when he got to Hamilton before departing on a winding tour through junior and pro ranks in Argentina, Uruguay, Serbia, Turkey, Romania and, now, Bulgaria. "We came to Canada as immigrants and came to Manitoba with nothing," he told The Spectator. "We lived in a hotel there that was provided by the government. "We had a lot of relatives in Hamilton and they helped our family get settled there. They love it and have a lot of friends in Hamilton. I lived in Hamilton three or four years, played soccer there two or three years and my family still lives there. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.