Borna Sosa - Defender

Borna to win

An established Croatia international and dynamic left-sided wing-back, Borna Sosa signed in the summer of 2025 from Ajax and brings quality, experience and the ability to influence matches at both ends of the pitch.

Sosa joined the club from Dutch giants Ajax on a three-year contract, after spending two years with the Amsterdam club, having spent 2024/25 out on-loan with Torino in Italy.

From early on in his playing career, Sosa has looked equally comfortable in a back four or as a left wing-back, a role he regularly undertook at his first club, Dinamo Zagreb.

Born in the Prečko neighbourhood of Zagreb to Herzegovinian Croat parents, Sosa progressed from youth clubs to the academy at Zagreb.

After working through the academy at Plavi, Sosa was given a senior debut in 2015, playing as a wing-back under manager Zoran Mamić, aged just 17.

Only a year later he won his first senior title, playing the full 90 minutes of the final as Zagreb saw off Slaven Belupo 2-1 to claim the Croation Cup. Zagreb also won the league championship, with Sosa featuring twice towards the end of the campaign.

2017/18 was Sosa’s true breakthrough campaign as he became a consistent performer for Dinamo, as they again lifted the league and cup double, with the full-back contributing four assists.

With that brought the opportunity to move to one of Europe’s traditional ‘big five’ leagues for the first time. Sosa joined Bundesliga side Stuttgart, signing a five-year contract.

Although his first two seasons were impacted significantly by injury, he would become a regular in the 2020/21 campaign and was seen as a key player at Neckarstadion, totalling a remarkable 35 assists – and five goals – in just 115 matches over five campaigns in Germany.

Sosa then moved to Amsterdam back in the summer of 2023. He was loaned out to Torino in 2024/25 and was a consistent presence in the Italian side, featuring both as a left-back and on the left-side of midfield.

At international level, Sosa's first senior cap for Croatia came in a goalless draw against Russia in a FIFA World Cup qualifier back in September 2021.

When the two sides met again just two months later, the Croats were just one win away from securing qualification for the 2022 tournament. In the 81st minute of a tense contest, Sosa's pressure caused Russian defender Fyodor Kudryashov's own goal that decided the game and sent Croatia back to the World Cup.

The defender was subsequently selected in Croatia’s squad for the tournament, by which point he had his first outright senior international goal, having found the net in the 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Denmark.

Once in Qatar, Sosa featured in five of Croatia’s seven games at the tournament, where they enjoyed securing a second straight third place finish.

Sosa became the first Croatia international to switch the red and white of his national team for the red and blue of Palace.

He made his debut as a substitute in the Community Shield victory over Liverpool before featuring in both UEFA Conference League qualifying ties against Fredrikstad, helping the Eagles secure their place in the league phase.

Sosa went on to make 18 appearances across all competitions in 2025/26, providing reliable cover for Tyrick Mitchell at left-back and wing-back as Palace competed on multiple fronts. He also started each of the club’s Carabao Cup ties en route to the quarter-finals and played his part in Palace’s historic UEFA Conference League triumph.