Barbarez made his senior international debut for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team in 1998, earning 47 caps and scoring 17 goals until 2006.

In 1984, Barbarez took a step further and started playing football for the youth team of Velež in his native city of Mostar.

A month prior of the actual war, the father and sister of Barbarez fled with his high school sweetheart Ana to the city of Hanover in Germany.

Though, he could not help Hamburg's elimination from the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League at the group stages despite his two goals, when the club qualified for that competition for the first time, after a third place in the previous domestic Bundesliga season.

On 12 October 2006, Barbarez officially stepped down from playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team and retired permanently from professional football in June 2008.

[5] Barbarez announced on 14 December 2009 that he wanted to be the head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers.

[6] However, the Football Association of Republika Srpska blocked his entry[7] and later on, Safet Sušić was selected as the new head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

On 5 January 2011, Barbarez received his UEFA Pro Licence in the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina's educational facility in Jablanica.

[8] On 19 April 2024, Barbarez was appointed as the new head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, signing a four-year contract with the Bosnian FA.