Croatian Footballer of the Year
The Croatian Footballer of the Year (Croatian: Nogometaš godine) is the most prestigious annual association football award in Croatia. It is awarded by the newspaper Večernji list to the best Croatian football player in the preceding year, regardless of the league they play in, based on a points system which measures their performances for both club and country. The award is usually presented in a ceremony hosted by the Croatian Football Federation.
The award was established in 1972 and, until 1990, the award was given to the best Yugoslav player in the preceding year. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the award is given to the best Croatian player. Davor Šuker holds the record for most wins, with six awards won between 1992 and 1998. Šuker is followed by Luka Modrić with four wins in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014,[1][2] and by Dado Pršo with three wins from 2003 to 2005.[1] The most recent winner is Ivan Rakitić of Barcelona.[3]
In 1995, a separate award, the Hope of the Year (Croatian: Nada godine), was introduced. It is awarded to the best young Croatian player.[4] As of 2016, only Ivica Olić and Luka Modrić have won both the Hope of the Year and Footballer of the Year awards. The most recent winner is Ante Ćorić of Dinamo Zagreb.[3]
Contents
List of winners
Yugoslav Footballer of the Year (1972–90)
† denotes shared wins
| Year | Yugoslav Footballer of the Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player (Wins) | Age | Pos. | Club | |
| 1972 | Dušan Bajević (1) | 24 | FW |  Velež |
| 1973 | Enver Marić (1) | 25 | GK | Velež |
| 1974 | Josip Katalinski (1) | 26 | DF | Željezničar |
| 1975 | Ivan Buljan (1) | 26 | DF | Hajduk Split |
| 1976 | Ivica Šurjak (1) | 23 | MF | Hajduk Split |
| 1977 | Dražen Mužinić (1) | 24 | MF | Hajduk Split |
| 1978 | Vilson Džoni (1) † | 28 | DF | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Nenad Stojković (1) † | 22 | DF | Partizan |
|
| 1979 | Safet Sušić (1) † | 24 | MF | FK Sarajevo |
| Velimir Zajec (1) † | 23 | MF | Dinamo Zagreb |
|
| 1980 | Vladimir Petrović (1) | 25 | MF | Red Star |
| 1981 | Zlatko Vujović (1) | 23 | FW | Hajduk Split |
| 1982 | Ivan Gudelj (1) | 22 | MF | Hajduk Split |
| 1983 | Zoran Simović (1) | 29 | GK | Hajduk Split |
| 1984 | Velimir Zajec (2) | 28 | MF |  Panathinaikos |
| 1985 | Blaž Slišković (1) | 26 | MF | Hajduk Split |
| 1986 | Semir Tuce (1) | 22 | MF | Velež |
| 1987 | Marko Mlinarić (1) | 27 | MF | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 1988 | Dragan Stojković (1) | 23 | MF | Red Star |
| 1989 | Dragan Stojković (2) | 24 | MF | Red Star |
| 1990 | Robert Prosinečki (1) | 21 | MF | Red Star |
Croatian Footballer of the Year (1991–present)
Notes on club name changes:
- Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They reverted to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000.
- Present-day NK Varaždin was called "Varteks" from 1958 until June 2010.
Multiple winners
Players in bold are still active. Wins marked with asterisk (*) denote wins in Yugoslav competition before 1991.
| Wins | Player | Winning years | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Davor Šuker | 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 | Sevilla, Real Madrid |
| 4 | Luka Modrić | 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014 | Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid |
| 3 | Dado Pršo | 2003, 2004, 2005 | AS Monaco, Rangers |
| 2 | Velimir Zajec | 1979*, 1984* | Dinamo Zagreb, Panathinaikos |
| 2 | Dragan Stojković | 1988*, 1989* | Red Star |
| 2 | Robert Prosinečki | 1990*, 1997 | Red Star, Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2 | Zvonimir Boban | 1991, 1999 | Milan |
| 2 | Ivica Olić | 2009, 2010 | Bayern Munich |
| 2 | Mario Mandžukić | 2012, 2013 | Bayern Munich |
See also
- Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award, for the HNL footballer of the year, given by the Croatian sport newspaper Sportske novosti, chosen by sport journalists.
- Prva HNL Player of the Year, given by the Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, chosen by sport journalists.
- Prva HNL Best Player of the Year, given by the Croatian web site Tportal, chosen by captains of league clubs.
