At the end of theWorld War II, the newcommunist government ofYugoslavia considered Croatian clubs like HŠK Građanski as fascist andnationalist, because they had operated under the formerIndependent State of Croatia, which was anAxis member during the war. As such, they were formally disbanded and, in 1945, FD Dinamo was founded as a club to act as an unofficial successor to HŠK Građanski, getting around the ruling party's disapproval. They entered the Yugoslav First League in its inaugural1946–47 season, finishing as runners-up. In their second season in Yugoslav top flight in1947–48 they finished as Yugoslav champions, which was their first major trophy. The club won three more league titles and sevenYugoslav Cups. Amid thebreakup of Yugoslavia and formation of theCroatian football league system, Dinamo left theYugoslav league in 1991. Dinamo are, to date, the only Croatian club to win a European trophy, having won the1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup by defeatingLeeds United in thefinal. They also finished runners-up in thesame competition in1963 when they lost toValencia.
Until the early 1990s, its foundation year was considered to be 1945 but amid the political turmoil during the breakup of Yugoslavia the club began claiming direct lineage to pre-WWII clubsGrađanski Zagreb andHAŠK. In order to reflect this, in June 1991, it was renamedHAŠK Građanski, which lasted until February 1993 when it was renamedCroatia Zagreb. They won five league titles and participated in the1998–99 and1999–2000UEFA Champions League group stages carrying that name, before reverting to the more widely recognized "Dinamo Zagreb" on 14 February 2000. Although the subject of the club's name was dropped for a while, in 2011, club management increasingly began claiming again that Dinamo is the direct descendant of Građanski (which had originally been founded in 1911 and disbanded in 1945) and in April that year decided to prepend the adjective "Građanski" to the club's official name, turning it into the present-day GNK Dinamo (Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo or Dinamo Citizens' Football Club).
The team's traditional colour isroyal blue, which has been replaced for European matches in recent times with the darkernavy blue. The club's biggest rivals areHajduk Split, and matches between the two teams are referred to as "Eternal Derby".
In 1911, when Croatia was still part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire, Građanski was founded in Zagreb byAndrija Mutafelija and a few of his friends in response to rumors that a football club that was meant to play in theHungarian football league (as opposed to the Croatian Sports Union) was about to be established. Građanski was therefore founded as amulti-sports club with a distinctly Croatian identity intended to cater to citizens ofZagreb, with sections dedicated to football,handball andcycling. At first they used grounds in Zagreb's neighbourhoods ofTuškanac, Martinovka, Kanal and Maksimir, until they built their own stadium at Koturaška street, which was officially opened in 1924 byStjepan Radić, a prominent Croatian politician.
Internationally, the club went on several successful tours – on one of these, in 1923 inSpain, Građanski beatBarcelona[8] andAthletic Bilbao. The club often toured toAustria andHungary and played friendly matches with top local sides. In 1936, they went on tour toEngland where they adopted theWMformation which helped them win the1936–1937 Yugoslav championship.Márton Bukovi, who started using the formation as Građanski manager in 1936, introduced it to Hungary in the late 1940s and later modified it into the now famousWW system which brought theHungary national team to the final game of the1954 World Cup.
The club competed in theMitropa Cup, the first European international club competition, on three occasions – in1928, 1937 and 1940. In 1928, Građanski were knocked out in the two-legged quarterfinal byViktoria Žižkov ofCzechoslovakia with 4–8[9] on aggregate. Nine years later, Građanski exited early again after suffering a 1–6 aggregate loss toGenova 1893 FBC.[10] In 1940, they beat theHungarian sideÚjpest FC (5–0 on aggregate) in the quarterfinal, only to be defeated byRapid Bucharest in the semifinal. Both legs ended without goals, so a playoff game inSubotica was held, which ended 1–1.[11] Rapid progressed to the final on a coin toss, but the final game (againstFerencváros) was never played because of the outbreak of World War II.
Građanski team 1937.
Having been invaded and occupied by theNazi Germany in 1941, theKingdom of Yugoslavia was dissolved and sports competitions in the nation were suspended. An exception to this was theIndependent State of Croatia (NDH) which, as anAxis member, enjoyed peace and so the NDH continued to hold national competitions featuring prominent Croatian clubs. Four of these seasons were started (1941, 1941–42, 1942–43 and 1943–44) but only the second and third editions were finished, with Građanski winning the 1942–43 season.[12]
When the war ended in 1945, the club was disbanded by the new communist government (along with city rivalsHAŠK andConcordia Zagreb) and its archives were destroyed in retribution for competing in the wartime football league. The club's last official game was a 2–2 draw against HAŠK on 10 April 1945, just before both clubs were disbanded.
Dissolution of Građanski and establishment of Dinamo (1945–66)
In the immediate aftermath ofWorld War II,Građanski was disbanded (along with city rivals HAŠK and Concordia Zagreb) by a decree issued by the communist authorities in June 1945. On 9 June 1945, just three days after Građanski was disbanded, a newsports society calledFD Dinamo (Croatian:Fiskulturno društvo Dinamo) was founded. Soon after the initial meeting, the football section was formed withIco Hitrec as the chairman, and some old players and administration members of Građanski (Jerko Šimić, Rudolf Sabljak, Otto Hofman, Franjo Staroveški, Slavko Bobnar, Zvonimir Stanković) becoming administration members of the club of which some of them later became presidents. The newly established Dinamo took over Građanski's colors and nickname, inherited its pre-war fan base, and in 1969 even adopted a badge strongly resembling Građanski's. Many Građanski's most notable players continued their career at Dinamo upon its formation (includingFranjo Wölfl,August Lešnik,Zvonimir Cimermančić,Branko Pleše,Milan Antolković,Mirko Kokotović, Ivica Reiss,Emil Urch and laterIvan Jazbinšek) as well as their coachMárton Bukovi, physiotherapist Franjo Žlof and a significant number of juniors. First generation of Dinamo's youth team was coached by Građanski's former goalkeeperMaks Mihelčić who also took the role of a goalkeeping coach. In the first few years, the club played their home matches at Građanski's old ground,Stadion Koturaška, before moving to a newstadium built on place of HAŠK's former ground in Maksimir.
Three Yugoslav clubs went on to participate in the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but they were knocked–out early in the competition, excluding Dinamo, who went on to become the first ever Yugoslavia team that won a European competition. In the first round, Dinamo played againstSpartak Brno and after the aggregate score was level at 2–2, acoin was flipped in order to determine the winner. Dinamo was through to the second round, where they were drawn against Scottish sideDunfermline. For the first time in the history of the Cup, theaway goals rule were introduced, which helped Dinamo qualify for the third round after the aggregate score was 4–4 (2–0 at home and 2–4 away). On their road to finals, they defeated Romanian sideDinamo Piteşti, Italian powerhouseJuventus and German sideEintracht Frankfurt. In thefinals the club was drawn to play its first match at Maksimir againstLeeds United. Dinamo won 2–0 in front of the 33 thousand fans withMarijan Čerček andKrasnodar Rora scoring, which was enough to secure the title as the match atElland Road finished 0–0.[13] The final matches were attended by the then president ofFIFA, SirStanley Rous, who handed the trophy to Dinamo's captain and top goalscorerSlaven Zambata.
Dinamo closed the successful 1960s with Yugoslav Cup title in the 1969 and quarterfinals of the1969–70 Cup Winners' Cup competition. Unfortunately, the success did not follow the club to the new decade, as they failed to win a single trophy throughout the 1970s. The club participated in three more seasons of Inter-Cities Fairs Cup before it was replaced with theUEFA Cup, but failed to make any impact. Dinamo took part of the initialUEFA Cup season, but lost in the second round of the competition toRapid Wien on the away goals rule. The club entered the UEFA Cup on seven more occasions (in1976,1977,1979,1988,1989,1990 and1992), but never repeated its success from the '60s.
The 1978–79 Yugoslav Championship both Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb finished the season on 50 points, but Hajduk won the championship having the better goal difference. However, there was a controversy in the first round when Rijeka defeated Dinamo 2–1 at Kantrida. Dinamo claimed that Edmond Tomić, who joined Rijeka that season from Lirija, didn't serve a one-match suspension following two yellow cards received while playing for his former club. They appealed and after two months it has been decided to award the match 3–0 to Dinamo. After several appeals from both sides, in spring 1979 Football Association of Yugoslavia ruled in favour of Rijeka. The case was brought to Employment Appeal Tribunal, which four years later ruled Dinamo as champions.[1] The injustice was never corrected as Dinamo never received recognition from Football Association of Yugoslavia nor Hajduk who simply ignored the judgement. This is still often seen by Dinamo's fans as another evidence of mistreatment of their club by Yugoslav football authorities and as hypocrisy of their rivals - Hajduk.
Finally, at the beginning of the 1980s, Dinamo won their sixth Yugoslav Cup title, defeatingRed Star Belgrade 2–1 on aggregate. They then qualified for the1980–81 Cup Winners' Cup but lost in the first round toBenfica. In1982, Dinamo sealed their fourth Yugoslav championship and in 1983 won their seventh Yugoslav Cup, the club's last trophy as a part of theSFR Yugoslavia. After Benfica, another Portuguese club sealed Dinamo's European season, this time in1982–83 European Cup when they lost toSporting CP. They played in1983–84 Cup Winners' Cup season and were eliminated, again, by Portuguese sidePorto. The club did not have any success in the second part of the 1980s, save for two consecutive second-place finishes in the Yugoslav championship in1989 and1990.
After theSFR Yugoslavia was dissolved, Dinamo took part in creating thePrva HNL and the initial season was played in1992. The same year, the club controversially changed its name toHAŠK Građanski, and another name change followed in 1993, when the club was renamed toCroatia Zagreb. The name change was widely seen as a political move by the leadership of thennewly independent Croatia, with the goal of distancing the club from its communist past. As the name change was also never accepted by their supporters, the club renamed themselves back to Dinamo on 14 February 2000. As Croatia Zagreb, the club won six league titles, of which five were won in a row from1996 to2000. During this period, the club also won theCroatian Cup four times.[14]
In the late 1990s, the club played two consecutive seasons in theUEFA Champions League group stage. In the1998–99 season, they were drawn in a group withAjax,Olympiacos andPorto. After disappointing performances in the first three matches, in which they managed to draw against Ajax at home and lost their away matches against Olympiacos and Porto, they performed well in the remaining three matches, beating Porto at home and Ajax away, as well as drawing Olympiacos at home. However, they failed to advance to the quarter-finals as the second-placed team behind Olympiacos. In the1999–2000 season, they were drawn in a group withdefending championsManchester United,Marseille andSturm Graz, but managed only a fourth-place finish in the group with two draws and one win. They most notably held Manchester United to a goalless draw atOld Trafford in their opening Champions League match that season. The club also competed in two consecutive seasons ofUEFA Cup—in1996, they were knocked out in thequalifying round, while in the1997, they managed to reach thethird round, losing toAtlético Madrid 2–1 on aggregate score.
The club subsequently participated five times in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, in2000,2003,2006,2007 and2008. However, they played againstMilan,Dynamo Kyiv,Arsenal,Werder Bremen,Shakhtar Donetsk and failed to win a single match, losing 6–1 onaggregate to Milan, 5–1 on aggregate to Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal and 5–3 on aggregate to Werder Bremen. Since the qualifying rounds format changed, Dinamo was unable to get through to the play-off round, losing 3–2 on aggregate toRed Bull Salzburg in2009. Before the UEFA Cup group stage phase was introduced, Dinamo's best success in the competition was reaching the second round of the competition on three occasions. They were able to reach the group stages in2004–05,2007–08 and2008–09, but failed to secure qualification to round of 32. UEFA then introducedEuropa League competition which had slightly changed format compared to that of the UEFA Cup. Dinamo was able to qualify for the group stage of the initial2009–10 Europa League season after beatingScottish sideHearts 4–2 on aggregate.
In domestic competitions, the club was able to secure five league titles and won the Croatian Cup on six occasions, in addition to four Croatian Supercups. The club has also produced many footballing talents that have represented theCroatia national team on the international level in the 2000s, most notablyLuka Modrić,Eduardo,Vedran Ćorluka,Niko Kranjčar andTomislav Butina. Dinamo once again qualified for theEuropa League in 2010–11, finishing third in group D behindPAOK andVillarreal and ahead ofClub Brugge. Dinamo was very close to finishing second after wins against Villarreal at home (2–0) and Club Brugge away (0–2), but failed to win in their last game against PAOK at home (lost 0–1), thus failing to qualify for the next stage.
Dinamo managed to reach the group stage of theChampions League in 2011 after beatingNeftçi Bakı (3–0 at home, 0–0 away),HJK Helsinki (2–1 away, 1–0 at home) andMalmö FF (4–1 at home, lost 2–0 away). They were drawn in group D alongsideReal Madrid,Lyon andAjax. Dinamo finished last in the group stage, with a −19 goal difference and 22 total goals conceded. They lost both matches against all teams—Real Madrid (0–1 at home, 6–2 away), Lyon (1–7 at home, 2–0 away) and Ajax (0–2 at home, 4–0 away). The only highlight of the campaign being two late consolation goals in the final match of the group at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium, the only goals Real Madrid conceded in that group.
The following season, Dinamo once again managed to qualify for the Champions League group stage after defeatingLudogorets Razgrad,Sheriff Tiraspol andNK Maribor. They were drawn ingroup A alongsidePorto,Dynamo Kyiv andParis Saint-Germain. However, they failed to reach the next stage after recording just one point and a −13goal difference, with their best result a 1–1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv at the Stadion Maksimir.
In the2015–16 Champions League, they defeatedFola Esch 4–1 (1–1 at home, 3–0 away) in the second qualifying round,Molde 4–4 (1–1 at home, 3–3 away, winning on away goals) in the third qualifying round, andSkënderbeu Korçë 6–2 (2–1 away, 4–1 at home) in play-off round, later being drawn intogroup F alongsideBayern Munich,Arsenal andOlympiacos, where they notably defeated Arsenal 2–1 at home on 16 September 2015. The club won the domestic double, securing both the league title and the national cup.
In the2016–17 season, Dinamo failed to win the league title for the first time since the2004–05 season, and also failed to win the cup for the first time since2014. In the2016–17 UEFA Champions League, they defeatedVardar 5–3 (2–1 away, 3–2 at home) in thesecond qualifying round,Dinamo Tbilisi 3–0 (2–0 at home, 1–0 away) andRed Bull Salzburg (1–1 home, 2–1 away afterextra time). They were drawn inGroup H againstJuventus,Sevilla andLyon. However, the club endured an extremely unsuccessful group campaign, scoring zero goals and conceding fifteen in six matches. The club also failed to win theleague title and thecup, losing both trophies torivalsRijeka. The 2016–17 season was considered by many as one of Dinamo's most unsuccessful seasons in the club's history.
In the2017–18 season, Dinamo agreed a kit deal with German multinational companyAdidas.[15] Theirqualifying campaign forEuropa League began in thethird round, beating Norwegian clubOdds, 2–1 on aggregate (2–1 home, 0–0 away), but were knocked out by Albanian sideSkënderbeu Korçë (1–1 home, 0–0 away, losing onaway goals). The club failed to qualify for European competition for the first time since2006. The club'sleague campaign was successful, going unbeaten for 21 games before losing to rivalsHajduk Split, but two abysmal performances againstRijeka andLokomotiva causedMario Cvitanović to resign from his position as manager.Nikola Jurčević then took over as manager. However, after a disastrous form in early May,[16] Jurčević was sacked as manager.[17]
On 6 June 2018, the formerexecutive director andadvisor of the club,Zdravko Mamić, was sentenced to a six-and-a-half-yearprison sentence forcorruption.[19] On the same day, the club released a statement on their official website, in which they claimed that they were "shocked" with theverdict, also claiming that they "firmly believe" that Zdravko Mamić and the others who were sentenced are innocent.[20]
In the2018–19 UEFA Europa League, Dinamo qualified for theknockout phase, making it the first time in 49 years that the club would play in European competitions in the winter.[21] In theRound of 32, Dinamo drew Czech sideViktoria Plzeň, losing 2–1 in the first leg but roaring back to anaggregate win with a 3–0 home victory. In the Round of 16, Dinamo drew Portuguese sideBenfica, win 1–0 at home in front of 29,704 people.[22] In the second leg game against Benfica, Dinamo conceded 1 goal before going to anextra time. In extra time, Benfica managed to score two more goals, winning the game 3–0; on aggregate 3–1 and proceeding to thequarter-finals.[23] Because of Dinamo's success in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, thePrva HNL reached the 15th place on theUEFA country coefficient table, which brings two places in the2020–21 UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign, thus meaning that a half of the Prva HNL will play in European competitions.
At the start of the2019–20 season, Dinamo beatSaburtalo Tbilisi 5–0 on aggregate in thesecond qualifying round,Ferencváros 5–1 on aggregate in thethird qualifying round andRosenborg 3–1 on aggregate in theplay-offs of the2019–20 UEFA Champions League and securing agroup stage spot once again after three years. The draw concluded that Dinamo will play in theGroup C withManchester City,Shakhtar Donetsk andAtalanta. Even though Dinamo has been considered as a complete outsider in the group, to the surprise of many, Dinamo beat Atalanta, who finished third in theprevious season ofSerie A, 4–0 at home in Zagreb, which is the highest ever win in the Champions League for Dinamo in the history of the club.[24] However, the club could not qualify for the next round, finishing on the last position in the Champions League group with a win and a loss against Atalanta (4–0, 0–2), two draws against Shakhtar Donetsk (2–2, 3–3) and two losses against Manchester City (0–2, 1–4).[25]
On 16 April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Bjelica announced that he is leaving the club after consultations with the board through mutual agreement.[26]
After Bjelica's departure and the short stint ofIgor Jovićević, the club announced thatZoran Mamić will be appointed as the new manager.[27]
After an unsuccessful2020–21 UEFA Champions Leaguequalifying campaign, Dinamo qualified for the2020–21 UEFA Europa League, after beating the Estonian clubFlora Tallinn 3–1 in theplay-off round. Dinamo got drawn in theGroup K together withFeyenoord,CSKA Moscow andWolfsberg. They started theirgroup stage campaign with two goalless draws against Feyenoord and CSKA Moscow. In the third match of the group stage, Dinamo got their first win with a 1–0 win against Wolfsberg. Afterwards, Dinamo went onto a four-game winning streak after beating Wolfsberg with 3–0, Feyenoord with 2–0 and CSKA Moscow with 3–1, thus reaching the2020–21 UEFA Europa League Round of 32 undefeated and with only one goal conceded, making them the club with the least goals conceded in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage.[28]
In the Round of 32, Dinamo got drawn withKrasnodar, who reached the Round of 32 after being 3rd placed in the2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage. In the first leg, Dinamo managed to beat Krasnodar away with the score of 3–2, while in the second leg, Dinamo beat Krasnodar with the score of 1–0, thus remaining undefeated in eight games of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.[30] Dinamo were then drawn to playTottenham Hotspur in theRound of 16.[31] Due toCOVID-19 travel restrictions, Dinamo and Tottenham were forced to reverse the order of ties and thus Dinamo played the first leg away, in which they lost 2–0. In the second leg, however,Mislav Oršić'shat-trick, of which the last goal came inextra time to complete the comeback, sent Dinamo to thequarter-finals after winning 3–2 onaggregate.[32]
On 15 March, Mamić resigned from the position as club manager and sports director after the verdict of the Osijek Municipal Court was confirmed by theSupreme Court of Croatia. Mamić and three others (including his older brotherZdravko) were charged with tax evasion worth 12.2 millionHRK and for siphoning off 116 millionHRK from transfers of players from Dinamo.[33] Assistant coachDamir Krznar was named Mamić's replacement the same day. Despite this, Dinamo's journey in Europa League ended in the quarter-finals with a 1–3 on aggregate score defeat againstVillarreal.[34]
Dinamo Zagreb's tally of 25Prva HNL titles is the highest inCroatian football.[35] They were runners-up in the league four times, and only on four occasions have they concluded a season of Prva HNL finishing out of the top two places in the final standings.[36] The team is also the most successfulCroatian Cup competitor, appearing so far in 23 of the Cup's 29 staged finals, 16 of which they have won.[37] In addition, the club also holds the record for mostCroatian Supercup titles, appearing in eleven matches and winning eight times. Furthermore, the team managed to achieve thedouble twelve times, being both the Prva HNL champions and the Croatian Cup winners from 1996 to 1998, again from 2007 to 2009, from 2011 to 2012, 2015 to 2018 and most recently in season 2020–21.[38]
During the time Dinamo competed in theYugoslav football league system, they wereYugoslav First League champions nine times.[39] The team had won 8Yugoslav Cup editions.[40] Overall the club won 69 official domestic titles and one competitive international tournament. The league title in2014–15 is inbold because it is the only unbeaten season in the Croatian First Football League history. The club also claims the titles won during theHŠK Građanski period (marked initalics).
GNK Dinamo played their firstEuropean Cup match againstCzechoslovak sideDukla Prague in 1958. In the 1960s Dinamo experienced their most successful period in both domestic and European football which saw them win fourYugoslav Cups but failing to clinch a single championship title, finishing runners-up five times between 1960 and 1969. On the European stage, the club had two successful campaigns in theInter-Cities Fairs Cup, reaching the finals on two occasions. In the1963 final Dinamo lost toValencia, but in1967 they beatEngland'sLeeds United. This was the only European silverware won by a Yugoslav club until Red Star Belgrade won the1990–91 European Cup 24 years later. Dinamo played semifinal ofUEFA Cup Winners' Cup in1960–61 and two quarterfinals in1964–65 and1969–70. They reachedUEFA Europa League quarterfinal in2020–21 and round of 16 in2018–19. Dinamo also won theBalkans Cup in1976.
Note: This summary includes matches played in theInter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was not endorsed byUEFA and is not counted in UEFA's official European statistics. Defunct competitions are listed initalics. Pld = Matches played;W = Matches won;D = Matches drawn;L = Matches lost;GF = Goals for;GA = Goals against
The following data indicates Dinamo coefficient rankings.[41]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
In April 2024, Dinamo released its accounts for the 2023 calendar year. It showed operating revenue of €20.12m and a net profit after tax of €4.44m. The drivers of the result were player wage expenses of €20.95m and profit on player sales of €37.42m.[47] The 2022 calendar year accounts showed operating revenue of €43.60m, boosted by UEFA Champions League participation, and a net profit of €1.16m.[48]
The members of an initiativeZajedno za Dinamo[Together for Dinamo], composed of club supporters, have been claiming that the club was silentlyprivatised by its executive presidentZdravko Mamić, and that it functions as an evidently unlawful "public limited citizens' association". Subsequently, thetax exemption granted to the club by theconstitutional law came under heavy criticism, particularly in the light of the club's lucrativetransfers arranged at the start of the 2000s.Jutarnji list journalist Romana Eibl asserted that during this period the club had as much as 1.36 billionkuna of untaxedrevenue, partly from selling its players, while approximately 360 million kuna were received frompublic funds. The former director of the club Damir Vrbanović argued that the transfers do not offer a long-term source of revenue for the club, and that the club is therefore justified in remaining a nonprofit organization.[46]
Dinamo Zagreb'shome stadium isStadion Maksimir. The stadium is situated in the northeastern part of Zagreb, opposite the city's largesturban park,Maksimir, which also lends its name to theeponymous neighbourhood. It was officially opened on 5 May 1912 and has been noticeably upgraded several times thereafter, most recently in 2011. The stadium was initially used byHAŠK, and the club became its tenant only in 1948, after the stadium was rebuilt.[50] Before moving to Maksimir, the club played its home matches at the formerGrađanski Zagreb's stadiumStadion Koturaška. It is there that the club played its first official match on 23 June 1945. Its first match at the Stadion Maksimir was played on 19 September 1948 in front of a crowd of 40,000 spectators.[51]
The design of Stadion Maksimir initially included a singlegrandstand in a shape of ahorseshoe that faced the other, much smaller stand to the north.[51] The north stand was altered from the ground up in 1998, when it was replaced by a 10,965 all-seater stand, and also a building with 15,000 square meters of office space covered in a glazed façade. The north stand's capacity is nowadays reduced to 9,460 seats.[50] As for the original grandstand, it is now replaced by three separate stands, although their present-day design came about after a long and toilsome process of numerous renovations, which have started almost immediately after the stadium was rebuilt in 1948. Some of the bestCroatian architects at the time, such asVladimir Turina, Eugen Erlich andFranjo Neidhardt, worked on this project. Prior toCroatian secession fromYugoslavia, the restructuring of the stadium was never completed as thoroughly as it was planned, mostly because of an array of bureaucratic obstacles. Lastly, it was put in order for the1987 Summer Universiade, but even then the final appearance of the stadium was less satisfactory than what was to be expected.[51]
Some progress was finally made in 1997 when seats were installed on both the east and south stands. Shortly before the1999 Summer Military World Games, the west and also the largest stand of the stadium was renovated. It comprised 12,600 seats, and a VIP section with 718 seats that also included a presidential lodge.[50] By this time, the total maintenance expenses for Stadion Maksimir have climbed up to 362.4 millionkuna. In 2006, the then-mayor of ZagrebMilan Bandić announced a project worth €150 million that would see Stadion Maksimir once again completely rebuilt.[52] By 2010, the taxpayers have vested another 288 million kuna on maintenance and restoration of the stadium, but no significant improvements were made.[53] The arranged reconstruction of Stadion Maksimir soon became an enormous financial problem for the city, and for a brief period of time Bandić was planning to call areferendum in which the citizens of Zagreb would decide whether to continue with investments into Stadion Maksimir, or rather to build a brand newStadion Kajzerica.[54] The referendum was never held and both projects were ultimately abandoned in 2012.[55] Nevertheless, some crucial work was done between 2011 and 2013, when the club replaced all of the seats from the four existing stands, installed theunder-soil heating, ameliorated the interior of the stadium,[56] and made some aesthetic adjustments, among others, to the colour of the stands and of thetartan track surrounding the pitch. Currently, Stadion Maksimir is listed as a 35,123 all-seater.[50]
Although the club had a good deal of followers since it was founded, its first organized group of supporters emerged only in 1986 under the name ofBad Blue Boys (often abbreviatedBBB). On the BBB's official website it is stated that the name of the group was inspired by the 1983 filmBad Boys. After its founding, the group aroused great interest inZagreb and its branches started appearing in all parts and neighbourhoods of the city. They also started being noted throughoutYugoslavia for their self-organized departures to the visiting matches of Dinamo Zagreb, desiring to voice their support for the club, and also for the City of Zagreb andCroatia.[57] During the team's home matches, the BBB traditionally situate themselves on the north stand ofStadion Maksimir.[58] The BBB and the rest of the club's supporters viewHajduk Split's supporters as their most notable rivals, or more specifically the former's ultras group,Torcida Split.[58]
The BBB are often accused of hooliganism,[59][60][61][62] which has already resulted in bothUEFA and theCroatian Football Federation disciplinary bodies issuing financial punishments to Dinamo Zagreb on several occasions for the group's flagrantly unlawful and violent conduct.[63][64][65] This ill-suited behaviour includesproperty damage, fights with repressive apparati (both on and outside the stadiums), andflare throwing. In spite of all this, the BBB have been praised for their constant and exceptional support during Dinamo Zagreb's matches as well as their humanitarian work.[66]
Dinamo's biggest rivals areHajduk Split, and the matches between the two teams are referred to as "Eternal Derby" or "Croatian Derby.".[67] Their rivalry can be traced back to the1920s when Dinamo's predecessor HŠK Građanski played against Hajduk Split and riots on the field occurred. HŠK Građanski and Hajduk remained the biggest rivals till 1945, when Građanski was disbanded. After Dinamo inherited Građanski they continued their rivalry with Hajduk Split. Matches between the two clubs are recognized as the most anticipated event of Croatian club football,[68][69] which attracts the greatest number of spectators and most media attention of all the football matches in Croatia. It is considered as the battle of the north and south of Croatia.
There is also a rivalry withHNK Rijeka, which especially became fierce in 2010s when Rijeka became strongest challenger for title and cup.
In early 2020s,NK Osijek also became the contender after the Hungarian takeover, which led to bigger rivalry between clubs.
In Yugoslav times, major rivalries also included Serbian clubsRed Star Belgrade andPartizan. Even after the breakup of Yugoslavia the hatred still remained.[14]
Despite spending some time of their history playing in the same division as Dinamo, and being from same city,NK Zagreb andNK Lokomotiva Zagreb are not considered major rivals by the fans.[58]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The following is a list of former Dinamo players which have made significant contributions to the club while playing for its first team. The list is sorted in alphabetical order and in accordance with the specified inclusion criteria.[71][note 2] Players that were named inthe club's "Best 11" squad are excluded from the list.
In 2016, the best squad in history of Dinamo was chosen[72] by a group of experts, along with the club's fans, chose 11 of Dinamo Zagreb's former and current players to fit in an ideal squad in4–4–2. Shown in brackets is a period in which the players played for the first team of the club.
The following are lists of top players in terms of the number of appearances and goals for Dinamo Zagreb, as of 15 March 2023. The numbers include only official games.[citation needed]
^Only the initial fees of the transfers are taken into account.
^At least one of the following inclusion criteria has to be met for a player to appear on the list. 1. A player has made at least 250 appearances for the club in domestic league competitions. 2. A player has scored at least 80 goals for the club in domestic league competitions. 3. A player has made at least 50 appearances in official UEFA competitions. 4. A player has scored at least 10 goals in official UEFA competitions. 5. A player appeared in the1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final.
^"NK Dinamo ponovo promijenio ime" [NK Dinamo changed its name again] (in Croatian). ZGportal Zagreb. 13 April 2011.Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved12 November 2014.
^"Povijest Prvenstva HNL-a" [History of the HNL Championship].Nogometni-magazin.com (in Croatian). 2006. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved5 April 2014.
^"Šokantna kazna za Dinamo" (in Croatian). Dinamo Zagreb official website. 11 December 2008. Archived fromthe original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved3 June 2010.
_39.jpg)
