 Kranjčar withDynamo Kyiv in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Niko Kranjčar | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-08-13)13 August 1984 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, Croatia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Croatia U21 (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rapid Vienna | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Dinamo Zagreb | 84 | (19) |
| 2005–2006 | Hajduk Split | 50 | (15) |
| 2006–2009 | Portsmouth | 83 | (9) |
| 2009–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 49 | (9) |
| 2012–2016 | Dynamo Kyiv | 13 | (4) |
| 2013–2015 | →Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 51 | (4) |
| 2016 | New York Cosmos | 7 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Rangers | 16 | (1) |
| Total | 353 | (61) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Croatia U16/17 | 17 | (8) |
| 2001–2002 | Croatia U19 | 7 | (2) |
| 2002–2005 | Croatia U21 | 15 | (2) |
| 2004–2013 | Croatia | 81 | (15) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2023 | Croatia U19 (assistant coach) | ||
| 2024– | Croatia U21 (assistant coach) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Niko Kranjčar (pronounced[nǐːkokrâɲtʃaːr];[2] born 13 August 1984) is a Croatian former professionalfootballer. He primarily played as anattacking midfielder, but could also operate as awinger orsecond striker. As of 5 May 2021, he works as an assistant toJosip Šimunić at theCroatia national under-19 team.[3]
He has played with clubs in his homeland, playing forDinamo Zagreb before sparking controversy by making a move to their fierce rivalsHajduk Split in January 2005.[4] A transfer to England withPortsmouth soon followed in August 2006,[5] and after several years of attempting to hold on to their key players,[6][7][8] Portsmouth decided to sell him at the start of the2009–10 season, opening the way for a move toTottenham in September 2009, where he was reunited with his former manager at Portsmouth,Harry Redknapp.[9] He moved on to Ukrainian sideDynamo Kyiv in 2012, where he spent a two-year period on loan atQueens Park Rangers, reuniting with Redknapp for a third time. He finished his career with brief spells in the United States withNew York Cosmos and Scotland withRangers before retiring in 2018.
Hailed as the nextRobert Prosinečki, Kranjčar was given his international debut by his fatherZlatko in August 2004,[10] and went on to represent his country at the2006 FIFA World Cup,UEFA Euro 2008 andUEFA Euro 2012. In total he won 81 caps for theCroatia national team, scoring 16 goals in the process. His final match for the national team was on 15 October 2013, as he missed the2014 FIFA World Cup because of a leg injury.[11]
Kranjčar is the son of formerDinamo Zagreb andRapid Vienna forwardZlatko and he spent his childhood years inAustria, where his father was playing. Therefore, he holds an Austrian passport and this qualified him as aEuropean Union player prior tothe enlargement of the EU and Croatia's admission in 2013.
Kranjčar spent most of his youth playing forDinamo Zagreb, and later, at the age of 17, became the youngest captain of the squad for the first time. He also became one of the youngest goalscorers in thePrva HNL as he scored on his league debut for Dinamo at the age of 16 before helping them win the double of a Croatian cup and a league title in 2003 and then the Croatian cup again the following season.[12] Such abilities and assistance led him to become a fan favorite, he began to receive comparison to French football legendZinedine Zidane.[13]
In January 2005, Kranjčar experienced a disagreement with the Dinamo Zagreb management, which led to a surprise transfer to Dinamo's biggest rivals,Hajduk Split, which was accomplished thanks to Hajduk's sporting directorIgor Štimac for a reported fee of €1.88 million.[14] Over 10,000 people came to his official unveiling at thePoljud stadium. Outside Kranjčar's family home, Dinamo fans lit 200 blue candles in mock memoriam of his "death" of moving to their rival.[15]
Kranjčar made his league debut for Hajduk on 26 February 2005 in a 2–2 draw againstOsijek. He scored his first goal for Hajduk on 23 April 2005 at Poljud in a 5–1 victory againstNK Inter. He scored his second goal in the decisive 6–0 victory againstVarteks on 28 May 2005.
Kranjčar helped Hajduk win the2004–05 Prva HNL which was their 2nd league trophy in a row. Thanks to his fine games and good sportmenship, Kranjčar became the fans' favourite player instantly. Despite having a lot of international offers from abroad, he decided to stay at Hajduk for the next season. In the2005–06 Prva HNL he was Hajduk's top goalscorer, with 10 goals.
After the2006 World Cup, the world press hailed Kranjčar for his talents, and several clubs immediately showed interest in the young star. Among such clubs wereStade Rennais and the Spanish ClubCelta Vigo. In August 2006, Rennes bid €4.5 million for Kranjčar, which Hajduk rejected, stating they felt they should get more for the player. Later on the same day, however, Kranjčar then moved for a reported £3.5 million (€5.2 million) toPortsmouth on 31 August 2006.
Kranjčar made hisPremier League debut for Portsmouth on 1 October 2006 as he played all 90 minutes in their 2–1 away defeat toTottenham Hotspur. He scored his first Premier League goal on 31 March 2007 atFulham, giving Portsmouth an early 1–0 lead in a match that eventually ended in a 1–1 draw.[16] He made a total of 24 appearances and scored two goals in his first Premier League season. The following season, he played an integral role in Portsmouth'sFA Cup win.[17]
At the beginning of the 2008–09 season,AS Monaco apparently had a bid of £12 million rejected for Kranjčar,[18] however this was denied by Monaco.[19] On 12 February 2009, with Portsmouth battling relegation, Kranjčar publicly declared his desire to quit Portsmouth and move to a bigger club.[20]Arsenal and AS Monaco have previously been linked with moves for the Croatian International.[21] In August, Kranjčar stated: "For now I am staying, but we have not strengthened like I would have liked us to. That's why I will not sign a new contract. It's one more season for me and then I'm off".[22]
On 1 September 2009, Kranjčar joinedTottenham Hotspur from Portsmouth after the two clubs agreed a transfer fee of around £2.5 million, although the actual price was undisclosed. The deal was completed just before thetransfer deadline passed with him signing a four-year contract.[23] It was reported thatEverton had made a late bid to sign Kranjčar, but the player opted to sign for Spurs, stating that: "Everton is also a big club but, in the end, the tradition and greatness of Tottenham made the difference. I also knew managerHarry Redknapp, andLuka Modrić andVedran Ćorluka told me great things about the club".[24] Kranjčar made his debut for Tottenham as a substitute in the 3–1 defeat toManchester United at home.[25] On 26 September 2009, Kranjčar made his firstPremier League start for Tottenham in a 5–0 home thrashing ofBurnley.[26] He scored his first goal for the club in a Premier League match away toBolton Wanderers on 4 October 2009.[27] On 22 November 2009, Kranjčar scored for Tottenham in a 9–1 home thrashing ofWigan Athletic, withJermain Defoe scoring a record equalling five.[28] On 16 December 2009, Kranjčar grabbed a brace in a 3–0 home victory overManchester City.[29] On 20 March 2010, Kranjčar scored the winning goal in a 1–2 away victory overStoke City.[30] Kranjčar has found difficulty being chosen in starting line-ups, due to the rise in prominence ofGareth Bale, who also plays in his position. However Kranjčar continued to make a pivotal contribution to the season scoring late winning goals in two consecutive matches, coming on as a substitute againstBolton Wanderers in a 2–1 victory atWhite Hart Lane, and away toSunderland in another 2–1 victory.[31] In the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Kranjčar scored a 35-yard goal during a pre-season friendly, a 5–3 win againstMilton Keynes Dons.
On 6 June 2012, Ukrainian clubDynamo Kyiv confirmed the signing of Niko Kranjčar on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was estimated to be about £5.5 million.[32] After his move to Dynamo Kyiv, Niko Kranjčar says he is "happy" and satisfied" of joining Dynamo Kyiv and does admits his time at Tottenham was ‘disappointing’. Kranjčar revealed that Dynamo Kyiv first took interest in signing him in 2003 during his time at Dinamo Zagreb.[33] He scored twice on Matchday 5 againstVolyn Lutsk. He scored another two goals againstKarpaty Lviv on 14 September 2012. After having a good beginning of the season, in November Kranjčar felt an old ankle injury, which left him out of the game until the end of the year. He came back just in time for the second half of the season, after the winter break, but managed to make only two appearances before he got injured again while performing for the Croatia national team in March 2013. This time he was left out of the pitch until the end of the season.
After spending 2 years on loan atQueens Park Rangers from 2013 to 2015, Kranjčar returned to Dynamo Kyiv's first team.
On 2 September 2013, Kranjčar joinedQueens Park Rangers on a season long loan to unite with his former bossHarry Redknapp, who signed two other players from former clubTottenham Hotspur.[34] This was the third time Redknapp signed Kranjčar, having previously worked with him at Portsmouth and Tottenham.[35] After a groin problem delayed his debut, Kranjčar made his first appearance for his new club againstYeovil Town, coming on as a second halftime substitute. He made his full debut before theLoftus Road crowd againstMiddlesbrough in late September 2013.[36] Kranjčar scored his first goal of the season in the match againstMillwall, when he also made his first assist of the season and was voted "Man of the Match".[37] In January 2014 he scored once again to give QPR a 1–0 lead againstIpswich Town.[38] He left the club on 1 July 2014 following the expiration of his loan, but returned on the last day of the summer transfer window on 1 September 2014 for another season-long loan.[39]
After being released by Dinamo Kyiv, he went to USA and trained withCosmos. However, he could not be a part of the squad due to foreign players' rule. In the middle of the March 2016, when one of the foreign players obtained American citizenship, Kranjčar finally signed for Cosmos.[40][41]
On 23 June 2016, Kranjčar signed forRangers of theScottish Premiership on a two-year deal,[42] stating that it was a "big honour and privilege" and a "big responsibility" to be joining a club of such size.[43] He made his debut for the club in aLeague Cup match againstMotherwell on 16 July.[44] and made his first start, three days later againstAnnan Athletic.[45] Kranjčar scored his first goal for the club on 25 July, netting the third in a 3–0 win overStranraer[46] and netted his first league goal in a 2–0 win overPartick Thistle on 1 October.[47] Kranjčar suffered acruciate ligament injury in early October which would sideline him for the rest of the season.[48] In January 2017, Kranjčar spoke about the progress of his rehabilitation and estimated a return in six-months; although he did acknowledge the severity of the injury could have led to him retiring.[49] He made his return to competitive first-team action after eight months out, againstProgrès Niederkorn in theEuropa League on 29 June 2017.[50] Kranjčar was released by the club on 23 March 2018, after struggling with injury throughout his spell in Glasgow.[51]
Kranjčar was previously a part of the Croatia national Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 teams before advancing to thesenior national team. His senior debut for Croatia came on 18 August 2004 in a friendly match againstIsrael. He was a regular for Croatia during their qualifying campaign for the2006 World Cup, making nine appearances and scoring two goals, including a brilliant single effort againstBulgaria. Niko was then chosen for "Young guns firing for World Cup glory" on eurosport.com with some of the greatest talents in the world, such asLionel Messi,Lukas Podolski and future Pompey teammateSulley Muntari. He went on to play in all of Croatia's three group stage matches at the final tournament, proving to be a prestigious player for his impressive performances.[citation needed]
With the departure of his father as national team manager, Kranjčar became a regular for Croatia in their qualifying campaign forEuro 2008, having appeared in all 12 matches and scoring two goals. The most famous of such was his long range opener for Croatia during their final match away toEngland. Croatia eventually won the game 3–2, resulting in England's failure to qualify for the final tournament.[52] He then scored in a friendly match againstScotland with a spectacular effort from just inside the penalty area in a match played that ended 1–1, the equalising goal coming fromKenny Miller.[citation needed] He was a part of the Croatia team inEuro 2008 tournament, being a starter in 2 group match games and quarter-final game againstTurkey. In Croatia's campaign for the2010 World Cup he scored a goal against Kazakhstan. He was included in Croatia's 23-man squad forEuro 2012 and played in two out of three group stage games, missing only the last game against Spain. He missed the2014 FIFA World Cup due to hamstring injury and since then, he has not received a single call-up for any of the national team's future matches. His last international game was on 15 October 2013.[53]
Kranjčar is the son of Croatian footballer and managerZlatko Kranjčar. He was married to Simona Fistrić and the couple lived inCuffley,Hertfordshire.[54] Fistrić gave birth on 7 March 2011 to a baby girl by the name of Loree.[55] However, Kranjčar and Fistrić divorced less than a year after Loree's birth.[56] He is currently in a relationship with actressZrinka Cvitešić.[57]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2000–01 | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | Prva HNL | 24 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Prva HNL | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Prva HNL | 24 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 12 | |
| 2004–05 | Prva HNL | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 | |
| Total | 85 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 119 | 22 | ||
| Hajduk Split | 2004–05 | Prva HNL | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |
| 2005–06 | Prva HNL | 32 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 14 | |
| 2006–07 | Prva HNL | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 3 | ||
| Total | 50 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 19 | ||
| Portsmouth | 2006–07 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 34 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 42 | 5 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 25 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 82 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 12 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2009–10 | Premier League | 24 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 8 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 49 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | 71 | 11 | |||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2012–13 | Ukrainian Premier League | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 21 | 4 | |
| 2015–16 | Ukrainian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 22 | 4 | |||
| Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 2013–14 | Championship | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 51 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 4 | ||
| New York Cosmos | 2016 | NASL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Rangers | 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 353 | 61 | 63 | 10 | 38 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 461 | 77 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2004 | 5 | 0 |
| 2005 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 81 | 15 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2005 | Vasil Levski Stadium,Sofia, Bulgaria | 9 |  Bulgaria | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 17 August 2005 | Stadion Poljud,Split, Croatia | 10 |  Brazil | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 7 September 2005 | Ta' Qali Stadium,Ta' Qali, Malta | 12 |  Malta | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 12 September 2007 | Estadi Comunal,Aixovall, Andorra | 35 |  Andorra | 4–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 5 | 21 November 2007 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 38 |  England | 1–0 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 6 | 26 March 2008 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland | 40 |  Scotland | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 11 February 2009 | Steaua Stadium,Bucharest, Romania | 47 |  Romania | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 14 October 2009 | Astana Arena,Astana, Kazakhstan | 53 |  Kazakhstan | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 3 March 2010 | King Baudouin Stadium,Brussels, Belgium | 55 |  Belgium | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 9 October 2010 | Ramat Gan Stadium,Ramat Gan, Israel | 59 |  Israel | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 11 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 12 October 2010 | Maksimir Stadium,Zagreb, Croatia | 60 |  Norway | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 13 | 17 November 2010 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia | 61 | Malta | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 14 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 15 | 11 October 2013 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia | 80 | Belgium | 1–2 | 1–2 | FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying |
Dinamo Zagreb
Hajduk Split
Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers
Individual
Níko
Croatia squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
