Croatian First League
Encyclopedia
The Prva HNL also known as 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 league competition, established in 1992. The winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

. Dinamo Zagreb are the current champions, having won their sixth consecutive title in the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Prva HNL
The 2010–11 Prva HNL season was the twentieth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011...

, and are the most successful club with 13 titles overall, followed by Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 with 6 titles.

Since 2003, Prva HNL has been named after its sponsor, giving it the following names:
  • Prva HNL Ožujsko (2003 to 2007), sponsored by Zagrebačka pivovara
    Zagrebacka pivovara
    Zagrebačka pivovara is a brewery in Zagreb, Croatia, founded in 1892. In 1994, multinational beverage company InBev acquired a significant share. In mid October 2009, private equity fund CVC Capital Partners bought all of Anheuser–Busch InBev's holdings in Central Europe for €2.23 billion. They...

     and their Ožujsko beer
    Ožujsko beer
    Ožujsko is a Croatian brand of lager beer. It is the flagship brand produced by Zagrebačka pivovara, the biggest brewery in the country which is part of StarBev, a regional brewery group previously owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and sold to the CVC Capital Partners equity fund in 2009.StarBev also...

     brand.
  • T-Com Prva HNL (2007 to 2011), sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom
    T-Hrvatski Telekom
    T-Hrvatski Telekom is the national telecommunications company in Croatia.Croatian Telecom was formerly the telephony branch of the state-owned monopoly Hrvatska pošta i telekomunikacije; HPT , which was split into two parts in 1999...

    , a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom
    Deutsche Telekom
    Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....

    .
  • MAXtv Prva Liga (2011 to present), sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom
    T-Hrvatski Telekom
    T-Hrvatski Telekom is the national telecommunications company in Croatia.Croatian Telecom was formerly the telephony branch of the state-owned monopoly Hrvatska pošta i telekomunikacije; HPT , which was split into two parts in 1999...

    , a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom
    Deutsche Telekom
    Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....

    .

Overview

The Prva HNL was formed in 1991, following the dissolution of the Yugoslav First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...

, and is operated by the Croatian Football Federation
Croatian Football Federation
The Croatian Football Federation is the governing body of association football in Croatia. It was originally formed in 1912 and is based in the capital city of Zagreb. The organisation is a member of both FIFA and UEFA, and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of football in Croatia...

. The first season started in February 1992. Since its formation, the league went through many changes in its system and number of participating clubs. Currently, there are 16 teams participating in the league.

Each season of the Prva HNL starts in late July or early August and ends in May, with a two-month hiatus between December and February. Historically, the teams were split into two groups of six which continued to play separately starting in March. These two groups were known as the Championship League and the Relegation League. However, the 2006-07 season introduced a new system in which everybody plays everybody three times in the season. Upon the end of the first part of the season, consisting of 22 matchdays, a draw is held to pair the teams and decide host teams for the last 11 matchdays of the season. This system brought one additional matchday in comparison to the preceding seasons.

At the end of each season, the last team is directly relegated to the Druga HNL and the second-last team goes in the relegation play-off, a two-legged tie against the second-placed team from the Druga HNL. The champions qualify for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

, the runners-up, as well as the winners of the Croatian Cup
Croatian Cup
The Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...

, for the UEFA Europa League qualifying, with the third-placed team also winning a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying. UEFA currently ranks the league 27th in Europe. The main sponsor of Prva HNL is T-Com Croatia, part of German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....

. The president of T-Com HNL is Robert Markulin.

Members for 2011–12

The following 16 clubs competed in the Prva HNL in the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Prva HNL
The 2010–11 Prva HNL season was the twentieth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011...

. The clubs in bold also had spells in the Yugoslav First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...

 before Croatian clubs abandoned it in 1991 (as of the 2010–11 season 8 out of 9 Croatian clubs which had appeared in the Yugoslav top division compete in the Croatian championship, the remaining one being the fourth level side Trešnjevka
NK Trešnjevka
NK Trešnjevka is a Croatian football club based in the city of Zagreb. Formed in 1926 under the name Panonija and since 1929 has the name Trešnjevka. Trešnjevka was promoted to the Yugoslavia top flight in 1963 and played European that same season. However the club never had high results in its...

).

Six of the twelve founding members were never relegated from the Prva HNL - Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek, Rijeka, Varaždin and NK Zagreb. RNK Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...

 had their Prva HNL debut in the 2010–11 season, marking their return to top flight after 49 years, having been relegated from the 1960–61 Yugoslav First League.

For the 2011–12 season Lučko
NK Lucko
NK Lučko is a Croatian football club based in the city of Zagreb, currently competing in the Prva HNL. NK Lučko one of the oldest clubs in New Zagreb, founded in 1931.-Current squad:-External links:...

 gained promotion, appearing in top level for the first time in their history. HNK Gorica and NK Pomorac Kostrena also were awarded promotion, but declined it due to first league licensing conflicts.
Club
Position
in 2010–11
2010–11 in Croatian football
The following article presents a summary of the 2010–11 football season in Croatia, which was the 20th season of competitive football in the country.-Croatia:-Croatia U21:-Croatia U19:-Croatia U17:-Druga HNL:...

First season in
top division
Number of seasons
in top division
Number of seasons
in Prva HNL
First season of
current spell in
top division
Top division
titles
Last top division title
Cibalia
HNK Cibalia
HNK Cibalia, or just Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva HNL, Croatia's top flight. Their stadium is located in the south part of their home town and can hold 12,000 spectators...

a
0044th 1982–83 24 19 2005–06 0
Dinamo Zagreb a,b 0011st 1946–47 66 21 1946–47 17 c 2010–11
Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

a,b
0022nd 1923 84 21 1923 15 d 2004–05
Inter Zaprešić
NK Inter Zaprešic
NK Inter Zaprešić is a Croatian football club based in Zaprešić, a town northwest of the capital Zagreb originally founded in 1929. They play in the Prva HNL after they were promoted from Druga HNL at the end of the 2006–07 season...

 a
0055th 1992 14 14 2007–08 0
Istra 1961  01515th 2004–05 6 6 2009–10 0
Karlovac
NK Karlovac
NK Karlovac is a Croatian football club based in the town of Karlovac. They play in the Prva HNL, the country's top division, having been promoted to top level at the end of the 2008–09 season...

 b
0066th 2009–10 3 3 2009–10 0
Lokomotiva
NK Lokomotiva
NK Lokomotiva is a Croatian football club based in Zagreb, currently competing in the Prva HNL, the country's top division. Founded originally as ŽŠK Victoria in 1914, the club's only period of success came in the late 1940s and early 1950s before spending most of the following five decades as...

b
01414th 1946–47 13 3 2009–10 0
Lučko
NK Lucko
NK Lučko is a Croatian football club based in the city of Zagreb, currently competing in the Prva HNL. NK Lučko one of the oldest clubs in New Zagreb, founded in 1931.-Current squad:-External links:...

ZZZ2nd in 2. HNL
2010–11 Druga HNL
The 2010–11 Druga HNL was the 20th season of Croatia's second level football competition since its establishment in 1992. RNK Split were league champions and were promoted to Prva HNL at the end of the previous season...

2011–12
2011–12 Prva HNL
The 2011–12 Prva HNL is the twenty first season of Prva HNL, the national championship for men's association football teams in Croatia, since its establishment in 1992...

1 1 2011–12 0
Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

a,b
0088th 1953–54 36 21 1981–82 0
Rijeka a,b 0099th 1958–59 50 21 1974–75 0
Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...

 b
0077th 1997–98 15 15 1997–98 0
RNK Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...

b
0033rd 1957–58 4 2 2010–11 0
Šibenik
HNK Šibenik
HNK Šibenik is a Croatian football club based in the city of Šibenik on the Croatian coast.The club was formed in 1932. In 2006 the club finished first in the Croatian Second League's southern division and was promoted to the Prva HNL...

 a
01212th 1992 18 18 2006–07 0
Varaždin a,b 01111th 1992 21 21 1992 0
Zadar
NK Zadar
NK Zadar is a Croatian football club based in Zadar, a city on the Adriatic coast. The club was founded in 1945.Josip Skoblar, Đovani Roso, Dado Pršo and Luka Modrić, are among their most notable former players....

 a
01010th 1992 16 16 2006–07 0
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

a,b
01313th 1952 39 21 1992 1 2001–02

a: Founding member of the Prva HNL

b: Never been relegated from Prva HNL

c: Dinamo Zagreb tally includes 4 Yugoslav and 13 Prva HNL titles

d: Hajduk Split tally includes 9 Yugoslav and 6 Prva HNL titles

League matches

Season
Total attendance
Number of
matches
Average attendance
per match
Ref
1998–99 745,728 192 3,884
1999–2000 515,790 198 2,605
2000–01 546,624 192 2,847
2001–02 573,840 240 2,391
2002–03 635,520 192 3,310
2003–04 570,816 192 2,973
2004–05 541,440 192 2,820
2005–06 633,792 192 3,301
2006–07 622,908 198 3,146
2007–08 616,572 198 3,114
2008–09 617,050 198 3,116
2009–10
2009–10 Prva HNL
The 2009–10 Prva HNL season was the nineteenth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 24 July 2009 and ended on 13 May 2010...

500,002 240 2,083
2010–11
2010–11 Prva HNL
The 2010–11 Prva HNL season was the twentieth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011...

458,746 240 1,911

HNL Teams in Champions League

Only four times in history have HNL teams entered the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

.
In the 1994-95 season, Hajduk Split qualified over Legia Warsaw (1-0 A, 4-0 H). They qualified for the quarterfinals (from group with Benfica 0-0 H, 1-2 A, Steaua Bucuresti
Steaua Bucuresti
Fotbal Club Steaua București is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest. They are the most successful Romanian football team in European competitions as well in the Romanian Liga I . They became the first East European team to win the UEFA Champions League being victorious in the...

 1-0 A, 1-4 H, and Anderlecht
Anderlecht
Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region.There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality.-Pronunciation:* Dutch: * French:...

 2-1 H,0-0 A), but lost to Ajax 0-0 H, 0-3 A. Ajax won CL that year.
In the 1998-99 season, NK Croatia Zagreb (Dinamo) qualified over Celtic (0-1 A, 3-0 H). They were drawn in the same group with Olympiacos
Olympiacos
Olympiacos F.C. , also known simply as Olympiacos, Olympiacos Piraeus or with its full name Olympiacos C.F.P. , Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus, is a Greek association football club, part of Olympiacos CFP, based in Piraeus....

 1-3 A, 1-1 H, Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...

 0-3 A, 3-1 H, and Ajax 1-0 A, 0-0 H. They finished in 2nd place, but failed to go to the next round because in that season only first place teams went through.
Next season, 1999–2000, Dinamo also played in CL, in the same group as defending champion Manchester United, Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

 and Austrian side SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....

. They started their campaign with a famous 0-0 draw at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...

. After that they lost to OM 0-1 in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, won against Sturm
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....

 3-0, lost against Sturm
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....

 away 0-1, lost 0-2 against Manchester United in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, and in the last match they drew against OM at Velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...

 2-2 (Bakayoko
Bakayoko
Bakayoko is a surname, and may refer to:* Ibrahima Bakayoko , Côte d'Ivoire footballer* Youssouf Bakayoko , Minister for Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire...

 scored for Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...

 in 91'). They finished fourth. In 2011 Dinamo qualified for the CL o er the Swedish Malmo, beating them 4-1 at home and narrowly losing 2-0 away. in the first 4 games they failed to score a goal, conceding 9 and losing all four.

Rankings

Source: Bert Kassies' website (country rankings; team rankings); last updated 3 November 2011

Country

Current
Ranking
Last Season
Ranking
Movement League Coefficient
17 15   Scotland
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

20.891
18 17   Israel 20.750
19 18   Czech Republic
Gambrinus Liga
The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May,...

19.350
20 22   Croatia 18.874
21 14   Romania
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...

18.324
22 23   Belarus
Belarusian Premier League
-Soviet era champions:*1934 BVO *1935 BVO *1936 BVO *1937 Dinamo *1938 Dinamo *1939 Dinamo *1940 DKA *1941-44 unknown...

18.208
23 24   Poland 18.166


Team

Rank Team Points
75 Dinamo Zagreb 24.774
173 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

7.774
227 Varaždin 4.774
RNK Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...

4.774
Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...

4.774
Rijeka 4.774
239 Šibenik
HNK Šibenik
HNK Šibenik is a Croatian football club based in the city of Šibenik on the Croatian coast.The club was formed in 1932. In 2006 the club finished first in the Croatian Second League's southern division and was promoted to the Prva HNL...

4.274
Cibalia
HNK Cibalia
HNK Cibalia, or just Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva HNL, Croatia's top flight. Their stadium is located in the south part of their home town and can hold 12,000 spectators...

4.274


TV

In past, TV coverage was only for one match in each round (derby match). In the 2008–09 season there were some changes. Croatian national TV Network (HRT) started the new TV show Volim Nogomet (I Love Football), made in association with league's main sponsor T-Com. In the show, five matches were broadcasted combined on Sunday afternoons, while the derby match was on program at 20.15 CET, so viewers could watch all the matches. There were also experts in the studio, commenting on matches and other things non-related to football. Main initiator of the project was famous Croatian football player and then president of T-Com 1. HNL organisation Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager...

. Most of the clubs weren't satisfied with the scheduling of fixtures and demanded a move from Sunday afternoon to Saturday evening. This was done at the start of the following season and the only match played on Sunday was the derby match. However, during the mid-season project was cancelled and the old system with one broadcast per round was returned.

In November 2010, broadcasting rights were sold to marketing agency Digitel Komunikacije for a period of five years, beginning with 2011–12 season
2011–12 Prva HNL
The 2011–12 Prva HNL is the twenty first season of Prva HNL, the national championship for men's association football teams in Croatia, since its establishment in 1992...

. After the negotiations fell through with public broadcasting television HRT
Croatian Radiotelevision
Croatian Radiotelevision is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite...

, which covered Prva HNL for the past twenty seasons, Digitel signed a deal with T-Hrvatski Telekom
T-Hrvatski Telekom
T-Hrvatski Telekom is the national telecommunications company in Croatia.Croatian Telecom was formerly the telephony branch of the state-owned monopoly Hrvatska pošta i telekomunikacije; HPT , which was split into two parts in 1999...

. The matches are broadcasted on Arenasport, a cable television network, available to subscribers of MAXtv, IPTV solution from T-HT subsidiary T-Com. All matches involving Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 will be broadcasted in the basic programming package, while other matches mostly involving Rijeka and Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

 are available through purchasing additional sports package.

Winning clubs

Key
League champions also won the Croatian Cup
Croatian Cup
The Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...

, e.g. the domestic Double.

Season Champions (titles) Runners-up Third place Top scorer(s)
Player(s) (Club) Goals
1992 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 (1)
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

Ardian Kozniku
Ardian Kozniku
Ardian Kozniku is a former Croatian footballer who played as a striker. He was born in Kosovo and is of Albanian descent....

 (Hajduk Split)
12
1992–93 Croatia Zagreb (1) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

Goran Vlaović
Goran Vlaovic
Goran Vlaović is a former Croatian football striker.-Club career:Vlaović started his professional career with Osijek in 1989 and moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1992, before going abroad to play for Calcio Padova in Italy, Valencia in Spain and Panathinaikos in Greece, where he retired in June 2004...

 (Croatia Zagreb)
23
1993–94 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 (2)
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

Croatia Zagreb Goran Vlaović
Goran Vlaovic
Goran Vlaović is a former Croatian football striker.-Club career:Vlaović started his professional career with Osijek in 1989 and moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1992, before going abroad to play for Calcio Padova in Italy, Valencia in Spain and Panathinaikos in Greece, where he retired in June 2004...

 (Croatia Zagreb)
29
1994–95 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 (3)
Croatia Zagreb Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar is a former Croatian football striker. During his career, he played for NK Osijek, NK Zagreb, Club Brugge, AS Monaco, Verona, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Standard Liege and AC Omonia.-International:...

 (Osijek)
23
1995–96 Croatia Zagreb (2) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Varteks Igor Cvitanović
Igor Cvitanovic
Igor Cvitanović is a retired Croatian football striker.He is currently the all-time top goalscorer of the Croatian First League with a total of 126 goals, and also scored 122 domestic league goals for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, 117 of which were in the Croatian First League...

 (Croatia Zagreb)
19
1996–97 Croatia Zagreb (3) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Hrvatski Dragovoljac
NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac
NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac is a Croatian football club based in the Novi Zagreb neighbourhood of the country's capital city of Zagreb. The team's fans are known as the "Black Warriors"...

Igor Cvitanović
Igor Cvitanovic
Igor Cvitanović is a retired Croatian football striker.He is currently the all-time top goalscorer of the Croatian First League with a total of 126 goals, and also scored 122 domestic league goals for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, 117 of which were in the Croatian First League...

 (Croatia Zagreb)
20
1997–98 Croatia Zagreb (4) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

Mate Baturina
Mate Baturina
Mate Baturina is a former Croatian association football player.He made his single appearance for the Croatia national football team, in a friendly match against Egypt on 13 June 1999.-External links:* at Transfermarkt.de...

 (NK Zagreb)
18
1998–99 Croatia Zagreb (5) Rijeka Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Joško Popović
Joško Popovic
Joško Popović is a retired Croatian football striker. Popović played one game for the Croatia national football team, on 20 April 1994 against Slovakia in a friendly game, scoring in the 67th minute after being brought on at half time as a substitute.Popović played for several Prva HNL sides...

 (Šibenik)
21
1999–2000 Dinamo Zagreb (6) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

Tomo Šokota (Dinamo Zagreb)
21
2000–01 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 (4)
Dinamo Zagreb Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

Tomo Šokota (Dinamo Zagreb)
20
2001–02 NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

 (1)
Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Dinamo Zagreb Ivica Olić
Ivica Olic
Ivica Olić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich in Germany and internationally for the Croatian national team.- Early career :Olić was born and raised in the village of Davor near Nova Gradiška, Croatia, Yugoslavia...

 (NK Zagreb)
21
2002–03 Dinamo Zagreb (7) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Varteks Ivica Olić
Ivica Olic
Ivica Olić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich in Germany and internationally for the Croatian national team.- Early career :Olić was born and raised in the village of Davor near Nova Gradiška, Croatia, Yugoslavia...

 (Dinamo Zagreb)
16
2003–04 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 (5)
Dinamo Zagreb Rijeka Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar is a former Croatian football striker. During his career, he played for NK Osijek, NK Zagreb, Club Brugge, AS Monaco, Verona, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Standard Liege and AC Omonia.-International:...

 (Osijek)
18
2004–05 Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

 (6)
Inter Zaprešić
NK Inter Zaprešic
NK Inter Zaprešić is a Croatian football club based in Zaprešić, a town northwest of the capital Zagreb originally founded in 1929. They play in the Prva HNL after they were promoted from Druga HNL at the end of the 2006–07 season...

NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

Tomislav Erceg
Tomislav Erceg
Tomislav Erceg is a retired Croatian football player. He has made four appearances for the Croatia national football team, scoring one goal in a friendly game against Turkey on 12 June 1997....

 (Rijeka)
17
2005–06 Dinamo Zagreb (8) Rijeka Varteks Ivan Bošnjak
Ivan Bošnjak
Ivan Bošnjak is a Croatian football player who is currently playing for Chinese club Chongqing Lifan.-Career:Bošnjak started his professional career at local club HNK Cibalia in the 1996–97 season...

 (Dinamo Zagreb)
22
2006–07 Dinamo Zagreb (9) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...

 (Dinamo Zagreb)
34
2007–08 Dinamo Zagreb (10) Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...

Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...

Želimir Terkeš
Želimir Terkeš
Želimir Terkeš is a Bosnian football striker currently playing for Chongqing Lifan in the China League One...

 (Zadar)
21
2008–09 Dinamo Zagreb (11) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Rijeka Mario Mandžukić
Mario Mandžukic
Mario Mandžukić is a Croatian professional footballer playing for VfL Wolfsburg and Croatian national team.-Club career:Mandžukić was born in Slavonski Brod, at the time in SFR Yugoslavia....

 (Dinamo Zagreb)
16
2009–10
2009–10 Prva HNL
The 2009–10 Prva HNL season was the nineteenth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 24 July 2009 and ended on 13 May 2010...

Dinamo Zagreb (12) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

Cibalia
HNK Cibalia
HNK Cibalia, or just Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva HNL, Croatia's top flight. Their stadium is located in the south part of their home town and can hold 12,000 spectators...

Davor Vugrinec
Davor Vugrinec
Davor Vugrinec is a Croatian footballer who plays for NK Varaždin as a forward.-Early years:...

 (NK Zagreb)
18
2010–11
2010–11 Prva HNL
The 2010–11 Prva HNL season was the twentieth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011...

Dinamo Zagreb (13) Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...

RNK Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...

Ivan Krstanović
Ivan Krstanovic
Ivan "Popo" Krstanović is a Croatian football forward, currently playing for GNK Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian Prva HNL. He became known in Croatia when he became the top scorer of the Prva HNL in 2010-2011 with 19 goals....

 (NK Zagreb)
19


Notes on name changes:
  • Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They won five league titles and participated in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League
    UEFA Champions League
    The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

     group stages carrying that name before reverting back to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000.
  • The present-day NK Varaždin were called "Varteks" from 1958 until June 2010.
  • Koprivnica
    Koprivnica
    Koprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011 the city administrative area had a total population of 30,872, with 23,896 in the city itself.-Population:...

    -based Slaven Belupo were formerly known as "Slaven" until 1992. They were known as "Slaven Bilokalnik" from 1992 to 1994 before adopting their current name in 1994 for sponsorship reasons. Since UEFA does not recognize sponsored club names, the club is listed as "Slaven Koprivnica" in European competitions and on UEFA's official website.

Top scorers

All-time top scorers in the Prva HNL
RankPlayerGoals
1   Igor Cvitanović
Igor Cvitanovic
Igor Cvitanović is a retired Croatian football striker.He is currently the all-time top goalscorer of the Croatian First League with a total of 126 goals, and also scored 122 domestic league goals for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, 117 of which were in the Croatian First League...

 
126
2   Davor Vugrinec
Davor Vugrinec
Davor Vugrinec is a Croatian footballer who plays for NK Varaždin as a forward.-Early years:...

123
3   Joško Popović
Joško Popovic
Joško Popović is a retired Croatian football striker. Popović played one game for the Croatia national football team, on 20 April 1994 against Slovakia in a friendly game, scoring in the 67th minute after being brought on at half time as a substitute.Popović played for several Prva HNL sides...

 
111
4   Miljenko Mumlek
Miljenko Mumlek
Miljenko Mumlek is a Croatian football midfielder.-Club career:Born in Varaždin, Mumlek started his professional career in his hometown with Varteks Varaždin in early 1992 and went on to establish himself as one of the club's key players during the 1990s...

 
107
5   Tomislav Erceg
Tomislav Erceg
Tomislav Erceg is a retired Croatian football player. He has made four appearances for the Croatia national football team, scoring one goal in a friendly game against Turkey on 12 June 1997....

 
97
6   Renato Jurčec
Renato Jurčec
Renato Jurčec is a retired Croatian football player who played as a forward. Jurčec spent his entire career playing for a number of Croatian clubs, including spells at both of the country's powerhouses, Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split...

 
87
7   Nino Bule
Nino Bule
Nino Bule is a Croatian footballer who plays as a striker. His current club is NK Lokomotiva of the Prva HNL in Croatia.-International career:...

87
8   Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar is a former Croatian football striker. During his career, he played for NK Osijek, NK Zagreb, Club Brugge, AS Monaco, Verona, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Standard Liege and AC Omonia.-International:...

 
86
9   Marijo Dodik
Marijo Dodik
Marijo Dodik is a former Bosnian Croat football striker.Dodik started his career at Željezničar Sarajevo before being picked up by the Belgian side Mechelen in 1995, where he spent two seasons in the Jupiler League and scored 20 goals in a total of 84 appearances...

 
84
10   Veldin Karić
Veldin Karic
Veldin Karić is a former Croatian footballer and the current manager of Drava Kuršanec. He played for a number of Croatian sides during his career but is mainly remembered for his time at Varteks and a short spell with local powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb...

 
75
(Bold denotes players still playing in the Prva HNL,
italics denotes players still playing professional football).


Players in the Prva HNL compete for the Prva HNL Top scorer trophy, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Former Dinamo Zagreb striker Igor Cvitanović
Igor Cvitanovic
Igor Cvitanović is a retired Croatian football striker.He is currently the all-time top goalscorer of the Croatian First League with a total of 126 goals, and also scored 122 domestic league goals for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, 117 of which were in the Croatian First League...

 holds the record for most Prva HNL goals with 126. Cvitanović finished among the top ten goal scorers in 7 out of his 11 seasons in the Prva HNL and won the top scorer title two times. During the 1997–98 season he became the first player to score 100 Prva HNL goals. Since then, only three other players have reached the 100-goal mark.

Since the first Prva HNL season in 1992, fifteen different players have won the top scorers title. Goran Vlaović
Goran Vlaovic
Goran Vlaović is a former Croatian football striker.-Club career:Vlaović started his professional career with Osijek in 1989 and moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1992, before going abroad to play for Calcio Padova in Italy, Valencia in Spain and Panathinaikos in Greece, where he retired in June 2004...

, Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar
Robert Špehar is a former Croatian football striker. During his career, he played for NK Osijek, NK Zagreb, Club Brugge, AS Monaco, Verona, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Standard Liege and AC Omonia.-International:...

, Igor Cvitanović
Igor Cvitanovic
Igor Cvitanović is a retired Croatian football striker.He is currently the all-time top goalscorer of the Croatian First League with a total of 126 goals, and also scored 122 domestic league goals for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, 117 of which were in the Croatian First League...

, Tomislav Šokota
Tomislav Šokota
Tomo Šokota is a Croatian football striker.Šokota joined Porto from rivals S.L. Benfica, where he played between 2001 and 2005. He previously played four seasons for Croatian First League side Dinamo Zagreb, who signed him to his first professional contract from his youth club NK Samobor in 1997...

 and Ivica Olić
Ivica Olic
Ivica Olić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich in Germany and internationally for the Croatian national team.- Early career :Olić was born and raised in the village of Davor near Nova Gradiška, Croatia, Yugoslavia...

 have won two titles each. Dinamo Zagreb provided most top scorers in Prva HNL, their strikers topped the table ten times. Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...

 holds the record for most goals in a season (34) – scored for Dinamo Zagreb in the 2006–07 season. Six goals is the record individual scoring total for a player in a single Prva HNL game held by Marijo Dodik
Marijo Dodik
Marijo Dodik is a former Bosnian Croat football striker.Dodik started his career at Željezničar Sarajevo before being picked up by the Belgian side Mechelen in 1995, where he spent two seasons in the Jupiler League and scored 20 goals in a total of 84 appearances...

.

Dinamo Zagreb became the first team to have scored 1,000 goals in the league after Etto
Etto
Oélilton Araújo dos Santos , commonly known by his nickname Etto, is a Brazilian-born Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for Greek side PAOK FC...

 scored in a 4–0 victory over NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...

in the 2005–06 season. Hajduk Split is the only other team to have reached the 1,000-goal mark. The highest-scoring match to date in the Prva HNL occurred on 12 December 1993 when Dinamo Zagreb beat Pazinka 10–1.

External links

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