The Croatian Footballer of the Year (Croatian: Nogometaš godine) is the most prestigious annual association football award in Croatia. It is awarded by the newspaper Večernji list to the best Croatian football player in the preceding year, regardless of the league they play in, based on a points system which measures their performances for both club and country. The award is usually presented in a ceremony hosted by the Croatian Football Federation.
The award was established in 1972 and, until 1990, the award was given to the best Yugoslav player in the preceding year. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the award is given to the best Croatian player. Luka Modrić holds the record for most wins, with twelve awards.[1][2][3][4][5] Davor Šuker is second with six awards.[6][7][8][9] They are followed by Dado Pršo with three wins from 2003 to 2005.[6]
In 1995, a separate award, the Hope of the Year (Croatian: Nada godine), was introduced. It is awarded to the best young Croatian player.[10] As of 2020, only Ivica Olić and Luka Modrić have won both the Hope of the Year and Footballer of the Year awards.
† denotes shared wins
Year | Yugoslav Footballer of the Year | |||
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Player (Wins) | Age | Pos. | Club | |
1972 | Dušan Bajević | 24 | FW | ![]() |
1973 | Enver Marić | 25 | GK | ![]() |
1974 | Josip Katalinski | 26 | DF | ![]() |
1975 | Ivan Buljan | 26 | DF | ![]() |
1976 | Ivica Šurjak | 23 | MF | ![]() |
1977 | Dražen Mužinić | 24 | MF | ![]() |
1978 | Vilson Džoni † | 28 | DF | ![]() |
Nenad Stojković † | 22 | DF | ![]() | |
1979 | Safet Sušić † | 24 | MF | ![]() |
Velimir Zajec † | 23 | MF | ![]() | |
1980 | Vladimir Petrović | 25 | MF | ![]() |
1981 | Zlatko Vujović | 23 | FW | ![]() |
1982 | Ivan Gudelj | 22 | MF | ![]() |
1983 | Zoran Simović | 29 | GK | ![]() |
1984 | Velimir Zajec (2) | 28 | MF | ![]() |
1985 | Blaž Slišković | 26 | MF | ![]() |
1986 | Semir Tuce | 22 | MF | ![]() |
1987 | Marko Mlinarić | 27 | MF | ![]() |
1988 | Dragan Stojković | 23 | MF | ![]() |
1989 | Dragan Stojković (2) | 24 | MF | ![]() |
1990 | Robert Prosinečki | 21 | MF | ![]() |
Notes on club name changes:
Players in bold are still active. Wins in italics denote wins in Yugoslav competition before 1991.
Wins | Player | Winning years | Club(s) |
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12 | Luka Modrić | 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 | Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid |
6 | Davor Šuker | 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 | Sevilla, Real Madrid |
3 | Dado Pršo | 2003, 2004, 2005 | Monaco, Rangers |
2 | Velimir Zajec | 1979, 1984 | Dinamo Zagreb, Panathinaikos |
Dragan Stojković | 1988, 1989 | Red Star Belgrade | |
Robert Prosinečki | 1990, 1997 | Red Star Belgrade, Croatia Zagreb | |
Zvonimir Boban | 1991, 1999 | Milan | |
Ivica Olić | 2009, 2010 | Bayern Munich | |
Mario Mandžukić | 2012, 2013 | Bayern Munich |
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2024–25 teams |
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Former teams |
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Statistics and awards |
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Associated competitions |
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Seasons |
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National Men's Footballer of the Year award
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UEFA |
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AFC |
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CAF |
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CONMEBOL |
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CONCACAF |
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