Since its inception in 1992, one team has reigned supreme over all others in the Croatian First League: Dinamo Zagreb.
Over the past 31 seasons, Croatia’s biggest club has won an impressive 22 league titles, including all but one of the last 17.
And it’s not hard to see why they’ve been so dominant considering some of the players who have donned the blue shirt down the years.
Virtually all of Croatia’s best players over the past few decades have at some point turned out at the Stadion Maksimir, whether they have risen through the youth ranks or been signed from smaller clubs across the country.
Sadly, though, whenever a player begins to show a hint of promise for the Blues, they are usually snapped up by richer clubs in Europe and rarely does one of their prized assets make over 100 appearances before leaving.
Fortunately, Dinamo possesses one of the finest youth academies in world football, enabling them to reinvent their side time and time again to cope with the loss of their most talented stars.
Had they managed to keep hold of all of their best players, though, they would undoubtedly be one of the finest teams on the continent at one stage or another.
Goalkeeper: Dominik Livakovic
Age: 28
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 273
Current club: Dinamo Zagreb
A phenomenal goalkeeper consistently linked to Europe’s top five leagues, Dominik Livakovic is the latest technically-superb Modri flying the Zagreb flag. Football fans around the world will have grown accustomed to him for the Croatian national team at the World Cup, being a key part of their defence which reached the final in 2018 and finished third in Qatar. He ended last year’s tournament with 25 saves, two more than any other goalkeeper, and recorded the most in a single game — 11 vs Brazil in the quarter-finals, not including one in the shootout victory.
Centre-back: Amir Rrahmani
Age: 29
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 57
Current club: Napoli
Amir Rrahmani is the first of a few players on this list who didn’t come through the academy at Dinamo Zagreb, but had a key part of their development at the club. The Kosovan international joined Dinamo Zagreb in 2016 from fellow Croatian club RNK Split but spent his first season out on loan with NK Lokomotiva — also in Croatia. Returning to the first team in the summer of 2017, Rrahmani was a regular starter as Dinamo Zagreb won the league and he added another winner’s medal a year later though his game time had been cut. Rrahmani was sold to Hellas Verona in 2019 but after just six months signed for Napoli where he remains, set to win Serie A as a big part of their defence.
Centre-back: Josko Gvardiol
Age: 21
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 52
Current club: RB Leipzig
Josko Gvardiol is one of the most-sought after centre-backs in Europe right now, and clubs chasing his signature have Dinamo Zagreb to thank. The 21-year-old came through the Dinamo Zagreb academy to earn his spot in the first time, winning two league titles and one cup in 52 appearances. For Zagreb, Gvardiol featured both as a centre-back and a left-back, showing the kind of defensive versatility that had RB Leipzig come sniffing. Gvardiol has the quality to go to the very top but there is still a rawness, as shown in his struggles dealing with Erling Haaland recently.
Centre-back: Dejan Lovren
Age: 33
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 60
Current club: Lyon
Dejan Lovren spent most of his youth growing up in Germany but when he was ten years old his family relocated to Zagreb. He turned out for a couple of local clubs upon moving to Croatia and his form alerted the attentions of Dinamo Zagreb’s scouts in 2004.
Following a successful three-year loan spell with Inter Zapresic, Lovren became a first-team player for Dinamo in the 2009/10 season and his outstanding displays culminated in a move to Lyon, where he played for three years before joining Southampton and then Liverpool. His Premier League story ended in 2020 when he joined Zenit, but Lovren is now part of Lyon’s defence.
Left midfielder: Borna Sosa
Age: 25
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 41
Current club: Stuttgart
Some people may not know too much about Borna Sosa but the Croatian was high on the wishlist of a number of clubs last summer, reportedly looking for a left-back (or wing-back). The 25-year-old will look more familiar with his long hair now than his short when coming through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, breaking into the first team in 2016. Sosa would spend just two full seasons as part of their first team, however, before joining Stuttgart where he has truly made his name.
Central midfield: Marcelo Brozovic
Age: 30
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 99
Current club: Inter Milan
One of the few Croatians in this side who did not pass through Dinamo’s youth academy, Marcelo Brozovic instead started his career with Hrvatski Dragovoljac and also turned out for Lomotiva before achieving his big transfer to Dinamo.
He spent two seasons in Dinamo’s engine room and performed sufficiently well to earn a move to Inter Milan initially on loan and then on a permanent basis in 2016.
Central midfield: Luka Modric
Age: 37
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 128
Current club: Real Madrid
The star of Croatia‘s current side, Luka Modric was the golden boy of Croatian football when he was first making his way in the game with Dinamo, although a loan spell to Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar was also pivotal to his development.
Just prior to starring at Euro 2008, Modric joined Tottenham in a big-money deal and he became one of the leading midfielders in the Premier League during his four years at Spurs, leading to a move to Real Madrid. Modric was crucial to Croatia‘s run to the final at the 2018 World Cup and won the Ballon d’Or as a result. And he’s still going strong at 37, not looking close to stopping.
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Right midfielder: Mislav Orsic
Age: 30
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 93
Current club: Southampton
The most recent departure from Dinamo Zagreb on this list, Mislav Orsic only left the club in the winter transfer window, signing for Southampton. Although life in the Premier League isn’t going well, with Orsic struggling for game time in a team looking set for relegation, there’s a player in the 30-year-old. He’s proven it this season with goals against AC Milan and Chelsea in the Champions League, netting a grand total of six in 12 for the club during his four-and-a-half-year stay.
Attacking midfield: Mateo Kovacic
Age: 28
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 73
Current club: Chelsea
The obvious candidate to replace Modric for both club and country, Mateo Kovacic spent two years in the Dinamo first team and he showed such promise that Inter snapped him up in 2013.
Kovacic immediately became a prominent member of the Inter side and spent two seasons at the San Siro before moving on to Real Madrid in 2015. Although he was rarely a regular, Kovacic won the Champions League in his first season and repeated that feat twice more. He spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Chelsea, and joined the Blues permanently in 2019, since picking up another Champions League trophy.
Attacking midfield: Dani Olmo
Age: 24
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 124
Current club: RB Leipzig
One of the most recent jewels in the crown at Dinamo and the last player in this XI to leave the club. Dani Olmo joined Dinamo’s academy from Barcelona in 2014 but it wasn’t long before he became part of the first team.
A wonderfully gifted player, Olmo was very much the star of the recent Dinamo team, scoring 34 goals and recording 28 assists across all competitions. Both his performances for Dinamo and the Spanish U21 side saw Olmo pique the interest of several clubs from across Europe, including a potential return to Barcelona. But it was RB Leipzig who won the signature of the 24-year-old, and his time in Germany has been good so far.
Striker: Andrej Kramaric
Age: 31
Dinamo Zagreb appearances: 52
Current club: Hoffenheim
The spearhead of our (non-retired) Dinamo Zagreb attack, Andrej Kramaric didn’t have the greatest of goalscoring records at the club, scoring just 11 goals in 52 games having risen through the ranks. However, Kramaric was only 22 when he left for HNK Rijeka, where the Croatian started to find his footing. Now at Hoffenheim, via a brief spell with Leicester, Kramaric is truly thriving with 110 goals in 244 games for the German club and 23 strikes for Croatia.
