5 brilliant players who are simply too good to be playing in Croatia
Manchester United, PSG and Inter Milan targets are among the brilliant players who are simply too good to be playing in Croatia.
The Croatian Football League has an excellent reputation when it comes to developing players and there are plenty of hidden gems in the league currently.
Whether they are old stars winding down or the next wonderkids coming through the ranks, here are five brilliant players who we think are too good to be playing in Croatia.
Ivan Rakitic
After spending a few months in Saudi Arabia with Al-Shabab, Rakitic returned to his native country in the summer and signed a one-year deal with Hajduk Split.
“I got the opportunity to give something back, for everything Croatia has given to me in the most beautiful, checkered shirt,” Rakitic said upon joining Hajduk Split.
Despite being in the twilight years of his career, the former Barcelona star still has the ability to dictate a game from the base of midfield.
The 36-year-old creates more chances per game (1.9) than any of his teammates and we can’t help but think he could still do a job in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Martin Baturina
Having created more big chances than anyone else in the league, it’s no wonder that the likes of Manchester United and PSG have been sniffing around the Dinamo Zagreb playmaker.
The 21-year-old has already been dubbed as the ‘next Luka Modric’ and looks like one of the most promising talents coming out of Croatia right now.
He’s currently valued at around £21million, although that valuation could skyrocket in the coming years if he continues to develop at his current pace. Watch this space.
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Petar Sucic
Sucic is a fellow Dinamo Zagreb wonderkid who’s also been attracting plenty of interest in recent months.
The likes of Man United, Man City, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan have all reportedly kept tabs on the 21-year-old defensive midfielder of late.
“I had a talk with Marko Maric from Dinamo Zagreb, the sporting director, and he told me they think Sucic is their greatest player,” Borussia Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken told FootballTransfers.
“They have a lot of great players already playing in the national team from a very young age.”
For the time being, Sucic is continuing to develop nicely in his native country, although we can’t help but think that his long-term future may lie elsewhere.
Toni Fruk
Last year PSG were supposedly interested in Fruk and given his record in Croatia, it’s easy to see why.
During 2024-25, the attacking midfielder has averaged a goal contribution every 145 minutes and he’s only second to Baturina when it comes to key passes per 90.
While the 23-year-old is under contract with HNK Rijeka until the summer of 2027, we wouldn’t be surprised if a big European side comes in with an offer in the near future.
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Marko Livaja
Livaja didn’t get much of a chance at Inter Milan during his formative years, but boy has he become a superstar since joining Hajduk Split in 2021.
The 31-year-old tops the charts for goals scored (10) and assists provided (seven) and looks like a cut above the competition in Croatia.
Across all competitions, Livaja has produced 124 goal contributions in just 152 appearances for Hajduk Split. With that sort of record, we can’t help but feel like he could do the business in one of Europe’s top five leagues.