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Croatian Football League facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
"Croatian First Football League" redirects here. For the second-tier league, see Prva nogometna liga.
Quick facts for kids
SuperSport HNL
SuperSport HNL.png
Organising body HNS
Founded 1992; 33 years ago (1992)
Country  Croatia
Confederation UEFA
Number of teams 10
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Prva NL
Domestic cup(s) Croatian Cup
Croatian Super Cup
International cup(s) UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Europa Conference League
Current champions Dinamo Zagreb (25th title)
(2023–24)
Most championships Dinamo Zagreb
(25 titles)
Most appearances Jakov Surać (453)
Top goalscorer Davor Vugrinec (146)
TV partners T-Hrvatski Telekom
(MAX Sport)
HRT

The Hrvatska nogometna liga (pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː nôɡomeːtnaː lǐːɡa]; English: Croatian Football League), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is the top Croatian professional football league competition, established in 1992. It was previously called Prva Hrvatska nogometna liga (First Croatian Football League), but a league structure reorganization from 2022–23 led to name changes for the three top league levels.

Overview

The league was formed in 1991, following the independence of Croatia and the creation of a separate Croatian league from the Yugoslav First League. This newly formed league was operated by the Croatian Football Federation. Since its formation, the league went through many changes in its system and number of participating clubs. In the first three seasons two points were awarded for a win, from 1994–95 season this was changed to three points. Each season starts in late July or early August and ends in May, with a two-month hiatus between December and February. Currently, there are ten teams participating in the league.

The first season started in February 1992 and ended in June 1992. A total of twelve clubs contested the league and at the end of the season no teams were relegated as it was decided that the league would expand to 16 clubs for the following season. This was followed by another expansion to 18 teams in 1993–94 season, highest number of participating teams in Prva HNL history. The following season, number of teams was reduced again to 16. 1995–96 Prva HNL was the first season to feature separate A- and B- leagues, with a complicated two-stage format to the season. Twelve teams contested the A league, while the B league, formally the second level, consisted of ten teams. In March, the teams were split into three groups: Championship group (consisting of first five teams from A league and the first-placed team of the B league), A play-off group (remaining teams from A league and the second-placed team of the B league) and B play-off group (remaining teams from B league). The first two teams of the B play-off group were placed in the A league for the following season, which featured 16 teams in both A and B league. In the 1997–98 Prva HNL, the league consisted of 12 team and a new format was used. In March, teams were split into two groups of six, Championship and Relegation group, with 50% of their points taken to this phase of the competition. At the end of the season, the last team was directly relegated to the Druga HNL and the second-last team went in the relegation play-off, a two-legged tie against the second-placed team from the Druga HNL. This system was used for two seasons, followed by 1999–2000 Prva HNL where each club playing every other club three times for a total of 33 rounds. Next season featured a return of Championship and Relegation group system but without 50% points cutoff. This system was used until 2005–06 season, with a brief expansion to 16 teams in 2001–02 season. The 2006–07 season brought back a 33 rounds system previously used in 1999–2000 Prva HNL. In the 2009–10 season, the league was expanded to 16 teams. This lasted for three seasons, and in the 2012–13 Prva HNL season, the league was contested by 12 teams playing a total of 33 rounds. From the 2013–14 Prva HNL season, number of teams was reduced to ten.

The league's main sponsor is T-Hrvatski Telekom, owned by the German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom. At the end of the 2014–15 season, the Croatian First League was ranked 17th in Europe. The champions of the 2015–16 Croatian First Football League will qualify for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, the runners-up will qualify for the second qualifying round of UEFA Europa League, while the third-placed team will qualify for the first qualifying round of UEFA Europa League. The winners of the 2015–16 Croatian Football Cup will qualify for the third qualifying round of UEFA Europa League.

Clubs

The following ten clubs compete in the 2023–24 Croatian Football League season, the 33rd season since the league's establishment.

Five of the ten clubs currently competing in the Croatian top level also had spells in the Yugoslav First League played from 1945 to 1991 before Croatian clubs abandoned the competition (Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Lokomotiva, Osijek, Rijeka). Four other Croatian clubs which had appeared in the top Yugoslav league (Cibalia, RNK Split, NK Zagreb and Trešnjevka) are currently playing in Croatian lower levels.

As of 2023, only four of the 12 founding members of the Croatian league have never been relegated: Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek and Rijeka.

Club
 Position
in 2022–23		 First season in
top division		 Number of seasons
in top division		 Number of seasons
in 1. HNL		 First season of
current spell in
top division		 Best top level
result		 Titles total
(most recent)
Dinamo Zagreb ‡ 0011st 1946–47 78 33 1946–47 1st 28 (2022–23)nb1
Gorica 0099th 2018–19 6 6 2018–19 5th N/A
Hajduk Split ‡ 0022nd 1923 95 33 1923 1st 15 (2004–05)nb2
Istra 1961 0055th 2004–05 18 18 2009–10 5th N/A
Lokomotiva 0077th 1946–47 24 15 2009–10 2nd N/A
Osijek ‡ 0033rd 1953–54 49 33 1981–82 2nd N/A
Rijeka ‡ 0044th 1946–47 62 33 1974–75 1st 1 (2016–17)
Rudeš ZZZ1st in 2. HNL 2017-18 3 3 2023–24 8th N/A
Slaven Belupo 0088th 1997–98 27 27 1997–98 2nd N/A
Varaždin 0066th 2019–20 4 4 2022–23 6th N/A

† – One of the 12 founding members of the league in the inaugural 1992 season.
‡ – Appeared in all 33 seasons up to and including the current 2023–24 season.
nb1 – Dinamo Zagreb tally includes four Yugoslav and 24 Croatian league titles.
nb2 – Hajduk Split tally includes nine Yugoslav and six Croatian league titles.

Prva HNL teams in European competitions

Further information: Croatian football clubs in European competitions

The breakup of Yugoslavia saw top flight league split into several smaller ones. This meant separation of Croatian football association from the Football Association of Yugoslavia and launch of their own football league. Prva HNL saw its first edition in 1992. Hajduk Split and HAŠK Građanski took part in European competitions on account of qualification secured at the end of the 1990–91 Yugoslav football season: HAŠK Građanski were runners-up in the 1990–91 Yugoslav First League and qualified for 1991–92 UEFA Cup while Hajduk Split won the 1990–91 Yugoslav Cup and entered 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup. Due to war both clubs had to host their European matches abroad, in Austria.

Affected by the ongoing war in Croatia, the first Prva HNL season was held over the course of a single calendar year, from February to June 1992. Neither Hajduk Split (1992 Croatian champions) nor Inker Zaprešić (1992 Croatian Cup winners) could enter European competitions the following 1992–93 season as the Croatian Football Federation, the league's governing body, wasn't yet recognized by UEFA and officially became its affiliate as late as June 1993.

Eight times in history have HNL teams entered the group stages of UEFA Champions League. In the 1994–95 season, Hajduk Split eliminated Legia Warsaw in the qualifying round and entered the group stage. They advanced to quarterfinals as group runners-up behind Benfica but were eliminated by eventual winners Ajax. In the 1998–99 season, Croatia Zagreb qualified over Celtic and finished in second place behind Olympiacos, but failed to advance as only first place teams and two best runners-up went through. The following season, Croatia also entered the group stage after eliminating MTK Budapest in the third qualifying round. Drawn in the group with Manchester United, Olympique Marseille and Sturm Graz, they finished last, winning only against Sturm and drawing away at Manchester and Marseille. In the 2011–12 season, Dinamo Zagreb advanced through three qualifying rounds and were drawn in the group with Real Madrid, Lyon and Ajax. The following season, Dinamo Zagreb also advanced to the group stages and was drawn in the group with Dynamo Kyiv, Paris Saint-Germain and Porto. They lost five group matches, drawing with Dynamo Kyiv in the last round. In the 2015-16 season, Dinamo Zagreb entered the group stage and recorded notable win 2–1 over Arsenal. Next season, 2016-17, another qualification followed. Latest entry to the group stage was in 2019-20 where Dinamo Zagreb finished fourth behind Manchester City, Atalanta and Shakhtar with 2 draws vs Shakhtar and a 4–0 win over Atlanta, with controversial refereeing decisions in both draws — a win in either would have sent them through to the Round of 16 as runners-up.

Former names

Since 2003, the league has been named after its main sponsor, giving it the following names (Logos see below):

  • 2003–2007 – Prva HNL Ožujsko (Sponsored by Zagrebačka pivovara and their Ožujsko beer brand.)
  • 2007–2011 – T-Com Prva HNL (Sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.)
  • 2011–2017 – MAXtv Prva liga (Sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.)
  • 2017–2022 – Hrvatski Telekom Prva liga / HT Prva liga (Sponsored by T-Hrvatski Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.)
  • 2022–present – SuperSport Hrvatska nogometna liga / SuperSport HNL (Sponsored by bookmaker SuperSport)

UEFA rankings

Europe's top football body, the UEFA, ranks national leagues every year according to coefficients calculated based on each nation's clubs results in international competitions. The ranking takes into account results over the previous five seasons to determine the nation's European quota for the following season, i.e. how many berths in European competitions is assigned to clubs from each of UEFA's 55 member associations.

UEFA also maintains a separate club ranking, based on each club's international results, used to determine seeds in draws for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. This is calculated through a combination of each club's results as well as the ranking of its national league. As of 2022 Dinamo Zagreb is the top rated Croatian club, ranked 34th in Europe.

Media coverage

In past, only one match in each round (derby match) was broadcast on television. 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 broadcast 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. 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. After the negotiations fell through with public broadcasting television HRT, which covered Prva HNL for the past twenty seasons, Digitel signed a deal with Hrvatski Telekom. The matches were broadcast on Arenasport, a cable television network with five channels, available to subscribers of MAXtv, IPTV solution from T-HT subsidiary T-Com. All matches were broadcast live every week on Arenasport. All highlights are displayed on Sunday evening on RTL 2 and HRT 2.

From 2022–23 season the matches are broadcasting on the Hrvatski Telekom channels MAX Sport, while the one match per round will be broadcast on the Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), again after 11 years (from September 2022, mainly on Sunday at 15:00 CET). For the other Ex-Yugoslav republics the league will still be broadcast on Arena Sport.

Attendance

Season
 Total attendance
 Number of
matches		 Average attendance
per match		 Ref
1992 376,435 132 2,896
1992–93 1,006,350 240 4,264
1993–94 851,600 306 2,820
1994–95 879,400 240 3,664
1995–96 940,270 364 2,612
1996–97 687,950 240 2,903
1997–98 684,400 192 3,602
1998–99 745,728 192 3,884
1999–00 515,790 198 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
2009–10 500,002 240 2,083
2010–11 458,746 240 1,911
2011–12 482,002 240 2,087
2012–13 497,188 198 2,511
2013–14 573,070 180 3,202
2014–15 489,159 180 2,733
2015–16 442,952 180 2,461
2016–17 492,041 180 2,734
2017–18 530,638 180 2,948
2018–19 478,760 180 2,660
2019–20 510,674 180 2,837
2020–21 26,509 180 147
2021–22 502,012 180 2,789
2022–23 735,219 180 4,085

Champions

Key
0†0 League champions also won the Croatian Football Cup, they completed the domestic Double
0+0 Player received award in front of Mijo Caktaš and Mirko Marić based on least playing minutes
Season Champions (titles) Runners-up Third place Top league scorer
Player (Club) Nat. Goals
1992 Hajduk Split (1) NK Zagreb Osijek Kozniku, ArdianArdian Kozniku (Hajduk Split)  CRO 12
1992–93 Croatia Zagreb (1) Hajduk Split NK Zagreb Vlaović, GoranGoran Vlaović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 23
1993–94 Hajduk Split (2) NK Zagreb Croatia Zagreb Vlaović, GoranGoran Vlaović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 29
1994–95 Hajduk Split (3) † Croatia Zagreb Osijek Špehar, RobertRobert Špehar (Osijek)  CRO 23
1995–96 Croatia Zagreb (2) † Hajduk Split Varteks Cvitanović, IgorIgor Cvitanović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 19
1996–97 Croatia Zagreb (3) † Hajduk Split Hrvatski Dragovoljac Cvitanović, IgorIgor Cvitanović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 20
1997–98 Croatia Zagreb (4) † Hajduk Split Osijek Baturina, MateMate Baturina (NK Zagreb)  CRO 18
1998–99 Croatia Zagreb (5) Rijeka Hajduk Split Popović, JoškoJoško Popović (Šibenik)  CRO 21
1999–2000 Dinamo Zagreb (6) Hajduk Split Osijek Šokota, TomoTomo Šokota (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 21
2000–01 Hajduk Split (4) Dinamo Zagreb Osijek Šokota, TomoTomo Šokota (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 20
2001–02 NK Zagreb (1) Hajduk Split Dinamo Zagreb Olić, IvicaIvica Olić (NK Zagreb)  CRO 21
2002–03 Dinamo Zagreb (7) Hajduk Split Varteks Olić, IvicaIvica Olić (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 16
2003–04 Hajduk Split (5) Dinamo Zagreb Rijeka Špehar, RobertRobert Špehar (Osijek)  CRO 18
2004–05 Hajduk Split (6) Inter Zaprešić NK Zagreb Erceg, TomislavTomislav Erceg (Rijeka)  CRO 17
2005–06 Dinamo Zagreb (8) Rijeka Varteks Bošnjak, IvanIvan Bošnjak (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 22
2006–07 Dinamo Zagreb (9) † Hajduk Split NK Zagreb Eduardo (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 34
2007–08 Dinamo Zagreb (10) † Slaven Belupo Osijek Terkeš, ŽelimirŽelimir Terkeš (Zadar)  BIH 21
2008–09 Dinamo Zagreb (11) † Hajduk Split Rijeka Mandžukić, MarioMario Mandžukić (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 16
2009–10 Dinamo Zagreb (12) Hajduk Split Cibalia Vugrinec, DavorDavor Vugrinec (NK Zagreb)  CRO 18
2010–11 Dinamo Zagreb (13) † Hajduk Split RNK Split Krstanović, IvanIvan Krstanović (NK Zagreb)  BIH 19
2011–12 Dinamo Zagreb (14) † Hajduk Split Slaven Belupo Bećiraj, FatosFatos Bećiraj (Dinamo Zagreb)  MNE 15
2012–13 Dinamo Zagreb (15) Lokomotiva Rijeka Benko, LeonLeon Benko (Rijeka)  CRO 19
2013–14 Dinamo Zagreb (16) Rijeka Hajduk Split Čop, DujeDuje Čop (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 22
2014–15 Dinamo Zagreb (17) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Kramarić, AndrejAndrej Kramarić (Rijeka)  CRO 21
2015–16 Dinamo Zagreb (18) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Nestorovski, IlijaIlija Nestorovski (Inter Zaprešić)  MKD 25
2016–17 Rijeka (1) † Dinamo Zagreb Hajduk Split Futács, MárkóMárkó Futács (Hajduk Split)  HUN 18
2017–18 Dinamo Zagreb (19) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Soudani, El Arabi HillelEl Arabi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb)  ALG 17
2018–19 Dinamo Zagreb (20) Rijeka Osijek Caktaš, MijoMijo Caktaš (Hajduk Split)  CRO 19
2019–20 Dinamo Zagreb (21) Lokomotiva Rijeka Čolak, AntonioAntonio Čolak + (Rijeka)  CRO 20
2020–21 Dinamo Zagreb (22) † Osijek Rijeka Miérez, RamónRamón Miérez (Osijek)  ARG 22
2021–22 Dinamo Zagreb (23) Hajduk Split Osijek Livaja, MarkoMarko Livaja (Hajduk Split)  CRO 28
2022–23 Dinamo Zagreb (24) Hajduk Split Osijek Livaja, MarkoMarko Livaja (Hajduk Split)  CRO 19
2023–24 Dinamo Zagreb (25) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Miérez, RamónRamón Miérez (Osijek)  ARG 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 group stages carrying that name before reverting to "Dinamo Zagreb" mid-season in February 2000.
  • Koprivnica-based Slaven Belupo were formerly known as "Slaven" until 1992. They were then known as "Slaven Bilokalnik" from 1992 to 1994 before adopting their current name in 1994 for sponsorship reasons, after a pharmaceutical company based in Koprivnica. Since UEFA does not recognize sponsored club names, the club is listed as "Slaven Koprivnica" in European competitions and on UEFA's official website.

Performance by club




Circle frame-1.svg

Titles won by club (%)      Dinamo Zagreb – 24 (74.1%)     Hajduk Split – 6 (19.3%)     Zagreb – 1 (3.2%)     Rijeka – 1 (3.2%)

Club Champions Runners-up Third place Last best place
Dinamo Zagreb 24 4 2 Champions 2022–23
Hajduk Split 6 14 6 Champions 2004–05
Rijeka 1 7 5 Champions 2016–17
NK Zagreb 1 2 3 Champions 2001–02
Lokomotiva
—
 2
—
 Runner-up 2019–20
Osijek
—
 1 9 Runner-up 2020–21
Slaven Belupo
—
 1 1 Runner-up 2007–08
Inter Zaprešić
—
 1
—
 Runner-up 2004–05
Varteks
—
—
 3 Third place 2005–06
Cibalia
—
—
 1 Third place 2009–10
Hrvatski Dragovoljac
—
—
 1 Third place 1996–97
RNK Split
—
—
 1 Third place 2010–11

All-time HNL table

All-time HNL table (end of 2022–23 season)
Pos
(by Pts)		 Team S Pts GP W D L GF GA 1st 2nd 3rd T Debut Since/
Last App		 Best Win%
1 GNK Dinamo Zagreb 32 2375 1047 727 194 126 2550 890 24 4 2 30 1992 1992 1 69,43%
2 HNK Hajduk Split 32 1968 1047 577 240 230 2053 1096 6 14 6 26 1992 1992 1 55,10%
3 HNK Rijeka 32 1700 1051 476 272 303 1723 1328 1 7 5 13 1992 1992 1 45,29%
4 NK Osijek 32 1535 1047 421 272 354 1602 1482 0 1 9 10 1992 1992 2 40,21%
5 NK Slaven Belupo 26 1100 869 281 253 335 1120 1270 0 1 1 2 1997–98 1997–98 2 32,33%
6 NK Zagreb 24 1043 759 286 185 288 1163 1160 1 2 3 6 1992 2015–16 1 37,68%
7 NK Varaždin (1931–2015) 21 870 654 243 142 269 1047 1076 0 0 3 3 1992 2011–12 3 37,15%
8 HNK Cibalia 22 818 699 210 188 301 848 1101 0 0 1 1 1992 2017–18 3 30,04%
9 HNK Šibenik 21 766 670 199 169 302 796 1035 0 0 0 0 1992 2020–21 4 29,70%
10 NK Inter Zaprešić 20 739 647 193 160 294 783 1045 0 1 0 1 1992 2019–20 2 29,82%
11 NK Lokomotiva 14 657 483 180 117 186 643 653 0 2 0 2 2009–10 2009–10 2 37,26%
12 NK Zadar 20 649 597 169 142 286 741 1159 0 0 0 0 1992 2014–15 6 28,30%
13 NK Istra 1961 17 586 580 141 172 276 603 875 0 0 0 0 2004–05 2009–10 5 24,31%
14 NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac 10 360 319 90 80 149 355 494 0 0 1 1 1995–96 2021–22 3 28,21%
15 RNK Split 7 312 237 81 69 87 253 262 0 0 1 1 2010–11 2016–17 3 34,17%
16 HNK Gorica 5 248 180 65 49 66 204 191 0 0 0 0 2018–19 2018–19 5 36,11%
17 NK Istra 7 243 215 65 48 102 215 312 0 0 0 0 1992 1999–2000 6 30,02%
18 NK Kamen Ingrad 6 217 191 59 40 92 314 386 0 0 0 0 2001–02 2006–07 4 30,89%
19 HNK Segesta 5 207 160 55 42 63 197 206 0 0 0 0 1992–93 1996–97 8 34,37%
20 NK Marsonia 6 202 190 53 43 94 269 416 0 0 0 0 1994–95 2003–04 5 27,89%
21 NK Međimurje 5 150 160 40 30 90 227 390 0 0 0 0 2004–05 2009–10 9 25,00%
22 HNK Suhopolje 4 128 108 34 26 48 119 149 0 0 0 0 1995–96 1998–99 9 31,48%
23 NK Karlovac 3 112 90 29 26 35 82 103 0 0 0 0 2009–10 2011–12 6 32,22%
24 NK Varaždin (2012) 3 110 108 27 29 52 100 131 0 0 0 0 2019–20 2020–21 8 25,00%
25 NK Belišće 3 93 94 24 21 49 115 170 0 0 0 0 1992–93 1994–95 12 25,53%
26 HNK Dubrovnik 1919 3 77 86 18 23 45 54 133 0 0 0 0 1992 1993–94 11 20,93%
27 NK Pomorac Kostrena 2 72 62 19 15 28 78 93 0 0 0 0 2001–02 2002–03 7 30,64%
28 NK Čakovec 2 71 62 19 14 29 78 109 0 0 0 0 2000–01 2001–02 7 30,64%
29 NK Pazinka 2 65 64 15 20 29 71 95 0 0 0 0 1992–93 1993–94 11 23,43%
30 NK Primorac 1929 2 60 64 18 17 29 69 103 0 0 0 0 1993–94 1994–95 14 28,12%
31 NK Rudeš 2 54 72 13 15 44 67 142 0 0 0 0 2017–18 2018–19 8 18,00%
32 NK Croatia Sesvete 2 39 63 9 13 41 61 147 0 0 0 0 2008–09 2009–10 12 14,28%
33 NK Radnik Velika Gorica 2 33 64 12 9 43 47 161 0 0 0 0 1992–93 1993–94 13 18,75%
34 NK Samobor 1 32 32 9 5 18 34 55 0 0 0 0 1997–98 1997–98 12 28,12%
35 NK Lučko 1 31 30 6 13 11 29 36 0 0 0 0 2011–12 2011–12 13 20,00%
36 HNK Vukovar '91 1 30 33 7 9 17 32 56 0 0 0 0 1999–2000 1999–2000 12 21,21%
37 NK Dubrava 1 30 34 7 9 18 28 63 0 0 0 0 1993–94 1993–94 17 20,58%
38 HNK Orijent 1919 1 26 30 5 11 14 28 53 0 0 0 0 1996–97 1996–97 14 16,67%
39 NK Neretva 1 23 30 4 11 15 20 44 0 0 0 0 1996–97 1994–95 15 13,33%
40 NK TŠK Topolovac 1 14 30 4 2 24 31 95 0 0 0 0 2001–02 2001–02 16 13,33%
League or status for 2022–23 season
2022–23 HNL
2022–23 Prva NL
2022–23 Druga NL
Lower leagues
No longer exists

Top scorers

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 held the record for most Prva HNL goals with 126 until April 2012. 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. On 14 April 2012, Davor Vugrinec scored his 127th goal and surpassed Cvitanović's record. Vugrinec retired in May 2015 with 146 goals on his tally. Only three other players have reached the 100-goal mark, Ivan Krstanović, Joško Popović and Miljenko Mumlek.

Since the first Prva HNL season in 1992, 26 different players have won the top scorers title. Goran Vlaović, Robert Špehar, Igor Cvitanović, Tomislav Šokota and Ivica Olić have won two titles each. Dinamo Zagreb provided most top scorers in Prva HNL with 13. Eduardo holds the record for most goals in a season with 34, done with Dinamo Zagreb in the 2006–07 season. Six goals is the record individual scoring total for a player in a single Prva HNL match, held by Marijo Dodik.

Dinamo Zagreb became the first team to have scored 1,000 goals in the league after Etto scored in a 4–0 victory over NK Zagreb in the 2005–06 season. The highest-scoring match to date in the Prva HNL occurred on 12 December 1993 when Dinamo Zagreb defeated minnows NK Pazinka 10–1.

Transfers records

Transfers from HNL

# Player From To Season Fee
1 Croatia Joško Gvardiol Dinamo Zagreb Germany RB Leipzig 2021/2022 36,80 mln €
2 Croatia Marko Pjaca Italy Juventus FC 2016/2017 29,40 mln €
3 Spain Dani Olmo Germany RB Leipzig 2019/2020 29,00 mln €
4 Croatia Luka Modrić England Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 2008/2009 22,50 mln €
5 Croatia Josip Šutalo Netherlands AFC Ajax 2023/2024 20,50 mln €
6 Croatia Filip Benković England Leicester City F.C. 2018/20219 14,50 mln €
7 Croatia Luka Vušković HNK Hajduk Split England Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 2023/2024 13,80 mln €
8 Croatia Marko Rog Dinamo Zagreb Italy SSC Napoli 2017/2018 13,50 mln €
9 Croatia Brazil Eduardo England Arsenal F.C. 2007/2008 13,50 mln €
10 Croatia Vedran Ćorluka England Manchester City F.C. 2007/2008 13,00 mln €

Transfers to HNL

# Player From To Season Fee
1 Croatia Marko Rog RNK Split Dinamo Zagreb 2015/2016 5,00 mln €
2 Croatia Boško Šutalo Italy Atalanta BC 2022/2023 4,05 mln €
3 Croatia Austria Robert Ljubičić Austria SK Rapid Wien 2022/2023 3,00 mln €
Croatia Luka Ivanušec NK Lokomotiva Zagreb 2019/2020
Croatia Ivan Nevistić HNK Rijeka 2020/2021
6 Croatia Petar Bočkaj NK Osijek 2021/2022 2,70 mln €
7 Nigeria Iyayi Atiemwen HNK Gorica 2018/2019 2,65 mln €
8 Argentina Ramón Miérez Spain Deportivo Alavés NK Osijek 2021/2022 2,50 mln €
Chile Brazil Junior Fernandes Germany Bayer 04 Leverkusen Dinamo Zagreb 2014/2015
Croatia Lovro Majer NK Lokomotiva Zagreb 2018/2019

Awards

There are three awards for best players in the Croatian First League:

  • Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award, for the HNL footballer of the year, given by the Croatian sport newspaper Sportske novosti, chosen by sport journalists.
  • Prva HNL Player of the Year (Tportal), given by the Croatian website Tportal, chosen by captains of league clubs.
  • Football Oscar, given by the Croatian union Football syndicate, chosen by players and managers of league clubs.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Primera Liga de Croacia para niños

  • Sport in Croatia
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Croatian Football League Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.