Danijel Pranjić facts for kids

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Danijel Pranjić

Pranjić in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Danijel Pranjić
Date of birth	(1981-12-02) 2 December 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Našice, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.71 m
Playing position	Left winger, full-back
Youth career
1998–2000	NAŠK
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2000	NAŠK
2000–2001	Papuk
2001–2002	Belišće	28	(7)
2002–2004	Osijek	53	(3)
2004–2005	Dinamo Zagreb	29	(2)
2005–2009	Heerenveen	129	(32)
2009–2012	Bayern Munich	55	(1)
2011	Bayern Munich II	1	(0)
2012–2013	Sporting CP	9	(0)
2013	→ Celta de Vigo (loan)	10	(0)
2013–2016	Panathinaikos	80	(9)
2016–2017	Koper	20	(1)
2017–2019	Anorthosis Famagusta	61	(6)
2019–2020	Ayia Napa	17	(1)
2020–2021	Omonia Psevda	13	(1)
National team
2002–2004	Croatia U21	15	(1)
2004–2015	Croatia	58	(1)
Teams managed
2020–2021	Omonia Psevda (player-manager)
2021	Dubrava
2022–2023	Trnje
2023	Sloboda Tuzla
2023–2024	Achyronas-Onisilos
2024	GOŠK Gabela
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Danijel Pranjić (born on December 2, 1981) is a football manager and a former professional player from Croatia. He was known for being a very flexible player. He could play in many different positions on the left side of the field. He could also play as a central midfielder.

Pranjić had his most successful time playing for Bayern Munich in Germany. With Bayern, he won two major titles in the 2009–10 season. He also played in the UEFA Champions League final twice, in 2010 and 2012. He played for the Croatian national team from 2004 to 2015. He represented his country in three big tournaments: Euro 2008, Euro 2012, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

After he stopped playing football, Pranjić became a manager. He has coached several clubs in Croatia, Bosnia, and Cyprus.

Playing Career Highlights

Danijel Pranjić started his football journey in his hometown of Našice, Croatia. He played for local clubs like NAŠK, Papuk, and Belišće.

Early Club Years

In 2002, Pranjić joined Osijek, a top Croatian club. Two years later, in 2004, he moved to Dinamo Zagreb. While at Dinamo Zagreb, he played regularly in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup competition. He played six matches and scored one goal in that tournament.

Time in the Netherlands

In 2005, Pranjić moved to the Netherlands to play for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie league. He played very well as an attacking winger. His strong performances helped him return to the Croatian national team in 2007. In the 2008–09 season, he started strongly, scoring four goals in his first three league games. He even scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) in the KNVB Cup in November 2008. He won the KNVB Cup with Heerenveen at the end of the 2008–09 season. This was his last match for the club.

Playing for Bayern Munich

In June 2009, Pranjić joined the famous German club Bayern Munich. In his first season, it was a bit tough for him to get a regular spot. However, in his second season, he played more games. This was partly because he could play in different positions and some teammates were injured.

Later Club Adventures

After his contract with Bayern Munich ended in 2012, Pranjić moved to Portugal to play for Sporting CP. He played nine games there before joining Celta de Vigo in Spain on loan in January 2013. In September 2013, he signed a three-year contract with Panathinaikos in Greece. He made his first appearance for them in a 1–1 draw against Platanias.

Later in his career, Pranjić played for Koper in Slovenia in 2016. In 2017, he moved to Cyprus to play for Anorthosis. In 2019, he joined Ayia Napa, also in Cyprus.

International Career

Danijel Pranjić began his international career playing for the Croatian under-21 national team. He played 15 games for them and scored one goal between 2002 and 2004.

Senior National Team Debut

On November 16, 2004, Pranjić played his first game for the senior Croatian national team. It was a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. After not playing for the national team for two years, he was called back in February 2007 for a friendly match against Norway. He also played in three qualifying matches for UEFA Euro 2008 later that year.

Euro 2008 and World Cup 2014

At the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, Pranjić played a defensive role for Croatia. He was the only Croatian player to start all four games in the tournament. He helped his team score goals by providing assists. For example, he assisted a goal in Croatia's 2–1 win over Germany. He also assisted the only goal in their 1–0 win against Poland.

He continued to be a regular player for the national team during the qualifying games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played in nine matches during that campaign. In November 2013, he was called up again for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs. He was then part of Croatia's 23-player squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup itself.

Pranjić's last game for Croatia was a Euro 2016 qualification match in September 2015. He played a total of 58 games for his country and scored 1 goal.

Career Statistics

Club

International goals

Scores and Results show Croatia's goal tally first

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	28 March 2015	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	Norway	5–1	5–1	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Managerial

Honours and Achievements

Danijel Pranjić won several important titles during his playing career:

Club Honours

Heerenveen

• KNVB Cup: 2008–09 (This is a major cup competition in the Netherlands.)

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2009–10 (The top football league in Germany.)
• DFB-Pokal: 2009–10 (Germany's main knockout cup competition.)
• DFL-Supercup: 2010 (A super cup match played between the winners of the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.)
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2009–10, 2011–12 (He reached the final of Europe's biggest club competition twice.)

Panathinaikos

• Greek Cup: 2013–14 (Greece's main knockout cup competition.)

See also

In Spanish: Danijel Pranjić para niños