Niko Kranjčar facts for kids
Kranjčar with Dynamo Kyiv in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Niko Kranjčar | ||
| Date of birth | 13 August 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, Croatia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Croatia U21 (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rapid Vienna | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Dinamo Zagreb | 84 | (19) |
| 2005–2006 | Hajduk Split | 50 | (15) |
| 2006–2009 | Portsmouth | 83 | (9) |
| 2009–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 49 | (9) |
| 2012–2016 | Dynamo Kyiv | 13 | (4) |
| 2013–2015 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 51 | (4) |
| 2016 | New York Cosmos | 7 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Rangers | 16 | (1) |
| Total | 353 | (61) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Croatia U16/17 | 17 | (8) |
| 2001–2002 | Croatia U19 | 7 | (2) |
| 2002–2005 | Croatia U21 | 15 | (2) |
| 2004–2013 | Croatia | 81 | (15) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2023 | Croatia U19 (assistant coach) | ||
| 2024– | Croatia U21 (assistant coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Niko Kranjčar is a former professional footballer from Croatia. He was born on August 13, 1984. Niko mainly played as an attacking midfielder. He could also play as a winger or a second striker. As of 2024, he works as an assistant coach for the Croatia U21 team.
Niko played for several clubs in his career. He started in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb. Then he made a big move to their rivals, Hajduk Split, in 2005. Later, he moved to England to play for Portsmouth in 2006. In 2009, he joined Tottenham, where he played for his former manager, Harry Redknapp. He also played for Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine. During that time, he had a loan spell at Queens Park Rangers, joining Redknapp again. He finished his playing career with short periods at New York Cosmos in the United States and Rangers in Scotland. He retired from playing in 2018.
Niko Kranjčar also played for the Croatian national team. His father, Zlatko Kranjčar, gave him his first chance to play for the national team in 2004. Niko played for Croatia in major tournaments like the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, and UEFA Euro 2012. He played 81 games for his country and scored 15 goals. His last game for Croatia was in 2013. He missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup due to an injury.
Contents
Early Life and Background
Niko Kranjčar is the son of Zlatko Kranjčar, who was also a famous footballer and manager. Zlatko played for clubs like Dinamo Zagreb and Rapid Vienna. Niko spent his childhood in Austria because his father was playing there. This meant Niko also had an Austrian passport.
Club Career Highlights
Dinamo Zagreb Years
Niko Kranjčar spent most of his youth playing for Dinamo Zagreb. When he was just 17, he became the youngest captain for the team. He also became one of the youngest players to score a goal in the Prva HNL (Croatia's top league). He scored on his very first league game for Dinamo when he was 16. He helped Dinamo win the Croatian Cup and the league title in 2003. They won the Croatian Cup again the next season. Fans loved him, and some even compared him to the French football legend Zinedine Zidane.
Moving to Hajduk Split
In January 2005, Niko had a disagreement with the Dinamo Zagreb management. This led to a surprising move to Hajduk Split. Hajduk Split is Dinamo's biggest rival. Over 10,000 fans came to welcome him at the Poljud stadium.
Niko played his first league game for Hajduk on February 26, 2005. He scored his first goal for Hajduk in April 2005. He helped Hajduk win the 2004–05 Prva HNL league title. This was their second league trophy in a row. Fans quickly made him their favorite player. Even though he had offers from other countries, he decided to stay at Hajduk for another season. In the 2005–06 Prva HNL season, he was Hajduk's top goal scorer with 10 goals.
After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, many clubs wanted to sign Niko. In August 2006, he moved to Portsmouth in England.
Time at Portsmouth
Niko Kranjčar made his Premier League debut for Portsmouth on October 1, 2006. He scored his first Premier League goal for them in March 2007. In his first season, he played 24 games and scored two goals. The next season, he was a very important player when Portsmouth won the FA Cup.
In 2009, Niko said he wanted to leave Portsmouth for a bigger club. He had played for Portsmouth for several years.
Joining Tottenham Hotspur
On September 1, 2009, Niko Kranjčar joined Tottenham Hotspur. He signed a four-year contract. He chose Tottenham because he knew manager Harry Redknapp. Also, his friends Luka Modrić and Vedran Ćorluka told him good things about the club. Niko made his debut for Tottenham as a substitute. He scored his first goal for the club in October 2009. He scored two goals in a game against Manchester City in December 2009. Niko sometimes found it hard to get a starting spot because Gareth Bale also played in his position. However, Niko still helped the team a lot. He scored important winning goals in two games in a row.
Playing for Dynamo Kyiv
On June 6, 2012, Niko Kranjčar signed a four-year contract with Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. He was happy to join them, even though he felt his time at Tottenham was a bit disappointing. Niko scored two goals in a game against Volyn Lutsk. He scored two more goals against Karpaty Lviv in September 2012. After a good start, he got an ankle injury in November. This kept him out of the game until the end of the year. He got injured again in March 2013 while playing for Croatia. This injury kept him out for the rest of that season.
Loan to Queens Park Rangers
On September 2, 2013, Niko joined Queens Park Rangers on loan for a season. This meant he reunited with his former manager, Harry Redknapp, for the third time. Niko made his first appearance for QPR as a substitute. He scored his first goal for QPR in a match against Millwall. He also got an assist in that game and was named "Man of the Match." He returned to QPR for another loan spell in September 2014.
Later Career: New York Cosmos and Rangers
After leaving Dynamo Kyiv, Niko went to the USA. In March 2016, he signed for New York Cosmos.
On June 23, 2016, Niko signed a two-year deal with Rangers in Scotland. He said it was a "big honor" to join such a large club. He made his debut for Rangers in July. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win over Stranraer. In October, he scored his first league goal. However, Niko suffered a serious knee injury in October 2016. This injury kept him out for the rest of the season. He returned to play in June 2017. Rangers released him from his contract in March 2018, as he continued to struggle with injuries.
International Career
Niko Kranjčar played for Croatia's national teams at different age levels. He played for the Under-16, Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 teams. His first game for the senior national team was on August 18, 2004. This was a friendly match against Israel.
He played regularly for Croatia during their qualifying games for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played nine games and scored two goals. One of his goals was a great solo effort against Bulgaria. Niko was seen as one of the world's top young talents. He played in all three of Croatia's group games at the World Cup.
After his father left as national team manager, Niko continued to be a key player for Croatia. He played in all 12 games during the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 2008. He scored two goals in these games. His most famous goal was a long-range shot against England. Croatia won that game 3–2, which meant England did not qualify for the tournament. He also scored a great goal in a friendly game against Scotland. Niko was part of the Croatia team at the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. He played in two group games and the quarter-final.
He scored a goal against Kazakhstan in the qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup. Niko was also in Croatia's squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He played in two of their three group games. He missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup because of a hamstring injury. His last international game was on October 15, 2013.
Personal Life
Niko Kranjčar is the son of famous Croatian footballer and manager Zlatko Kranjčar. Niko was married to Simona Fistrić. They had a daughter named Loree, born on March 7, 2011. However, Niko and Simona later divorced. Niko is currently in a relationship with actress Zrinka Cvitešić.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2000–01 | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | Prva HNL | 24 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Prva HNL | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Prva HNL | 24 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 12 | |
| 2004–05 | Prva HNL | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 | |
| Total | 85 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 119 | 22 | ||
| Hajduk Split | 2004–05 | Prva HNL | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |
| 2005–06 | Prva HNL | 32 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 14 | |
| 2006–07 | Prva HNL | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 3 | ||
| Total | 50 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 19 | ||
| Portsmouth | 2006–07 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 34 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 42 | 5 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 82 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 12 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur |
2009–10 | Premier League | 24 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 8 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 49 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | 71 | 11 | |||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2012–13 | Ukrainian Premier League |
13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 21 | 4 | |
| 2015–16 | Ukrainian Premier League |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 22 | 4 | |||
| Queens Park Rangers (loan) |
2013–14 | Championship | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 51 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 4 | ||
| New York Cosmos | 2016 | NASL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Rangers | 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 353 | 61 | 63 | 10 | 38 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 461 | 77 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2004 | 5 | 0 |
| 2005 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 81 | 15 | |
Honours and Awards
Niko Kranjčar won many awards and trophies during his career:
Dinamo Zagreb
- Croatian First Football League: 2002–03
- Croatian Cup: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04
- Croatian Supercup: 2002, 2003
Hajduk Split
- Croatian First Football League: 2004–05
- Croatian Supercup: 2005
Portsmouth
- FA Cup: 2007–08
Queens Park Rangers
- Championship play-offs: 2014 (This means his team won a special playoff to get promoted to a higher league.)
Individual Awards
- Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2002 (Award for a promising young player)
- Prva HNL Player of the Year: 2003, 2005 (Award for the best player in the Croatian league)
- HNL’s Footballer of the Year: 2003
- SN Yellow Shirt Award: 2004
See also
In Spanish: Niko Kranjčar para niños
