The winter transfer window is upon us and Hajduk have made their first move; signing former Hajduk and Croatian national team striker: Nikola Kalinić.
Kalinić turns 36 years old on January 5th and will bring tons of wisdom back into the Hajduk locker room. He last played for the club in the Spring of 2023 and has played all across Europe during his career: Premiership, Serie A, La Liga.
Now, the Split-native will once again lace up his boots for his childhood club in hopes of bagging Hajduk’s first Croatian title in 19 years. Hajduk manager, Mislav Karoglan, said Kalinić would be his “joker off the bench” for the second half of the season, per Sportske Novosti.
My #1 question: is Kalinić signing up to legitimately help the team during the final stretch? Or is his plan to ride the coat tails of his teammates for a glorious, and frankly, overdue championship parade on the Splitska Riva? Time will tell. However, Kalinić did score eight goals in 29 appearances for Hajduk last season. Not too shabby but what will he be able to do in 2024 with both Dinamo and Rijeka breathing down Hajduk’s neck on the Prva Liga table?
Over/Under 3.5 Nikola Kalinić goals for Hajduk over the next 5 months: UNDER.
If the league has learned how to put Livaja on ice this season, I just can’t see how Kalinić can become a real contributor off the bench. He only signed for €1 which is a noble move and has to make Hajduk management happy. It’s a win-draw for them. I’m just curious to see if Kalinić will actually be able to contribute in any way, shape, or form.
Ever since Kalinic provoked our beloved Srna – he’s been (rightfully) on every Croat’s shit list – he’s a great example of someone who in his head thinks he’s Zlatan but plays like Budimir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx24Yycb1sw
Kit want:
https://twitter.com/theMadridZone/status/1742936292483322322
There are gonna be a lot of Spanish kids named “Luka” over the next generation
Faaantastic🙂 Luka’s one of the best advertisements for Hrvatska.
Who is this dick? Hey buddy – did you fall out of greizman’s ass when he made a boom boom?
Are you Zoki from Nth. Melbourne?
If you’re not, who are you? I know Ante K but none of you other guys that are “united” in your anonymity!
And to answer your juvenile qestion, No.
I’m just a guy that’s a fan of Croatian sports, like I assume many of you non Croats here are. I mean find me anyone that doesn’t love a good underdog?
Regardless of the fact that circumstances played a big part in little Croatia being able to make big things happen, it is still impressive, and does speak to the consistency and the big spirit of this little nation, but no one in their right mind can say that the 2018 & 2022 WC teams aren’t the worst teams in the history of the game to reach such heights?
The ’96 & ’98 teams, that’s a great team that played against other great teams, ’18 & ’22, that was to do with the right set of circumstances falling into place, because obviously the talent wasn’t there, I believe that’s not even up for debate?
Regarding talent not being there outside of years 96 &98, the following is a list of outstanding talented players in ’18 &’22: Perisic, Modric, Rakitic, Kovacic, Brozovic, Mandzukic, and Gvardiol. Not bad.
Kovacic being talented is highly debatable. The stats don’t lie and the eye test isn’t pretty either. 😆
True enough, but as we discussed, within the 18’/22′ total HRT system of controlling the middle of the field, that de-emphasized the extreme ends, Kovacic has been an important cog, especially, in 2022, with Rakitic retired.
A living organism that maximizes it strengths and minimizes its weaknesses, is the definition of the most talented team, period.
France was once the ultimate underdog, so much so, that it no longer exists, and has re-invented itself as a global heartless sick machine, that burns and riots as a modern acceptable form of celebration, which explains Frenchman’s and worldwide interest in Croatian sport, culture, and spirit.
A word to the wise, Don’t eat the apple, Hrvati. Stay in Eden. We can re-build from within and continue to be a shining beacon to the world. Believe in ourselves!
In my book regional nation states, should not play in the same league as global nation states. Nor should trans-women compete with women. I think France beat one team so bad recently it was like 14-0. What does this really prove.
“Nor should trans-women compete with women.”
I agree with this 100%
I watched Kova during the World Cup and he sucked he also missed a PK in a shoot out. Not an important cog, lateral and back passes with the occasional run or push of the ball forward where 8 out 10 times he loses the ball does not make him a valuable player. Most of his shots at goal are impotent or off target. What do you see when you watch a game?
Being Devil’s advocate:
The reason why Croatia hangs with teams, seemly with more talented individuals lately, that have the ability to run up the score to 14-0 with others is:
Croatia controls ball possession, and he is part of that effort. Backwards, to the side, whatever it takes.
He puts excellent pressure on teams when we do lose control in effort to regain control.
He has the Olic knack of late of picking up loose rebounds.
He is still developing. He is just getting good , because his skill is not solely based on speed but of tactical knowledge.
Most Importantly, Intangibles, “Believes in Thyself, In God, In thy country”
The intangibles eh. The mysticism of Kova, gotta give it to you that’s a new one. Also a bit of a Serb lover too, after all Sasa Matic performed at his wedding. Just another in a long list of Jugs that are big Hrvati, “you can take the Jugoslaven out of Jugoslasvia but you can’t take the Jugoslavia out of the Jugoslaven”. How does that sit with you Mr Big Croat? Your idol is a Cedo sympathiser.
Nah, South Sydney how bout ya?
How many Dinamo players had to leave for Hajduk to have a chance at winning the league?
This reminds me of Croatia’s third in the last WC (it may even be said of their silver), with the right set of circumstances, from little things big things can happen, but will they for Hajduk, where only winning can be considered the big thing? It’s a hope not from, but what do you Jugos think?
I wonder, would Dinamo fan Slavonac from Canada still like to see Hajduk win the league now that they have Kalinic, a player that was robbed of starting the first game at the 2018 WC, where a fully fit France won it all?
The more exciting news is the signing of Kleinheisler. Hajduk desperately needed reinforcements on the wing and I think he’s going to be a real threat coming off the bench.
Budimir scores game’s lone goal in win over Almeria. Didn’t see it but flashscore.com’s live commentary ——-> Ante Budimir (Osasuna) scores! He latches on to a pass and produces a perfect strike from the edge of the box. The ball goes into the bottom right corner and past the goalkeeper.
https://klipeleven.com/match/osasuna-almeria-2024-01-04/
Here you go😉
Was cool as a cucumber in his finishing and celebration. Wonder how long his Indian summer will last and looking ahead, whether he will feature in the WC2026 cycle considering his age. Budimir (born on 22 July 1991) is around the same age as Krama.
Not only did he score that goal like it was a warmup in a training session, he intelligently set his teammate up for a chance on the play leading up to the goal. He was reading the game one step ahead of everyone else on both plays. Budimir has turned himself into a top pro at this point.
He still as 2 Euro’s possibly, and a WC for sure, to make an impact statement. Not too late.
@TGAD: Agreed.
@kromiza: Yeah, given how he has blossomed later in his career, if continues to stay relevant for Osasuna in La Liga, I can see him still playing an active role for the repka in the WC2026 cycle. He is a consummate professional which might suggest some longevity there. We’ll see – fingers crossed obviously.
Seems like a good match at the right time for all concerned, from a positive perspective. We will see. Would like to see a change in the guard, in the HNL Maybe this is the little push we needed, without breaking the bank.
Yawn
He was a decent player. Scored goals. Costs nothing. If he works out it’s a big win and could be a player that pushes Hajduk over the edge to maintain the top spot.