Prva HNL Player of the Year
The Prva HNL Player of the Year award (Croatian: Najbolji nogometaš HNL) was an annual association football award given by the Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija. It was awarded to the best football player who plied his trade in the Prva HNL (or "1. HNL"), Croatian top flight and winners were chosen by the newspaper's sports editors. Winners for the preceding year were usually announced around 1 January and all players who had spent the entire calendar year playing in the league were eligible for the award, regardless of their nationality.[1] The award was established in 1992 and lasted until 2010 when it was awarded for the last time.
Igor Cvitanović holds the record for most wins with three awards won between 1992 and 1997, followed by Stipe Pletikosa and Niko Kranjčar with two wins each.[1] The current award holder is Sammir of Dinamo Zagreb.[2]
Another similar award is the Yellow Shirt Award which is based on aggregate player ratings in matches throughout the season as judged by the country's only sports daily Sportske novosti.
Winners
† denotes shared wins
| Year | Player (Wins) | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 † |  | Hajduk Split |
| 1992 † | | Varteks / HAŠK Građanski |
| 1992 † | | Hajduk Split |
| 1993 | | Hajduk Split / Croatia Zagreb |
| 1994 |  | Hajduk Split |
| 1995 | | Hajduk Split |
| 1996 | | Croatia Zagreb |
| 1997 † | | Croatia Zagreb |
| 1997 † | | Croatia Zagreb |
| 1998 | | Croatia Zagreb |
| 1999 | | Croatia Zagreb |
| 2000 | | Osijek |
| 2001 | | Hajduk Split |
| 2002 † | | NK Zagreb / Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2002 † | | Hajduk Split |
| 2003 | | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2004 | | Zadar / Hajduk Split |
| 2005 | | Hajduk Split |
| 2006 | | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2007 | | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2008 | | Hajduk Split |
| 2009 | | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2010 | | Dinamo Zagreb |
Notes on club name changes:
- Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They reverted to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000.
- The present-day NK Varaždin was called "Varteks" from 1958 until June 2010.
See also
- 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 web site Tportal, chosen by captains of league clubs.
- Football Oscar, given by the Croatian union Football syndicate, chosen by players and managers of league clubs.
References
- 1 2 Alfirević, Slaven (1 January 2010). "Tradicionalni izbor Slobodne Dalmacije: na vrhu usamljen Mandžukić" (in Croatian). Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ↑ Vulas, Frane; Alfirević, Slaven (5 January 2011). "Najbolji u HNL-u 2010. godine: Sammir ipak ispred Ibričića i Vukušića" (in Croatian). Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 4 May 2011.