Niko Kranjcar - Biography

Last Editor: eileenmaldonado				Niko Kranjcar Biography -   Name : Niko Kranjcar Date of Birth : August 13, 1984 Place of Birth : Zagreb, Croatia Nationality : Croatian Height : 185 cm Weight : 82 kg Profession : Soccer Player Club : HNK Hajduk Split Position : Forward [R, C]

Niko Kranjcar Trivia -

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Niko Kranjcar Detailed Biography -

Niko Kranjčar (pronounced CRUNCH-ar) (born August 13, 1984 in Zagreb), to the famous father Zlatko “Cico” Kranjčar, is a Croatian football midfielder. He currently (as of 2005) plays for Hajduk Split. Kranjčar has been part of the Croatian national Under-16, -17, -19 and -21 teams before advancing to the senior national team of which he is currently part. No Croatian footballer has been hyped over the past five years as the young Niko Kranjčar. Niko was touted "the greatest promise of Croatian football" when he was 16 and a half. Compared to a young Zidane and a half dozen other European footballing greats. Kranjčar seemed destined for stardom ever since he stunned coaches, opponents, writers and spectators alike in his initial senior appearances with Dinamo Zagreb in early 2001. Playing as an out-and-out striker, or more frequently as an advanced midfielder behind two forwards, he showed maturity (and stature, at 185 cm) that belied his age. His strong physique, good vision of the game, cunning, imaginative passing and excellent close control led many to prophesy his quick full international debut and stardom beyond the Croatian borders. A month after his promotion to the first team, he appeared as a sub in the Cup final second leg when Dinamo beat Hajduk Split 1-0 securing their fifth Croatian Cup. His rise was meteoric: three weeks before his 17th birthday he scored on his League debut, later that season he collected another Cup medal and at the start of 2002/03 season was made the club's youngest ever skipper by ex-Croatia coach Miroslav Blažević! The campaign ended brilliantly for the youngster as Dinamo won the championship and Kranjčar was hailed as the best player of the season according to the sports press ratings. Still, his senior debut has been delayed on several occasions although the press has continually appealed for his call-up for a year now. When Otto Barić finally did call him up for the February friendly against Germany in Split, he was injured on the eve of the fixture. The much traveled coach Tomislav Ivić agrees that "Kranjčar has a great feeling for the ball and great understanding of the game. Few players in the world have that virtue. Niko's father Zlatko, himself a successful coach (two League and Cup doubles with Dinamo Zagreb, and a League title with NK Zagreb) blames coaches and their methods for his son's apparent lack of progress. But Ivić, the supreme authority among coaches, retorted: "His father is partly to blame for his physical condition. If Niko was my son, I would put him in order." Early into his career, Niko was in the sights of both Juventus and Milan, but his dream is to join Barcelona and in fact his career adviser, the famed Davor Šuker, has already linked him with the Catalan giants who reportedly have acquired an option over Kranjčar. Still, no concrete offer from the west has reached Dinamo's offices and last autumn it was reported that CSKA Moscow would like him to join his fellow countryman Ivica Olić . Niko turned the Russians down. "I don't want to go to Russia, it's just too cold for me." said Kranjčar. "My dreams have always been of Barcelona. I have always been their fan. Nothing could be greater than stepping out on the Nou Camp turf in the blue and claret shirt!" Kranjčar spent most of his youth playing for Dinamo, later as a captain, but then in early 2005, after a disagreement with the management, made a surprise transfer to Dinamo's biggest rival, Hajduk. His transfer was the probably the sport news of the year in Croatia. Niko was chosen for "Young gun firing for World Cup glory." on the eurosport.com with some of the greatest talents in the world such as Leo Messi, Lukas Podolski and Muntari. The Kranjčar dynasty Kranjčar was born into a famous footballing family. The Kranjčars are to Croats what Johan Cruyff and Jordi Cruyff are to the Dutch. Zlatko Kranjčar was in his time also a precocious talent, who went on to blossom in Dinamo Zagreb and star in the winning of one League Championship and two Cups of the former Yugoslavia. After scoring a hundred goals in the then strong Yugoslav League, he was transferred to Rapid Vienna where he won two Leagues, four Cups and added more than a hundred league goals to his impressive tally. He appeared in the 1985 Cup Winners Cup finals in Rotterdam against Everton (3-1 for the Toffees) and collected - curiously - only 11 caps and three goals for Yugoslavia, plus two caps for a fledgling Croatian team in 1990. He holds both Croatian and Austrian passports.