Nikola Kalinić
Croatian footballer (born 1988) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nikola Kalinić (Croatian pronunciation: [nǐkola kǎlinitɕ];[3][4] born 5 January 1988) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker and currently a sports director of Croatian Football League club Hajduk Split.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Nikola Kalinić[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (1988-01-05) 5 January 1988 (age 36) | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Hajduk Split (Sports director) | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
1998–2005 | Hajduk Split | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
2005–2009 | Hajduk Split | 79 | (44) | ||||||||||||||
2006 | → Pula Staro Češko (loan) | 12 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
2007 | → Šibenik (loan) | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
2009–2011 | Blackburn Rovers | 44 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
2011–2015 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 86 | (37) | ||||||||||||||
2015–2018 | Fiorentina | 69 | (27) | ||||||||||||||
2017–2018 | → AC Milan (loan) | 31 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
2018 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2018–2020 | Atlético Madrid | 17 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
2019–2020 | → Roma (loan) | 15 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
2020–2022 | Hellas Verona | 33 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
2022–2023 | Hajduk Split | 29 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
2024 | Hajduk Split | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
International career | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | Croatia U16 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
2004–2005 | Croatia U17 | 18 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
2005–2007 | Croatia U19 | 12 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
2006 | Croatia U20 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2007–2010 | Croatia U21 | 9 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
2007–2018 | Croatia | 42 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2024 |
Kalinić began his career with Hajduk Split in his native Croatia before moving to English club Blackburn Rovers for £6 million in 2009. After scoring rarely in two Premier League seasons, he left for Ukrainian side Dnipro, helping them reach the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final. He then played in Serie A for Fiorentina and AC Milan, before signing for Spanish club Atletico Madrid ahead of the 2018–19 season, winning the 2018 UEFA Super Cup.[5]
Kalinić made his debut for Croatia in 2008 and represented the nation at three UEFA European Championships. He was part of their side that came runners-up at the 2018 FIFA World Cup but was sent home after one game.[6]