Sport
The most successful sides in Croatian football history
Whether as an independent nation or as part of Yugoslavia, Croatia has always been a footballing hotpot. Not only has Croatia been a regular source of technically gifted players, it has also had a strong domestic scene that has allowed them to flourish before moving to the elite echelons of world football. It has seen some sides such as Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split enjoy success across the board and even challenge European powerhouses from time to time. With that in mind, who are the most successful clubs in Croatian football history?
Lokomotiva Zagreb
Despite never winning a senior league title, Lokomotiva Zagreb have always been a handful to deal with across the years. Despite being founded in 1914, Lokomotiva have often remained in the shadow of their larger cross-city neighbours, Dinamo. However, they did cause a stir in the 1950s where they achieved a third place finish in the Yugoslav First Division in 1952 – exceeding their local rivals. However, this would be the only major success until the 21st century where Lokomotiva found themselves rejuvenated in the Croatian domestic leagues. After gaining promotion to the Croatian Prva Liga in 2009, they have gone on to finish second twice in the 2010s although their first elusive trophy has continued to evade them to this day.
NK Zagreb (1 title)
Much of the early years in the Croatian First League saw NK Zagreb emerge as one of the biggest threats to Dinamo for several decades. They proved this by placing in the top three of the league 3 times in the 1990s much to the pleasure of their partisan supporters. NK would finally reach the summit in the 2001-02 season where they pipped Hajduk Split to the title by just two points. Much of this came to the rise of local talent such as Ivica Olic who showcased the bright future that lay ahead for Croatian football. After a couple of strong finishes in the 2000s, NK Zagreb encountered on financial hardship and fell into the lower depths of Croatian football in 2015 where the club still languishes from their huge collapse.
HNK Rijeka (1 title)
Outside Croatia’s powerhouse sides, it has been HNK Rijeka that has often pushed the big sides to their limits without jeopardising their position. Followed by a small but loyal fanbase, Rijeka have finished runners-up in the Croatian First League on no less than 7 occasions showcasing their potential has title challengers. This potential was realised in the 2016-17 season when they finally claimed their first major League title by pipping Dinamo by two points to win the title. This comes alongside winning 6 Croatian Cup titles in the 21st century proving that success is always just waiting around the corner for Rijeka time and time again.
Hajduk Split (6 titles)
Hajduk Split are a side that are beloved across much of Croatia. Based in the city of Split, Hajduk have always been a successful side both sides of the Yugoslavia breakup. Indeed, Hajduk were a major force during the Yugoslav days winning consistent league titles in both the 1950s and 1970s. Since the Croatian League was formed in the 1990s, Hajduk have lifted the tile on 6 occasions including winning 3 of the first 4 incarnations of the league between 1992-1995. Their form in the 1994-95 season was particularly memorable as the squad did the domestic double as well as reaching the last eight of the Champions League before being knocked out by Ajax 3-0. Despite not winning a league title since 2005, Hajduk have added to their success by winning 7 Croatian Cup titles last lifting the trophy in 2022. Proof that Hajduk still have a knack for silverware to this day.
Dinamo Zagreb (23 titles)
When football in Croatia is mentioned, your mind first drifts to the famous blue and white kits of Dinamo Zagreb. Despite not being the biggest side during the Yugoslavian era, everything has changed since Croatia became an independent nation. With much of Croatia’s biggest stars lining up for the squad, they have claimed an unprecedented 23 league titles since the Croatian League first formed in 1992. This included an astonishing run of over a decade reigning as champions from 2005-2016 before their run was halted by HNK Rijeka in the 2016-17 season. More impressive is the fact that Dinamo have done the domestic double on numerous occasions repeating this feat on 11 occasions. Having smashed every team record available, it isn’t hard to see why Dinamo Zagreb are considered the star side of Croatian football.
