Heart of Hajduk ( hr, Hajdučko srce) is an annual football award established in 1994 and officially awarded by the Hajduk Split supporters' association

Torcida Split Torcida Split is a HNK Hajduk Split supporters' group in Croatia with the branches in other countries, mostly, (but not exclusively) among Croat communities. Founded on 28 October 1950, Torcida is the oldest supporters group in Europe. The gr ...

to the Hajduk player of the year. The inaugural winner of the award was the midfielder

Ante Miše Ante Miše (born 14 June 1967) is a Croatian football manager and former professional football player who played as a midfielder. As a player, he earned 7 caps in friendlies for Croatia in the period from 1992 to 1994. Playing career Club In ...

, a key player in the squad which won the Croatian championship in the 1993–94 season. Two players have won the award twice, the striker Nenad Pralija in 1995 and 1996, and the goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa in 2000 and 2002. Up to 2012, only three foreign players had received the award (

Josip Skoko Josip Skoko (born 10 December 1975) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder for North Geelong Warriors, Hajduk Split, Genk, Gençlerbirliği, Wigan Athletic, Stoke City and Melbourne Heart. Skoko has ...

in 1998, Mirko Hrgović in 2007 and Senijad Ibričić in 2010), although they all hold Croatian citizenship. In 2006, the title was not awarded because, according to supporters' judgment, none of the players deserved it following a string of bad results in both domestic competitions which saw Hajduk, widely considered a powerhouse in Croatian football, finishing fifth in the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

and exiting the 2005–06 Croatian Cup in the semi-finals. In 2009, the club had initially struggled to find its form, but improved later in the season and eventually finished second in the championship and runners-up in the 2008–09 Croatian Cup (after coming back from a 3–0 defeat to their biggest rivals

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

in the first leg and then losing the final in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

). The supporters' frustration with yet another trophiless season was further increased when Hajduk went through much turmoil related to the transformation of the debt-ridden club into a

public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the Republic of Ireland. It is a limited liability company whose shares may be fre ...

in summer 2009. In addition, the team experienced a series of humiliating results at the beginning of the 2009–10 season, and this all led to the cancellation of the award for the second time. On 11 August 2011, the award was posthumously awarded to the legendary Hajduk manager

Tomislav Ivić Tomislav Ivić (; 30 June 1933 – 24 June 2011) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian spo ...

, who died in June 2011. In August 2012, Heart of Hajduk was awarded to the

youth academy In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

Winners

:Names in bold indicate multiple winners.
International caps correct as of 18 August 2022.

References

External links

Hajduk Split
official website
Torcida Split
official website
Heart of Hajduk
at torcidakup.com {{HNK Hajduk Split Association football trophies and awards Croatian awards Awards established in 1994 HNK Hajduk Split 1994 establishments in Croatia

Winners

See also

References

External links