Ivan Strinić (; born 17 July 1987) is a Croatian retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. Strinić spent his professional career playing in a number of clubs from Croatian, Ukrainian and Italian top flight, including Hajduk Split,

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

, Strinić started his youth career with Hajduk Split, where he stayed until 2006, then he moved to France to play for Le Mans B. Following his return to

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

he played for

NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac Nogometni klub Hrvatski dragovoljac ( en, Football Club Hrvatski dragovoljac), commonly referred to as NK Hrvatski dragovoljac or simply Hrvatski dragovoljac, is a Croatian football club based in the Novi Zagreb neighbourhood of the country's c ...

where he was spotted by his native club Hajduk Split.

Hajduk Split

Even though he was close to finishing a deal with

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 ...

, Strinić decided to sign for his youth club Hajduk Split. His first competitive match for Hajduk came on the opening of the 2008–09 season against

NK Zadar Nogometni klub Zadar ( en, Football Club Zadar), commonly referred to as NK Zadar or simply Zadar, was a Croatian football club based in Zadar, a city on the Adriatic coast, best known for playing in the top flight of Croatian football for alm ...

Poljud Stadium Gradski stadion u Poljudu ( en, City Stadium in Poljud), better known as Stadion Poljud ( en, Poljud Stadium) or simply Poljud, is a multi-use stadium in Split, Croatia, which has been the home ground of Hajduk Split football club since 1979. ...

, ending in 1–0 win for Hajduk. During his first season with Hajduk he appeared in 17 domestic league games, playing in the position of left-back. In the 2009–10 season he proved himself as the first team regular starter, earning his first call-up for national team as well. He managed to score four goals in the league, including one in the eternal derby against Dinamo Zagreb in a 2–1 win. In the 2010–11 season, Strinić played in all of Hajduk's matches in

2010–11 UEFA Europa League The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began ...

campaign against

RSC Anderlecht Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht (, , ) or RSCA (, , ), is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht, Brussels Capital-Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian First Division A and is the most successful ...

AEK A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...

and

Zenit St. Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...

. He also became the starting left-back in the national side, playing in eight out of nine qualifiers for Euro 2012. He left Hajduk in January 2011 after amassing 77 appearances in all competitions for the Split-based side, scoring five goals.

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

On 27 January 2011, Strinić signed with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk for reported fee of 4 million euro. Strinić made his debut for Dnipro in a league match against

Tavriya Simferopol Sports Club Tavriya ( uk, Спортивний клуб "Таврія") was a Ukrainian football club from Simferopol. Tavriya was a member of the Ukrainian Premier League from its founding and won the first Ukrainian Premier League making them ...

in a 2–2 draw with the left back scoring a stunning goal. He made five other appearances that season in a slow start to his Dnipro career. The 2011–12 season was far better for Strinić as he made 27 appearances in all competitions and played all three games in Croatia's Euro 2012 campaign. The 2012–13 season was similarly successful for Strinić as he maintained his starting places with both the national side and his club side, amassing 35 appearances for Dnipro in all competitions. In December 2014, Strinić announced that he would not be renewing his contract with the club with his contract expiring at the end of that month.

Napoli

The player subsequently signed with

S.S.C. Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli (), is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in the city of Naples ( it, Napoli, nap, Napule), Camp ...

, after 112 games over four years with the Ukrainian club.

Sampdoria

On 31 August 2017, Strinić joined

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

for a reported fee of €2 million, signing a one-year deal.

AC Milan

In March 2018, Strinić signed a pre-contract with

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...

. The deal was officialized on 2 July 2018 while he was in Russia playing for the national team at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. On 18 August 2018, a heart condition which was found meant the temporary withdrawal from football training sessions. He became available again for selection into matchday squads since 12 January 2019 and was on the team's bench 10 times before the end of season. In July 2019, he made his unofficial debut for Milan, starting in a friendly against Bayern Munich as a center back. On 26 August 2019, Strinić and the club's management mutually agreed to the terms of contract termination, ending the deal two years in advance.

International career

Strinić received his first call-up for

Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...

under manager

Slaven Bilić Slaven Bilić (; born 11 September 1968) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of EFL Championship side Watford. Bilić, who played as a defender, began his career in 1988 with his hometown c ...

for a friendly match against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

on 19 May 2010. Since then he has been regular starter for Croatia and the first choice for their left-back position. He was a part of the

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, where he played all three games in group stage. He provided an assist for

Mario Mandžukić Mario Mandžukić (; born 21 May 1986) is a Croatian football coach and a former player who is an assistant coach of the Croatia national team. As a player, he played as a forward and became known for his aggressiveness, defensive contribution ...

in the match against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, to equalize the result on 1–1. Although he was the first choice left back during the qualification matches, he missed out on the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil due to a hamstring injury. In May 2018, Strinić was named in Croatia's squad for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. He started in six of the seven matches in the team's runners-up finish, including the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. However, due to a diagnosed heart condition, Strinić was forced to withdraw from football. When he recovered, he was out of shape and has never been called-up again. He earned a total of 49 caps, scoring no goals.

Career statistics

International

Honours

Hajduk Split * Croatian Football Cup: 2009–10 Croatia *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

runner-up:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

Orders *

Order of Duke Branimir The Order of Duke Branimir ( hr, Red kneza Branimira) is the 7th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in promoting Croatia in international relations ...

: 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strinic, Ivan 1987 births Living people Footballers from Split, Croatia Association football defenders Croatian footballers Croatia youth international footballers Croatia under-21 international footballers Croatia international footballers UEFA Euro 2012 players UEFA Euro 2016 players 2018 FIFA World Cup players NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac players HNK Hajduk Split players FC Dnipro players S.S.C. Napoli players U.C. Sampdoria players A.C. Milan players Croatian Football League players Ukrainian Premier League players Serie A players Croatian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in France Croatian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in Italy Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate footballers in Ukraine Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine