Nikola Pokrivač (26 November 1985 – 18 April 2025) was a Croatian professional
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 lea ...
who played as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
.
Club career
NK Varteks
Pokrivač started to play football with amateur side Bratstvo Jurovec, near his hometown. He went on to continue his youth career with
Čakovec
Čakovec (; ; ; ) is a city in Northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital, and close to the borders with Slovenia and Hungary. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmo ...
and NK Varteks, eventually advancing to the first team at Varteks in the summer of 2004.
Making his senior domestic league debut for Varteks against
Zadar
Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...
on 7 August 2004, Pokrivač went on to establish himself as a regular at the club in 2005. He also appeared in some European matches for the club, playing in the
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
in the summer of 2005 and the
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
qualifying a year later. In 2006, he also played for Varteks in the two-legged final of the
Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to:
*Croatian Football Cup
*Croatian Football Super Cup
*Croatian Women's Football Cup
*Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup
*Croatian Handball Cup
*Croatian Water Polo Cup
The Croatian Water Polo C ...
, where they lost to
HNK Rijeka
Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka.
HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Croatian First Football League, Supersport HNL, o ...
on away goals after a 5–5 draw on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb
His good performances at Varteks eventually secured him a move to Croatia's top club
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
in the winter break of the 2006–07 season. He quickly became a regular at his new club and also helped them winning both the Croatian league and cup titles in 2007. He also collected further experience in European competitions with Dinamo, making a total of 10 appearances in both the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
qualifying and the UEFA Cup during the first half of the 2007–08 season.
Monaco
On 30 January 2008, Pokrivač moved to French
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
side
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, commonly referred to as AS Monaco (), is a professional football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. Although not in France, they are a member of the French Football Federation (FFF) and currently ...
on a four-and-a-half-year contract. He made his league debut on 23 February 2008 in Monaco's 1–1 draw at
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
, playing the full 90 minutes. He continued to appear regularly for the club over the following two months, until being sent off with a straight red card in the final moments of the club's away match against
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionNancy on 29 October 2008, also recording an assist in the same match. A month later, he scored the only goal in Monaco's 1–0 win at
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
in the Ligue 1. He finished the 2008–09 season with a total of 23 appearances in the Ligue 1. On 4 March 2009, he also scored one goal for Monaco in their 2–0 win at
Ajaccio
Ajaccio (, , ; French language, French: ; or ; , locally: ; ) is the capital and largest city of Corsica, France. It forms a communes of France, French commune, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Corse-du-Sud, and head o ...
in the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
round of 16.
Red Bull Salzburg
On 24 August 2009, it was announced that Pokrivač signed a three-year contract with Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg. He made his debut for the club on 29 August 2009 in their
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
match against SV Kapfenberg, coming on as a substitute for
Simon Cziommer
Simon Cziommer (; born 6 November 1980) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Career
Since he joined FC Twente in 1999 he scored 28 goals for various clubs. He played in UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League games, ...
in the 55th minute and scoring his first goal for the club when he netted the final goal in Salzburg's 4–0 win six minutes later.
On 26 September 2009, he scored his second Bundesliga goal for Salzburg in their 2–1 win at Austria Kärnten and delivered a superb performance in a 7–1 home win against the same club on 4 October 2009, participating in all of Salzburg's three goals in the first half. He first set up the opening goal of the match for Christoph Leitgeb in the 3rd minute, then scored the second goal in the 34th minute, before setting up the third goal of the match for
Marc Janko
Marc Janko (born 25 June 1983) is an Austrian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Janko was a successful goal-scorer, particularly during his time at Austrian Footb ...
in the 41st minute.
Dinamo Zagreb
On 16 August 2011, Pokrivač signed a four-year contract with
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
.
Inter Zaprešić
During the 2012–13 winter transfer window, Pokrivač was loaned out to
Inter Zaprešić
Inter may refer to:
Association football clubs
* Inter Milan, an Italian club
* SC Internacional, a Brazilian club
* Inter Miami CF, an American club
* Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club
* FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club
* FC Inter Turku, a Fi ...
for the remainder of the season.
HNK Rijeka
On 7 June 2013, Pokrivač signed a two-year contract with
HNK Rijeka
Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka.
HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Croatian First Football League, Supersport HNL, o ...
.
Shakhter Karagandy
In the summer of 2014, Pokrivač signed for Shakhter Karagandy.
Slaven Belupo and the end of professional career
Pokrivač was diagnosed with
Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...
in 2015, and, after recovering, joined
Slaven Belupo
Nogometni klub Slaven Belupo (), often referred to as Slaven Belupo, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of Croatia. They play their home matches at Gradski stadion in Koprivnica. They play in ...
in Croatia. He scored what would prove to be the last goal of his professional career in April 2016, against his former club
HNK Rijeka
Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka.
HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Croatian First Football League, Supersport HNL, o ...
. However, the lymphoma would return, in 2016 and 2017, prompting him to undergo a bone marrow transplant, having received it from his mother, Ana. He announced his retirement from professional football in November 2017, following his final recovery.
Amateur football
In September 2021, Pokrivač returned to football, albeit amateur, by joining sixth-tier NK Pušća from the eponymous municipality. In his second season at the club, it won the league and the Zaprešić area cup. Subsequently, Pokrivač moved to fifth-tier GNK Tigar in Sveta Nedelja. After a year at GNK Tigar, Pokrivač moved to another fifth-tier club, .
International career
Pokrivač played for the Croatia under-21 national team and also represented the country at both the under-17 and under-19 levels. He won a total of 39 international caps and scored three goals for all Croatian youth national teams between 2001 and 2006.
On 5 May 2008, he received his first call-up for the Croatia national team at senior level, being added to their 23-man squad for the
UEFA Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...
finals in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. He went on to make his international debut on 24 May 2008 in a friendly match against
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
in
Rijeka
Rijeka (;
Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
, coming on as a substitute for
Niko Kovač
Niko Kovač (; born 15 October 1971) is a professional Association football, football manager and former player. He is the manager of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.
Born and raised in West Germany, Kovač was the long-standing captain of th ...
in the 59th minute. At the UEFA Euro 2008 finals, he only appeared in Croatia's final group match against
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, completing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory for Croatia.
Pokrivač went on to make five appearances in Croatia's unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, appearing in both matches against
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
and
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
as well as the away fixture at
Andorra
Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
. He only started one of the five matches, being in the starting line-up for Croatia in their 5–1 defeat to England at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
. However, he was substituted at half-time after a poor performance in the first half.
Pokrivač earned a total of 15 caps, scoring no goals. His final international was an October 2010 friendly against
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
.
Personal life and death
Pokrivač was married to Katarina Pokrivač, with whom he had one daughter. He was diagnosed with
Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...
and underwent treatment.
On the evening of 18 April 2025, Pokrivač died in a traffic collision near
Karlovac
Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377.
Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...
involving four cars, which also killed another person while three others were hospitalized with serious injuries.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
;Međimurje Čakovec
*
Druga HNL
The Prva nogometna liga (), commonly Prva NL or 1. NL, is the second tier of the football league system in Croatia. The league was formed in 1991 with the breakup of Yugoslavia and the dissolution of the Yugoslav Second League. The 1. NL is ope ...
Croatian First Football League
The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establishe ...
Croatian Football Cup
The Croatian Football Cup (), is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the HNL championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS ...
:
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
;Red Bull Salzburg
*
Austrian Football Bundesliga
The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...
Croatian Football Cup
The Croatian Football Cup (), is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the HNL championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS ...
:
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...