If there is one sport that Europe is widely famous and easily recognized for, it is football. Also known as association football and soccer in some regions of the world, the Old Continent has been obsessed with the beautiful game for centuries. As the place of its origin and the location of some of the best teams and players in the history of the most popular sport on the planet, it makes sense for the largest concentration of the best clubs to be in European countries. Everyone knows the heavyweights of the top five leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France. Teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and PSG are household names. Their logos are synonymous with high-level competitive sports, not just football.
However, European football is much more than these famous clubs as they are the minority. Every country has its range of top teams that play in the domestic leagues and cups, win trophies, and occasionally make a deep push in one of the UEFA competitions. Teams from Portugal, Turkey, Netherlands, Belgium, and Scotland are frequently in the top flights like the Champions League and Europa League, while many others partake in the Conference League. Although the favorites usually make it to the end and have the biggest budgets and the best stars, fans always like an underdog story and are proud to support a team that does not always dominate.
In this article, we take a look at the best Croatian team in history, the famous Dinamo Zagreb, a side that has seen its fair share of success at the biggest stages recently and an organization in whose ranks some of the best current players had their origins. Croatia has had incredible success in the last several big national competitions and their players are part of European giants like Real Madrid and Manchester City. The small Balkan country is a football powerhouse so it makes sense to learn a thing or two about their best club. Read on to learn more especially if you enjoy online sports betting since knowing about clubs and their competitions can broaden your wagering and open new doors in your footballing journey as a bettor and fan.
What is the Origin of Dinamo Zagreb?
The club was first started on April 26, 1945, and it was originally called HASK Gradjanski. It came to be after two local clubs were disbanded and what was left of them then merged. Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, had HASK (Croatian Academic Sports Club) and Gradjanski (meaning “Citizens”). They decided to merge and unite forces for a better and more successful future. Little did the founders know at the time that this was a historic moment and the dawn of the country’s best professional football club. It was named Dinamo (Dynamo) Zagreb, with the name reflecting the ambitious desire to become dynamic, successful, and revered. After such a humble beginning, they grew to be one of the most recognized teams in former Yugoslavia and then the independent, modern Croatian state.
Who Were the Best Players in Dinamo Zagreb’s History?
Over the decades, the team from the capital saw some of the biggest names in Croatian and European football call the team their home. Similarly, many of those who would become the best European players of several decades started their careers or made their initial strides for Dinamo. One such legend was Zvonimir Boban, one of the most famous Croatian footballers ever. He played for the team during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Later in his career, he became a prominent member of AC Milan and the Croatian national team.
Another big name, arguably the best Croatian player ever, was Davor Suker. Beginning his career in Zagreb, he went on to have a very successful international career. Suker was a prominent goalscorer, evidenced by his top scorer honors at the 1998 World Cup where his national team won the bronze. It was the first of what is now several medals for the country at the biggest football stage.
None other than the great Luka Modric also played for Dinamo, mainly their youth academy and then the first team for a few seasons. He is much more famous of course for his later move to Tottenham Hotspur, and the still ongoing Real Madrid dominance. The captain of one of the best teams ever and the player with the most trophies for this legendary club has his roots in Dinamo, of which the whole of Croatia is very proud. He will always be remembered as the player who won a Ballon d’Or in the reign of Messi and Ronaldo, ending their years’ long combined streak.
It was not just local talent playing for Dinamo either, as one of their most popular players was the Brazillian striker Eduardo da Silva. He was one of the main players for the Croatian side during their stretches of relative success in the 2000s and even became a naturalized Croatian international representing the team at various stages of the competition, most prominently at the qualifying stages for the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 Euros. Dinamo has had many other great names in its ranks with players like Mladen Petric, Mario Mandzukic, Dominik Livakovic, Josko Gvardiol, Marcelo Brozovic, Dani Olmo, Dejan Lovren, etc.
How Many Trophies Has Dinamo Zagreb Won?
As the best local team, it should come as no surprise that Dinamo has the highest number of domestic and international trophies out of all Croatian teams. In former Yugoslavia, together with the titles won by Gradjanski that are attributed to them, they won 9 Yugoslav First League championships and 8 Yugoslav Cups. Since Croatia’s independence, the team has been on a tear domestically. Dinamo has won the Croatian League 25 times, the Croatian Cup 17 times, and the Croatian Super Cup 8 times, all three being records. They also have 1 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and 1 Balkans Cup. During these runs, they won the domestic League and Cup double 13 times, another record.
How Good is Dinamo Zagreb in the 2024/2025 Season?
In the ongoing Croatian First League, Dinamo is not having the best season as a matter of fact. At the moment of writing, they are in third place behind Hajduk Split, their greatest rival, and Rijeka. Rijeka is leading the league with 13 wins, 11 draws, and 2 losses in the first 26 games. They have 50 points and a comfortable lead with a +29 goal difference. Hajduk is second with 13 wins, 9 draws, and 4 losses. They have 48 points and a goal difference of +16. Dinamo has not faired well domestically this season, probably because of the tough UEFA Champions League schedule and the new format. Now that they are sadly out of it, perhaps they can improve and make a run for the title.
At the moment, they have 45 points coming from 13 wins,6 draws, and 7 losses. They do have the second-best goal difference with +17. With 10 more matchdays, there is more than enough time for this interesting title race to become even more exciting. The biggest game of the season is going to be their April 27 clash with the league leaders Rijeka. Make sure to check out the odds for that game on Stake.com as it will be a title-deciding matchup. Their Sandro Kulenovic is the third-best scorer of the campaign with 10 while Martin Baturina is tied for the league-best assists tally with 8.
Dinamo did not have enough luck in the first edition of the new UCL format this season. In their 8 games, they showed promise and won 3, drew 2, and lost 3. They ended up with 11 points, the same total and record as three more teams in front of them. Sadly, they had the worst goal difference which meant they were in the 25th spot with the first 24 moving onto the knockouts. Still, there is promise for next season as they won against Milan at home 2-1, Slovan Bratislava away 1-4, and against RB Salzburg away 0-2. Had they won or drawn a game or two at home, they would have moved on to the next stage. The awful 9-2 loss against Bayern in the first game proved to be costly in the end due to the bad goal difference.
What are the Team Records of Dinamo Zagreb?
In the decades-long history of the best Croatian football team, there have been many players who have left their marks and helped the team win games and trophies. During the years, a few have etched their names in the history books as record holders for the team. Most appearances for the club belong to Arijan Ademi, a North Macedonian citizen born in Sibenik, Croatia. He has played 417 games for the club and counting, an absolute record of over 100 games. Behind him is Dominik Livakovic, the starting goalkeeper for the Croatian national team and the current player of Fenerbahce in Turkey. He has played 293 games for Dinamo. Rounding up the top 5 are Bruno Petkovic with 271 and counting, Sammir from Brazil with 269, and Mislav Orsic with 216. A close number 6 is Kevin Theophile-Catherine with 210 and counting who will soon assume the 5th spot.
As for the most interesting stat, the goalscoring, Mislav Orsic is the leading goalscorer for the team with 91 goals. However, Bruno Petkovic should soon overtake him as he is still a member of the team and has 87 goals to his name. He is also the leader in assists with 60. El Arbi Hillel Soudani scored 86 goals in 197 games in third, and Sammir found the net 61 times sharing the number 4 spot with Duje Cop who did it in only 124 games. Sammir also has the second-most assists with 59. The fifth-best goalscorer for Dinamo was Mario Mandzukic with 57 goals in 117 appearances.
What is the Record of Dinamo Zagreb in European Competitions?
So far in its history, the club has appeared in a total of 389 European-level games, winning 160, drawing 83, and losing 146. They scored 570 goals and allowed 497. Most of these took place in the UEFA Champions League. In this highest rank of European football, the team has played 170 games so far, won 72, drew 63, and lost 60. They have scored 258 and allowed 235 goals. Although never escaping the group, the team did reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2021 and the round of 16 of the Conference League in 2024. Despite not having a lot of success at the international level, they are constantly among the clubs that qualify for the competition which is difficult enough in its own right.
The biggest UEFA club competition home win was 6-0 twice, most recently against Zalaegerszeg in 2022. The biggest away win was in 2013 against Fola Esch. The heaviest home and away defeats were 1-7 against Lyon in 2011 and 9-2 against Bayern Munich in 2024.
What is Dinamo Zagreb Stadium?
Dinamo Zagreb’s stadium is Maksimir, a venue that can accommodate more than 35,000 spectators. It was opened in 1912 and renovated in 1948, 1998, and 2011. The official tenants of the stadium were HASK from 1912 to 1945, HSK Gradjanski from 1912 to 1924, and then Dinamo Zagreb from 1948 to now. The grounds are the official home of the Croatian National Team where the Vatreni (Blazers) play their home games in the UEFA Nations League, as well as qualifiers for other big tournaments. Numerous concerts took place here too, mainly Robie Williams and Depeche Mode in 2013, Bon Jovi in 2011, U2 in 2009, and David Bowie in 1990.
What is the Nickname of Dinamo Zagreb?
The nickname of the team is Modri, meaning The (Dark, Navy) Blues, and Purgeri (The Citizens). Their home colors are the recognizable dark blue with the away and third colors varying from season to season.
Who is the Manager of Dinamo Zagreb?
The current manager of the team is Fabio Cannavaro, the legendary Italian retired professional player who made his name in Serie A playing for Napoli, Parma, Inter, and Juventus, as well as for Real Madrid in Spain. He was a big part of the national Italian team, winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
