2008–09 NK Dinamo Zagreb season


This article shows statistics of individual players for the football club Dinamo Zagreb It also lists all matches that Dinamo Zagreb will play in the 2008–09 season.

Events

Team roster

As of 5 March 2009

Transfers

Summer

Midfielder Luka Modrić agreed to a five-year contract with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in a transfer worth €21m in late April, meaning his last game for the Croatian Cup second leg final on 14 May. On 22 May defender Hrvoje Čale signed a four-year contract with the Turkish side Trabzonspor for €2.2m, and four days later defensive midfielder Ognjen Vukojević joined Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev in a €6m transfer. During the summer transfer window, a group of players were released, including 33-year-old forward Davor Vugrinec who joins city rivals NK Zagreb, Georg Koch who signs a deal with Rapid Vienna and Tomislav Mikulić who signs a two-year contract with Standard Liège. Marijan Buljat and Dario Jertec were also released after failing to break into the first team squad under Branko Ivanković, and join biggest local rivals, Hajduk Split.
As for the arrivals, goalkeeper Tomislav Butina signed a two-year deal after being released by Olympiacos. Butina signed a two-year deal after being released by the Greek powerhouse, in a transfer which marked his return to the club after spending five years playing abroad, and 15 years after his first top-flight debut for the Blues in 1993. Heart of Hajduk Award winner Mirko Hrgović also joined the club from Japanese side JEF United, in a transfer which stirred some resentment by supporters of both Hajduk and Dinamo. Three South American players also joined the club in the summer transfer window: Luis Ibáñez and Guillermo Suárez came from Argentina's Boca Juniors and Tigre for €650,000 and €1m respectively, while Chilean international Pedro Morales joined from Universidad de Chile in a €1.6m transfer.
Did'dy Guela also left the club in late August amid heavy criticism by Ivanković and a publicized conflict with Ante Tomić in training. Two months after his contract was terminated he joined Greek side Larissa.
In
DatePosPlayerFromFee
GK Tomislav Butina OlympiacosFree
MF Mirko Hrgović JEF UnitedFree
DF Luis Ibáñez Boca Juniors€650,000
11 June 2008MF Pedro Morales Universidad de Chile€1,600,000
MF Guillermo Suárez Tigre€1,000,000

Out
DatePosPlayerToFee
MF Dario Jertec Hajduk SplitFree
DF Marijan Buljat Hajduk SplitFree
GK Georg Koch Rapid ViennaFree
GK Tomislav Vranjić LarissaFree
FW Davor Vugrinec NK ZagrebFree
DF Tomislav Mikulić Standard LiègeUndisclosed
MF Ognjen Vukojević Dynamo Kiev€6,000,000
DF Hrvoje Čale Trabzonspor€2,200,000
MF Luka Modrić Totenham Hotspur€21,000,000
MF Did'dy Guela LarissaFree

Winter

On 15 December 2008, Dinamo executive Zdravko Mamić and sports director Zoran Mamić agreed on a -year deal with Adrián Calello signed from Argentina's Independiente. The following two signings were confirmed a few days later, in the form of forwards Miroslav Slepička, who signed from Sparta Prague a -year deal worth €1.5m, and the 21-year-old Ilija Sivonjić from the local side Inter Zaprešić. In late December it was announced that Mihael Mikić left the club to join the Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima for €800,000. The last player to arrive in the winter transfer window was the 34-year-old Croatian international Robert Kovač, who signed from Borussia Dortmund for €500,000.
Six youth players also signed their first senior contracts, out of which only Ivan Tomečak joined the first team squad, while the rest were loaned to NK Lokomotiva, Dinamo's feeder club.
Additionally, Dario Zahora, the 26-year-old Croatian forward who spent the last couple of seasons on loan spells at Slovenian sides Domžale and Interblock Ljubljana, joined Norwegian powerhouse Rosenborg for €280,000 in March 2009.
Defender Dino Drpić, a product of Dinamo's youth academy and a permanent member of the first team squad since 2000, was abruptly suspended in January 2009, for "poor disciplinary record". He was removed from the first team and soon loaned out to German side Karlsruher SC. It was announced on 21 May 2009 that Karlsruhe bought Drpić's contract for €900,000, with the German side trailing at the bottom of the league table with just one match left to play.
;In
DatePosPlayerFromFee
15 December 2008MF Adrián Calello Independiente€2,200,000
18 December 2008FW Miroslav Slepička Sparta Prague€1,500,000
18 December 2008FW Ilija Sivonjić Inter Zaprešić€450,000
29 January 2009DF Robert Kovač Borussia Dortmund€450,000

;Out
DatePosPlayerToFee
23 December 2008MF Mihael Mikić Sanfrecce Hiroshima€800,000
13 March 2009FW Dario Zahora Rosenborg€280,000
FW Tomislav Šokota LokerenFree transfer
FW Boško Balaban PanioniosFree transfer
21 May 2009DF Dino Drpić Karlsruhe€900,000

Club

Coaching staff

Kit

Competitions

Overall

Prva HNL

Classification

Results summary

Results by round

Results by opponent

Source: Prva HNL 2008-09 article

UEFA Cup

Classification

Matches

Competitive

Last updated 31 May 2009
Sources: ,

Friendlies

HNL Indoor Tournament

MatchDate
Round
Opponent
Score
17 January1Inter Zaprešić4 – 3
27 January2Zadar2 – 3
39 January3NK Zagreb1 – 2
49 January4Osijek4 – 2
59 January5Varteks5 – 4
610 January6Hajduk Split3 – 4
710 January7Šibenik4 – 1
810 January8Zadar2 – 3
910 January9Rijeka8 – 5
1010 January10NK Zagreb1 – 2
1110 JanuarySemifinalHajduk Split2 – 5
1210 January3rd placeNK Zagreb8 – 6

Player seasonal records

Competitive matches only. Updated to games played 31 May 2009.
Key
Player left the club in mid-season
Player joined the club in mid-season

Goalscorers

Source: Competitive matches