Photo by Robert Matić/hajduk.hr
January 29, 2024 – As the Split club fights for the title this season, Hajduk signs former Dinamo star Josip Brekalo.
Josip Brekalo was first in negotiations with Dinamo, though his loan to the Zagreb club fell through last week. He then surprised everyone by moving to Hajduk on a six-month loan from Fiorentina.
He was presented on Sunday at a sold-out Poljud, and today the transfer was officially announced by Hajduk.
“HNK Hajduk is particularly pleased to confirm that our team will be stronger this season thanks to Josip Brekalo, who officially joined Hajduk today. The club reached an agreement with ACF Fiorentina to loan the 25-year-old winger until the end of the current season, and Brekalo will wear the #70 for Hajduk,” wrote the Split club today.
Josip was born on June 23, 1998, in Zagreb, and passed all ages of the Dinamo academy. He made his first senior appearances for the Zagreb club, before joining Wolfsburg as one of the greatest Croatian football talents. He played for Wolfsburg from 2016 to 2023 and spent January 2017 to June 2018 on loan in Stuttgart and helped promote the club to the 1st Bundesliga. From 2021 until moving to Fiorentina, he played for Torino on loan from Wolfsburg.
“Hajduk received a reinforcement that arrived in his prime, with a huge experience of playing over 120 games in the German Bundesliga, 49 games in the Italian Serie A and in European competitions. In total, Brekalo has played 246 official matches for his clubs so far, scoring 37 goals with 24 assists,” added Hajduk.
Brekalo was a regular member of all younger ages of the Croatia national team and made a respectable 35 appearances for the A national team, scoring 4 goals.
“In 2016, as one of the biggest Croatian talents, Josip moved to Wolfsburg in a transfer worth 10 million euros. Seven and a half years later, he returns with vast experience playing in the Bundesliga, Serie A and the Croatia national team. The numbers speak for what kind of football quality he really is, especially if we consider that he is a player who has just turned 25 years old. We did not hesitate for a moment when learning it was possible to bring him to Hajduk. Josip recognized the ambition and energy of our club, which coincides with his ambitions and desires. He will undoubtedly be a boost to our championship aspirations. He is extremely motivated and eager to prove himself. He is coming to Hajduk to help us in the fight for the championship title and the SuperSport Croatian Football Cup, but also to raise his game to a higher level and secure a place in the Croatia national team for the upcoming European Championship,” stressed Hajduk sports director Mindaugas Nikoličius.
“The agreement with Hajduk happened very quickly. I am happy, honored and proud that I came to such a big club and that I have the opportunity to fight for the title and show myself in Croatia in the best light. I left Croatia very young, I always had the motive to return to my homeland one day and show myself to our fans. Now is the ideal time for that and to try to fight for a spot in the national team and go to the European Championship. My family is a great support for me in all this and everyone is behind me. I am very happy and I have all the words of praise for Hajduk for accepting me and reacting to this situation. It is up to me to repay them and show what I can do on the pitch. I was particularly impressed by yesterday’s welcome at Poljud. It’s a bit unusual for a guy from Zagreb, but I’ve always had great respect for this club. It is a great honor to be presented at Poljud with Ivan Perišić, a legend of Croatian football,” said Brekalo.
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