In a selection chosen by the Croatian Frist League captains, the Hajduk striker received 20 more points than Josip Drmić from Rijeka.
1. Marko Livaja – 76 points
2. Josip Drmić – 56 points
3. Bruno Petković – 50 points
4. Arijan Ademi – 30 points
5. Petar Bočkaj, Luka Ivanušec, Ivica Ivušić, Marin Jakoliš, Ramon Mierez – all 10 points each
“This is also one big motive for me. I want to thank the captains who voted for me, my teammates because without them, this award would certainly not have taken place, then the president, the director, and everyone at the Club. I hope that we will all continue on this path and that next year will be even more successful. We still have room for improvement, our preparations will be good, and I believe that we will be even better in the continuation of the championship. Finally, I want to dedicate the award to my family, who is always by my side,” Livaja said after being awarded the trophy.
The award was presented to Marko in the Hajduk Salon at Poljud by Silvijo Škrlec, a journalist from Tportal, and the initiator of this traditional election, which has been held for 19 years.
The Hajduk striker is the first from the Split club to win the best player award since 2003, while Arijan Ademi won the title last season. In the past, names like Niko Kranjčar and Marija Mandžukić also had this honor.
The importance of Marko Livaja for Hajduk is much greater than the 17 goals and seven assists he has recorded in just 22 games this season. In the history of the HNL, several players created an advantage on their own – Luka Modrić and Niko Kranjčar did it with their play, Eduardo da Silva with a brutal goal-scoring performance. However, no one has ever put all the segments together like Hajduk’s Livaja.
Source: Hajduk.hr
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