NK Osijek

1947–1976 NK Osijek was founded on 27 February 1945 as NK Udarnik on the tradition of banned JŠK Slavija Osijek, which was founded in 1916 and played in the first Yugoslavia League seven times between 1923 and 1941. In 1946, the club had been merged with Jedinstvo and changed its name to NK Slavonija. The conventional anniversary of the club is considered to be the following year on 27 February 1947, when NK Slavonija and NK Bratstvo merged to form FK Proleter. The first match played under that name comes the 16th of March of that same year, when Proleter beat city rivals Mladost by five goals to nil. The first competition in which the club participated in was the Osječko Okružno Prvenstvo, along with four other teams. The club got into the second national league soon after. Proleter achieved placement into the Yugoslav First League in 1953, having won the so-called Croato-Slovenian League. The best players from that side were Andrija Vekić, Franjo Rupnik, Dionizije Dvornić and Franjo Majer. Proleter played in the First League for three seasons, but were then relegated to the second division. Proleter moved to current Gradski vrt stadium in autumn 1958 and changed its name to Slavonija as part of the unifying process of the boxing, athletics and Olympic lifting club in a newly founded sports association in 1962. It still plays in the second league. Five years later the association is disbanded and the club took on the name NK Osijek. The then-colours red and blue were switched to current colours blue and white. In 1970, Osijek won the 2nd North League Championship. However, Borac Banja Luka beat them in the promotion play-offs. One year later, Bijelo-plavi tried for promotion again, winning in a penalty shoot-out against Rijeka, but end up being stopped by Vardar. The next time Osijek reached the promotion play-offs was in 1973. It went to the final round, beating FC Prishtina. Following their victory, NK Osijek was set to meet NK Zagreb at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb. A record-breaking 64,129 tickets were sold with approximately 20,000 of them going to Osijek supporters. NK Zagreb proved victorious on the day, winning via a penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw after 90 minutes, Osijek denied promotion for a third time in four years. 1977–1991 In 1977, NK Osijek finally secured its return to the top flight by taking out the league championship. It eventually stayed competitive in the Yugoslav League up until the Croatian War of Independence, except for the season of 1979–80, when Osijek fought back into the premier league after failing to stay in it. The club was present in the second part of the First League ladder in the 80s, except for 1984, when the team placed sixth, headed by Davidović, Lulić, Džeko, Lepinjica, Rakela, Karačić and team captain Kalinić. In 1989, the team placed eighth with Davor Šuker leading the line for the side scoring 18 goals, taking out the league's best goalscorer award. Šuker is the only player in NK Osijek history to take out the award. During the last season of the YFL, NK Osijek finished ninth. 1992–1999 After the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia, the Croatian First Football League was formed and the first season was played in 1992. Due to the war, it was a shortened season played from February to June. NK Osijek was unable to play in Osijek due to the war, so they had to play in the cities of Đakovo, Donji Miholjac and Kutjevo. Osijek finished the 1992 Croatian First League season in 3rd placed, six points behind NK Zagreb and nine behind league champions Hajduk Split. Osijek's top goalscorer was Robert Špehar, who finished the season with nine goals. NK Osijek quickly became one of the top four Croatian football teams, with one of its best ever seasons came in the 1994–95. The Bijelo plavi finished in third place, only six points behind first-placed Hajduk. Špehar scored 23 goals to become the league's top goalscorer. The greats of NK Osijek during that time were–a part from Špehar–Žitnjak, Lulić, Beljan, Ergović, Rupnik, Beširević, Bičanić and Labak. As a result of the third-placed finish, NK Osijek qualified for the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. It faced Slovan Bratislava in the preliminary round, going down 6–0. Osijek finished third in the 1997–98 Croatian First League, qualifying for the 1998–99 UEFA Cup. Osijek came up against Anderlecht. After a famous 3–1 victory at home in front of 15,000 supporters, Osijek lost 2–0 in Belgium and were knocked-out on away goals. In 1998–99, Osijek attained its first trophy, the Croatian Cup, following a victory over Cibalia 2–0. One year later, West Ham United was playing away in Gradski vrt, headed by Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Trevor Sinclair, Paolo Di Canio, Paulo Wanchope and Igor Štimac. 2000–2015 In the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, NK Osijek beat Brøndby 2–1 (2–1, 0–0) and Rapid Wien 4–1 (2–1, 2–0). In the 3rd round, Osijek beat Slavia Prague 2–0 at home, but lost 5–1 in Prague. Osijek finished third in the league once more. In the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, Osijek progressed past Dinaburg on away goals, beat Gorica in the first round, but then lost 3–5 to AEK Athens. In the 2003–04 HNL, Osijek had the first and second highest goalscorers in the division with Špehar scoring 18 and Goran Ljubojević scoring 16. The club then went through a long phase of mid-table finishes and mediocre results. NK Osijek was almost relegated during the 2013–14 season. On the final match day, Josip Barišić eventually scored and keep Osijek afloat against Hrvatski dragovoljac. Osijek changed coaches on four occasions throughout the season. The following season, Osijek once again finished one position above the relegation play-off spot, finishing one point ahead of Istra 1961. 2015–present In September 2015, Zoran Zekić was appointed as the first team head coach, replacing Dražen Besek. With the club facing bankruptcy, Osijek went into private ownership for the first time in its history in February 2016 with Hungarian oligarch Lőrinc Mészáros and Croatian entrepreneur Ivan Meštrović buying a majority of shares in the club. The duo went about stabilizing the club, improving the squad and bringing back ambition to the city and supporters. Much of the debt was restructured and paid off, securing the short-term and long-term future of Osijek. On 27 February 2017, the club celebrated its 70th anniversary in the Osijek theater. In the 2016–17 season, Osijek finished fourth, which was their highest league finish in nearly 10 years. The 4th-place finish led to Osijek participating in the qualifying phase of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League; with the club staging an extremely successful run to the play-off round, beating Santa Coloma, Luzern and PSV, the former champions of Europe, who won the 1987–88 edition. The club ended its unbeaten run following a 1–2 home loss against Austria Wien, and despite the club winning the second leg 1–0, Osijek were eliminated on the away goals rule. Despite being eliminated, Osijek were praised and congratulated by Croatian press, fans and media for their historic run. In the 2017–18 season, Osijek finished 4th again, securing a place in the UEFA competition. Osijek beat Petrocub Hîncești 2–1 at home after a draw the first leg in Moldova 1–1, and faced Rangers in the second qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. Osijek lost the home leg 1–0. After a bad start to the 2020–21 season, during which Osijek managed only a single point after the first three games of the season, manager Ivica Kulešević was sacked. On 5 September 2020, Osijek appointed Nenad Bjelica as the new club manager. On 9 September 2020, it was announced that Lőrinc Mészáros was no longer the formal co-owner of the club, with the private investment fund BETA taking over his shares in NK OS d.o.o. The reason being that Mészáros was also the owner of Puskás Akadémia FC, and UEFA rules forbade two clubs owned by the same person from participating in European competitions, should they have both qualified. The heaviest defeat in NK Osijek’s history in the Croatian First Football League occurred on 4 April 2026, when the club lost 0–7 to GNK Dinamo Zagreb in the 28th round of the 2025–26 SuperSport HNL. This result marked Osijek’s worst league defeat in the modern Croatian league era. ==Stadium==

NK Osijek plays its home games at Stadion Gradski vrt, where it played its first game on the 7 September 1958 against Sloboda. The stadium was officially opened in 1980. The current design was made in 1979. The upper western tribune is unfinished to this day. The current capacity lies at 18,856 spectator seats, with 980 of them being for standing audiences. Before the club had transferred to Gradski vrt, Osijek played on a pitch next to the river Drava. In April 2018, NK Osijek president Ivan Meštrović released plans for the new Pampas Stadium. A new state of art stadium was built at the Pampas neighbourhood in Osijek as part of the new NK Osijek training centre. The capacity of the new stadium was 12,000, with all of the seats covered. The stadium was UEFA category four and finished in June 2021. During the stadium construction, NK Osijek played its home matches at Gradski vrt stadium, which was used as the main stadium for NK Osijek B. ==Supporters==

fans at the stands of Stadion Gradski vrt before the match against PSV in 2017 The fan club of NK Osijek is called Kohorta (cohort, named after the Roman army unit composed of 360 soldiers). It was founded in 1972 under the name Šokci, and carries the name Kohorta since 1988. Kohorta is usually situated on the eastern tribune of Gradski vrt. Its seat is in the university street in Tvrđa, Osijek. Osijek is the third most supported football club in Croatia with 5% of population supporting it. ==Rivalries==

The Slavonian derby is a match between the two largest Croatian football clubs from eastern Croatia, Osijek and Cibalia. Osijek–Rijeka derby is the name given to matches between Osijek and HNK Rijeka. On Croatian First Football League all-time table, Rijeka and Osijek were on the third and fourth place. Along with Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, Rijeka and Osijek were the only four clubs that have never been relegated from the Croatian First League. Osijek and Rijeka are third and fourth best supported football clubs in Croatia, with the former being supported by 5% and the latter by 4% of population. ==Kit manufacturers and sponsors==

Osijek has won one Croatian Cup. In European competitions, the club reached the third round of the UEFA Cup in 2000–01, the second round of the Intertoto Cup in 2006, the third place of the Mitropa Cup in 1981–82 and play-off round of the UEFA Europa League in 2017–18. Domestic ;Croatian football league system • Croatian First League • Runners-up (1): 2020–21 • Croatian Cup • Winner (1): 1998–99 • Runners-up (1): 2011–12 ;Yugoslav football league system • Yugoslav Second League • Winner (5): 1952–53, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1980–81 Best results in European competitions ==Recent seasons==

Key : League: P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; Pts = Points won; Pos = Final position; : Cup / Europe: PR = Preliminary round; QR = Qualifying round; R1 = First round; R2 = Second round; QF = Quarter-final; SF = Semi-final; RU = Runner-up; W = Competition won; ==European competitions==

Summary Source:, Fully up to date on 15 August 2024.Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against. Defunct competitions indicated in italics. By season Last updated on 15 August 2024. Player records • Most appearances in UEFA club competitions: 18 appearances • Petar Bočkaj, Mile Škorić • Top scorers in UEFA club competitions: 4 goals • Ramón Miérez, Muzafer Ejupi, Petar Bočkaj ==Players==

Current squad Players with multiple nationalities • Emin Hasić • Kemal Ademi • Arnel Jakupović • Yannick Toure • Nikola Ćurčija • Fran Karačić Dual registration Youth academy The following players have previously made appearances or have appeared on the substitutes bench for the first team. Other players under contract Out on loan ==Personnel==

The football school of NK Osijek was founded in 1982 as the youth school. It was set in motion by Andrija Vekić, with the wish to recruit and create great players and coaches alike by creating a good and competitive atmosphere. Many players considered to be high-level were in that school. ==Notable players==

Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club. • Franjo Rupnik (1947–51) • Ljupko Petrović (1967–79) • Ratomir Dujković (1977–80) • Ivica Miljković (1977–80) • Mustafa Hukić (1978–81) • Ivica Grnja (1972–82) • Jasmin Džeko (1980–84, 1985–89) • Vlado Kasalo (1983–87) • Davor Šuker (1984–89) • Robert Špehar (1988–92, 1994–95, 2002–04) • Miroslav Bičanić (1989–92, 1994–96) • Bakir Beširević (1992–94, 1994–02) • Nenad Bjelica (1992–93, 1999–01) • Davor Rupnik (1992–98) • Damir Vuica (1992–94, 1997–02, 2005–08) • Petar Krpan (1993–98, 2001) • Mario Galinović (1993–02) • Ivo Ergović (1994–01) • Ronald Grnja (1994–04) • Stjepan Vranješ (1992–99) • Ivica Beljan (1994–96, 1997–00) • Igor Pamić (1995–96) • Nermin Šabić (1996–97) • Dumitru Mitu (1996–02) • Jurica Vranješ (1997–00) • Josip Balatinac (1997–06) • Stanko Bubalo (1998–00) • Mato Neretljak (2000–02) • Marin Skender (2003–09) • Valentin Babić (2004–09, 2013–14) • Ivo Smoje (2005–09, 2010–13) • Josip Barišić (2005–11, 2013–14) • Tomislav Šorša (2006–16, 2017–20) • Domagoj Vida (2006–10) • Vedran Jugović (2007–13, 2019– ) • Hrvoje Kurtović (2008–16) • Mile Škorić (2008–11, 2013–23) • Zoran Kvržić (2010–13) • Antonio Perošević (2010–17) • Borna Barišić (2013–15, 2016–18) • Nikola Matas (2014–18) • Mateo Barać (2016–18) • Muzafer Ejupi (2016–19) • Mihail Caimacov (2018–21) • Mirlind Daku (2018–23) • Ivica Ivušić (2019–23) • László Kleinheisler (2019–23) • Damjan Bohar (2020–22) • Ramón Miérez (2020–24) • Ádám Gyurcsó (2021) • Mario Jurčević (2020–23) • Adrian Leon Barišić (2018–23) • Styopa Mkrtchyan (2023–) • Jovan Manev (2023–24) • Nail Omerović (2021–) ==Historical list of coaches==

incomplete list • Viktor Šter • Blagoje Marjanović (1952–1953) • Franjo Glaser • Zorko Hlavač • Mato Kasač • Vladimir Beara • Sima Milovanov • Gustav Lechner (1945–49) • Ernest Dubac (1951–55) • Bernard Hügl (1955–56) • Milan Antolković (1971–73) • Miljenko Mihić (1977–79) • Milan Đuričić (1979–80) • Miljenko Mihić (1980) • Josip Duvančić (1980–83) • Milan Đuričić (1983–85) • Ljupko Petrović (1985–87) • Milan Đuričić (1987) • Stjepan Čordaš (1989) • Tonko Vukušić (1990) • Šaban Jasenica (1990) • Ivica Grnja (1991) • Stjepan Čordaš (1992–93) • Vlado Bilić (1993) • Ivica Grnja (1993–94) • Ivo Šušak (1993–95) • Ivica Matković (1995–96) • Ante Čačić (1995–96) • Ivan Katalinić (1995–96) • Goran Popović (1996–97) • Luka Bonačić (1996–97) • Milan Đuričić (1997–99), (Jun 2002 – Aug 2002) • Stanko Poklepović (1998–00), (Nov 2002–03) • Pavo Strugačevac (1999) • Stanko Mršić (1999–01) • Vlado Bilić (2000–02) • Vjekoslav Lokica (2001–02) • Miroslav Blažević (2001–02) • Nenad Gračan (2002–03) • Branko Karačić (2003–04) • Stjepan Čordaš (2004–05) • Ivo Šušak (July 1, 2005 – Nov 13, 2006) • Miroslav Žitnjak (2006–07) • Ilija Lončarević (Nov 14, 2006 – Sept 26, 2008) • Tomislav Steinbrückner (Sept 26, 2008 – Aug 16, 2010) • Branko Karačić (Aug 16, 2010 – May 2, 2011) • Vlado Bilić (May 3, 2011 – March 31, 2012) • Stanko Mršić (March 31, 2012 – May 13, 2013) • Miroslav Žitnjak (interim) (May 13, 2013 – June 4, 2013) • Tomislav Steinbrückner (June 4, 2013 – Aug 18, 2013) • Davor Rupnik (Aug 19, 2013 – Oct 21, 2013) • Ivica Kulešević (Oct 21, 2013 – Feb 27, 2014) • Tomislav Rukavina (Feb 27, 2014 – Feb 11, 2015) • Ivo Šušak (Feb 11, 2015 – June 1, 2015) • Dražen Besek (June 14, 2015 – Sept 1, 2015) • Zoran Zekić (Sept 1, 2015– Mar 29, 2019) • Dino Skender (Mar 29, 2019 – Sept 21, 2019) • Ivica Kulešević (Sept 23, 2019 – Sept 4, 2020) • Nenad Bjelica (Sept 5, 2020 – Aug 29, 2022) • René Poms (Aug 29, 2022 – Mar 2, 2023) • Ivica Kulešević (Sep 29, 2022 – Mar 2, 2023) • Borimir Perković (Mar 2, 2023 – Apr 22, 2023) • Stjepan Tomas (Apr 24, 2023 – Oct 3, 2023) • Zoran Zekić (Oct 13, 2023 – May 21, 2024) • Federico Coppitelli (June 12, 2024 – present) ==References==