GraÃÂanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won twenty-five HNL titles, seventeen Croatian Cups, õight Croatian Super Cups, and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The club has spent its entire existence in top flight, having been members of the Yugoslav First League from 1946 to 1991, and then the Prva HNL since its foundation in 1993.
At the end of the World War II, the new communist government of Yugoslavia considered Croatian clubs like Hà  K GraÃÂanski as fascist and nationalist, because they had operated under the former Independent State of Croatia, which was an Axis member during the war. As such, they were formally disbanded and, in 1945, FD Dinamo was founded as a club to act as an unofficial successor to Hà  K GraÃÂanski, getting around the ruling party's disapproval. They entered the Yugoslav First League in its inaugural 1946âÂÂ47 season, finishing as runners-up. In their second season in Yugoslav top flight in 1947âÂÂ48 they finished as Yugoslav champions, which was their first major trophy. The club won three more league titles and seven Yugoslav Cups. Amid the breakup of Yugoslavia and formation of the Croatian football league system, Dinamo left the Yugoslav league in 1991. Dinamo are, to date, the only Croatian club to win a European trophy, having won the 1966âÂÂ67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup by defeating Leeds United in the final. They also finished runners-up in the same competition in 1963 when they lost to Valencia.
Until the early 1990s, its foundation year was considered to be 1945 but amid the political turmoil during the breakup of Yugoslavia the club began claiming direct lineage to pre-WWII clubs GraÃÂanski Zagreb and HAà  K. In order to reflect this, in June 1991, it was renamed HAà  K GraÃÂanski, which lasted until February 1993 when it was renamed Croatia Zagreb. They won five league titles and participated in the 1998âÂÂ99 and 1999âÂÂ2000 UEFA Champions League group stages carrying that name, before reverting to the more widely recognized "Dinamo Zagreb" on 14 February 2000. Although the subject of the club's name was dropped for a while, in 2011, club management increasingly began claiming again that Dinamo is the direct descendant of GraÃÂanski (which had originally been founded in 1911 and disbanded in 1945) and in April that year decided to prepend the adjective "GraÃÂanski" to the club's official name, turning it into the present-day GNK Dinamo (GraÃÂanski nogometni klub Dinamo or Citizensâ football club Dinamo Zagreb).
The team's traditional colour is royal blue, which has been replaced for European matches in recent times with the darker navy blue. The club's biggest rivals are Hajduk Split, and matches between the two teams are referred to as "Eternal Derby".
In 1911, when Croatia was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, GraÃÂanski was founded in Zagreb by Andrija Mutafelija and a few of his friends in response to rumors that a football club that was meant to play in the Hungarian football league (as opposed to the Croatian Sports Union) was about to be established. GraÃÂanski was therefore founded as a multi-sports club with a distinctly Croatian identity intended to cater to citizens of Zagreb, with sections dedicated to football, handball and cycling. At first they used grounds in Zagreb's neighbourhoods of Tuà ¡kanac, Martinovka, Kanal and Maksimir, until they built their own stadium at Koturaà ¡ka street, which was officially opened in 1924 by Stjepan RadiÃÂ, a prominent Croatian politician.
Internationally, the club went on several successful tours â on one of these, in 1923 in Spain, GraÃÂanski beat Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. The club often toured to Austria and Hungary and played friendly matches with top local sides. In 1936, they went on tour to England where they adopted the WM formation which helped them win the 1936âÂÂ1937 Yugoslav championship. Márton Bukovi, who started using the formation as GraÃÂanski manager in 1936, introduced it to Hungary in the late 1940s and later modified it into the now famous WW system which brought the Hungary national team to the final game of the 1954 World Cup.
The club competed in the Mitropa Cup, the first European international club competition, on three occasions â in 1928, 1937 and 1940. In 1928, GraÃÂanski were knocked out in the two-legged quarterfinal by Viktoria à ½ià ¾kov of Czechoslovakia with 4âÂÂ8 on aggregate. Nine years later, GraÃÂanski exited early again after suffering a 1âÂÂ6 aggregate loss to Genova 1893 FBC. In 1940, they beat the Hungarian side ÃÂjpest FC (5âÂÂ0 on aggregate) in the quarterfinal, only to be defeated by Rapid Bucharest in the semifinal. Both legs ended without goals, so a playoff game in Subotica was held, which ended 1âÂÂ1. Rapid progressed to the final on a coin toss, but the final game (against Ferencváros) was never played because of the outbreak of World War II.
Having been invaded and occupied by the Nazi Germany in 1941, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was dissolved and sports competitions in the nation were suspended. An exception to this was the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) which, as an Axis member, enjoyed peace and so the NDH continued to hold national competitions featuring prominent Croatian clubs. Four of these seasons were started (1941, 1941âÂÂ42, 1942âÂÂ43 and 1943âÂÂ44) but only the second and third editions were finished, with GraÃÂanski winning the 1942âÂÂ43 season.
When the war ended in 1945, the club was disbanded by the new communist government (along with city rivals HAà  K and Concordia Zagreb) and its archives were destroyed in retribution for competing in the wartime football league. The club's last official game was a 2âÂÂ2 draw against HAà  K on 10 April 1945, just before both clubs were disbanded.
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, GraÃÂanski was disbanded (along with city rivals HAà  K and Concordia Zagreb) by a decree issued by the communist authorities in June 1945. On 9 June 1945, just three days after GraÃÂanski was disbanded, a new sports society called FD Dinamo () was founded. Soon after the initial meeting, the football section was formed with Ico Hitrec as the chairman, and some old players and administration members of GraÃÂanski (Jerko à  imiÃÂ, Rudolf Sabljak, Otto Hofman, Franjo Staroveà ¡ki, Slavko Bobnar, Zvonimir StankoviÃÂ) becoming administration members of the club of which some of them later became presidents. The newly established Dinamo took over GraÃÂanski's colors and nickname, inherited its pre-war fan base, and in 1969 even adopted a badge strongly resembling GraÃÂanski's. Many GraÃÂanski's most notable players continued their career at Dinamo upon its formation (including Franjo Wölfl, August Leà ¡nik, Zvonimir CimermanÃÂiÃÂ, Branko Pleà ¡e, Milan AntolkoviÃÂ, Mirko KokotoviÃÂ, Ivica Reiss, Emil Urch and later Ivan Jazbinà ¡ek) as well as their coach Márton Bukovi, physiotherapist Franjo à ½lof and a significant number of juniors. First generation of Dinamo's youth team was coached by GraÃÂanski's former goalkeeper Maks MihelÃÂiàwho also took the role of a goalkeeping coach. In the first few years, the club played their home matches at GraÃÂanski's old ground, Stadion Koturaà ¡ka, before moving to a new stadium built on place of HAà  K's former ground in Maksimir.
Following its formation, the club entered Yugoslav First League in its inaugural 1946âÂÂ47 season and finished runners-up, five points behind champions Partizan. In the following 1947âÂÂ48 season, Dinamo won their first trophy after winning the Yugoslav championship with five points ahead of Hajduk Split and Partizan. In the 1951 season, the club finished runners-up again, but compensated with their first Yugoslav Cup title after defeating Vojvodina 4âÂÂ0 in the twoâÂÂlegged final. Dinamo later added three more cup titles (in 1960, 1963 and 1965) and two championship wins (in 1953âÂÂ54 and 1957âÂÂ58). In addition, they were also cup runnersâÂÂup on three occasions (in 1950, 1964 and 1966). Dinamo first entered European competitions in the preliminary round of the 1958âÂÂ59 European Cup, but were knocked out by the Czechoslovak side Dukla Prague. The club then had some success in the 1960âÂÂ61 European Cup Winners' Cup, as they managed to reach the semi-finals where they lost to Italian side Fiorentina. They have also competed in the 1961âÂÂ62 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but failed to progress beyond the second round in which they were knocked out by Barcelona. However, in the 1962âÂÂ63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Dinamo managed to reach the final, but lost 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate to Spanish side Valencia. In the 1963âÂÂ64 European Cup Winners' Cup, they made an early exit in the first round after a defeat to Scottish side Celtic. During this period, many of Dinamo's star players were also integral part of the Yugoslavia national team, including à ½eljko ÃÂajkovski, Zlatko à  koriÃÂ, Krasnodar Rora, Denijal PiriÃÂ, Draà ¾an JerkoviÃÂ, Ivica Horvat, Slaven Zambata and Rudolf Belin.
Three Yugoslav clubs went on to participate in the 1966âÂÂ67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but they were knockedâÂÂout early in the competition, excluding Dinamo, who went on to become the first ever Yugoslavia team that won a European competition. In the first round, Dinamo played against Spartak Brno and after the aggregate score was level at 2âÂÂ2, a coin was flipped in order to determine the winner. Dinamo was through to the second round, where they were drawn against Scottish side Dunfermline. For the first time in the history of the Cup, the away goals rule were introduced, which helped Dinamo qualify for the third round after the aggregate score was 4âÂÂ4 (2âÂÂ0 at home and 2âÂÂ4 away). On their road to finals, they defeated Romanian side Dinamo Piteà Âti, Italian powerhouse Juventus and German side Eintracht Frankfurt. In the finals the club was drawn to play its first match at Maksimir against Leeds United. Dinamo won 2âÂÂ0 in front of the 33 thousand fans with Marijan ÃÂerÃÂek and Krasnodar Rora scoring, which was enough to secure the title as the match at Elland Road finished 0âÂÂ0. The final matches were attended by the then president of FIFA, Sir Stanley Rous, who handed the trophy to Dinamo's captain and top goalscorer Slaven Zambata.
Dinamo closed the successful 1960s with Yugoslav Cup title in the 1969 and quarterfinals of the 1969âÂÂ70 Cup Winners' Cup competition. Unfortunately, the success did not follow the club to the new decade, as they failed to win a single trophy throughout the 1970s. The club participated in three more seasons of Inter-Cities Fairs Cup before it was replaced with the UEFA Cup, but failed to make any impact. Dinamo took part of the initial UEFA Cup season, but lost in the second round of the competition to Rapid Wien on the away goals rule. The club entered the UEFA Cup on seven more occasions (in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992), but never repeated its success from the '60s.
The 1978âÂÂ79 Yugoslav Championship both Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb finished the season on 50 points, but Hajduk won the championship having the better goal difference. However, there was a controversy in the first round when Rijeka defeated Dinamo 2âÂÂ1 at Kantrida. Dinamo claimed that Edmond TomiÃÂ, who joined Rijeka that season from Lirija, didn't serve a one-match suspension following two yellow cards received while playing for his former club. They appealed and after two months it has been decided to award the match 3âÂÂ0 to Dinamo. After several appeals from both sides, in spring 1979 Football Association of Yugoslavia ruled in favour of Rijeka. The case was brought to Employment Appeal Tribunal, which four years later ruled Dinamo as champions.[1] The injustice was never corrected as Dinamo never received recognition from Football Association of Yugoslavia nor Hajduk who simply ignored the judgement. This is still often seen by Dinamo's fans as another evidence of mistreatment of their club by Yugoslav football authorities and as hypocrisy of their rivals - Hajduk.
Finally, at the beginning of the 1980s, Dinamo won their sixth Yugoslav Cup title, defeating Red Star Belgrade 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate. They then qualified for the 1980âÂÂ81 Cup Winners' Cup but lost in the first round to Benfica. In 1982, Dinamo sealed their fourth Yugoslav championship and in 1983 won their seventh Yugoslav Cup, the club's last trophy as a part of the SFR Yugoslavia. After Benfica, another Portuguese club sealed Dinamo's European season, this time in 1982âÂÂ83 European Cup when they lost to Sporting CP. They played in 1983âÂÂ84 Cup Winners' Cup season and were eliminated, again, by Portuguese side Porto. The club did not have any success in the second part of the 1980s, save for two consecutive second-place finishes in the Yugoslav championship in 1989 and 1990.
After the SFR Yugoslavia was dissolved, Dinamo took part in creating the Prva HNL and the initial season was played in 1992. The same year, the club controversially changed its name to HAÃ Â K GraÃÂanski, and another name change followed in 1993, when the club was renamed to Croatia Zagreb. The name change was widely seen as a political move by the leadership of then newly independent Croatia, with the goal of distancing the club from its communist past. As the name change was also never accepted by their supporters, the club renamed themselves back to Dinamo on 14 February 2000. As Croatia Zagreb, the club won six league titles, of which five were won in a row from 1996 to 2000. During this period, the club also won the Croatian Cup four times.
In the late 1990s, the club played two consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League group stage. In the 1998âÂÂ99 season, they were drawn in a group with Ajax, Olympiacos and Porto. After disappointing performances in the first three matches, in which they managed to draw against Ajax at home and lost their away matches against Olympiacos and Porto, they performed well in the remaining three matches, beating Porto at home and Ajax away, as well as drawing Olympiacos at home. However, they failed to advance to the quarter-finals as the second-placed team behind Olympiacos. In the 1999âÂÂ2000 season, they were drawn in a group with defending champions Manchester United, Marseille and Sturm Graz, but managed only a fourth-place finish in the group with two draws and one win. They most notably held Manchester United to a goalless draw at Old Trafford in their opening Champions League match that season. The club also competed in two consecutive seasons of UEFA CupâÂÂin 1996, they were knocked out in the qualifying round, while in the 1997, they managed to reach the third round, losing to Atlético Madrid 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate score.
The club subsequently participated five times in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008. However, they played against Milan, Dynamo Kyiv, Arsenal, Werder Bremen, Shakhtar Donetsk and failed to win a single match, losing 6âÂÂ1 on aggregate to Milan, 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate to Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal and 5âÂÂ3 on aggregate to Werder Bremen. Since the qualifying rounds format changed, Dinamo was unable to get through to the play-off round, losing 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate to Red Bull Salzburg in 2009. Before the UEFA Cup group stage phase was introduced, Dinamo's best success in the competition was reaching the second round of the competition on three occasions. They were able to reach the group stages in 2004âÂÂ05, 2007âÂÂ08 and 2008âÂÂ09, but failed to secure qualification to round of 32. UEFA then introduced Europa League competition which had slightly changed format compared to that of the UEFA Cup. Dinamo was able to qualify for the group stage of the initial 2009âÂÂ10 Europa League season after beating Scottish side Hearts 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
In domestic competitions, the club was able to secure five league titles and won the Croatian Cup on six occasions, in addition to four Croatian Supercups. The club has also produced many footballing talents that have represented the Croatia national team on the international level in the 2000s, most notably Luka ModriÃÂ, Eduardo, Vedran ÃÂorluka, Niko KranjÃÂar and Tomislav Butina. Dinamo once again qualified for the Europa League in 2010âÂÂ11, finishing third in group D behind PAOK and Villarreal and ahead of Club Brugge. Dinamo was very close to finishing second after wins against Villarreal at home (2âÂÂ0) and Club Brugge away (0âÂÂ2), but failed to win in their last game against PAOK at home (lost 0âÂÂ1), thus failing to qualify for the next stage.
Dinamo managed to reach the group stage of the Champions League in 2011 after beating Neftçi Bakñ (3âÂÂ0 at home, 0âÂÂ0 away), HJK Helsinki (2âÂÂ1 away, 1âÂÂ0 at home) and Malmö FF (4âÂÂ1 at home, lost 2âÂÂ0 away). They were drawn in group D alongside Real Madrid, Lyon and Ajax. Dinamo finished last in the group stage, with a âÂÂ19 goal difference and 22 total goals conceded. They lost both matches against all teamsâÂÂReal Madrid (0âÂÂ1 at home, 2âÂÂ6 away), Lyon (1âÂÂ7 at home, 0âÂÂ2 away) and Ajax (0âÂÂ2 at home, 0âÂÂ4 away). The only highlight of the campaign being two late consolation goals in the final match of the group at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the only goals Real Madrid conceded in that group.
The following season, Dinamo once again managed to qualify for the Champions League group stage after defeating Ludogorets Razgrad, Sheriff Tiraspol and NK Maribor. They were drawn in group A alongside Porto, Dynamo Kyiv and Paris Saint-Germain. However, they failed to reach the next stage after recording just one point and a âÂÂ13 goal difference, with their best result a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv at the Stadion Maksimir.
In the 2015âÂÂ16 Champions League, they defeated Fola Esch 4âÂÂ1 (1âÂÂ1 at home, 3âÂÂ0 away) in the second qualifying round, Molde 4âÂÂ4 (1âÂÂ1 at home, 3âÂÂ3 away, winning on away goals) in the third qualifying round, and Skënderbeu Korçë 6âÂÂ2 (2âÂÂ1 away, 4âÂÂ1 at home) in play-off round, later being drawn into group F alongside Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Olympiacos, where they notably defeated Arsenal 2âÂÂ1 at home on 16 September 2015. The club won the domestic double, securing both the league title and the national cup.
In the 2016âÂÂ17 season, Dinamo failed to win the league title for the first time since the 2004âÂÂ05 season, and also failed to win the cup for the first time since 2014. In the 2016âÂÂ17 UEFA Champions League, they defeated Vardar 5âÂÂ3 (2âÂÂ1 away, 3âÂÂ2 at home) in the second qualifying round, Dinamo Tbilisi 3âÂÂ0 (2âÂÂ0 at home, 1âÂÂ0 away) and Red Bull Salzburg (1âÂÂ1 home, 2âÂÂ1 away after extra time). They were drawn in Group H against Juventus, Sevilla and Lyon. However, the club endured an extremely unsuccessful group campaign, scoring zero goals and conceding fifteen in six matches. The club also failed to win the league title and the cup, losing both trophies to rivals Rijeka. The 2016âÂÂ17 season was considered by many as one of Dinamo's most unsuccessful seasons in the club's history.
In the 2017âÂÂ18 season, Dinamo agreed a kit deal with German multinational company Adidas. Their qualifying campaign for Europa League began in the third round, beating Norwegian club Odds, 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate (2âÂÂ1 home, 0âÂÂ0 away), but were knocked out by Albanian side Skënderbeu Korçë (1âÂÂ1 home, 0âÂÂ0 away, losing on away goals). The club failed to qualify for European competition for the first time since 2006. The club's league campaign was successful, going unbeaten for 21 games before losing to rivals Hajduk Split, but two abysmal performances against Rijeka and Lokomotiva caused Mario Cvitanoviàto resign from his position as manager. Nikola JurÃÂeviàthen took over as manager. However, after a disastrous form in early May, JurÃÂeviàwas sacked as manager.
After much speculation, Nenad Bjelica, who was recently released from his previous club Lech Poznaà Â, took over as manager of the club. Dinamo won the 2017âÂÂ18 Prva HNL title, and won the 2017âÂÂ18 Croatian Cup, beating Hajduk in the final.
On 6 June 2018, the former executive director and advisor of the club, Zdravko MamiÃÂ, was sentenced to a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for corruption. On the same day, the club released a statement on their official website, in which they claimed that they were "shocked" with the verdict, also claiming that they "firmly believe" that Zdravko MamiÃÂ and the others who were sentenced are innocent.
In the 2018âÂÂ19 UEFA Europa League, Dinamo qualified for the knockout phase, making it the first time in 49 years that the club would play in European competitions in the winter. In the Round of 32, Dinamo drew Czech side Viktoria Plzeà Â, losing 2âÂÂ1 in the first leg but roaring back to an aggregate win with a 3âÂÂ0 home victory. In the Round of 16, Dinamo drew Portuguese side Benfica, win 1âÂÂ0 at home in front of 29,704 people. In the second leg game against Benfica, Dinamo conceded 1 goal before going to an extra time. In extra time, Benfica managed to score two more goals, winning the game 3âÂÂ0; on aggregate 3âÂÂ1 and proceeding to the quarter-finals. Because of Dinamo's success in the 2018âÂÂ19 UEFA Europa League, the Prva HNL reached the 15th place on the UEFA country coefficient table, which brings two places in the 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign, thus meaning that a half of the Prva HNL will play in European competitions.
At the start of the 2019âÂÂ20 season, Dinamo beat Saburtalo Tbilisi 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, Ferencváros 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round and Rosenborg 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate in the play-offs of the 2019âÂÂ20 UEFA Champions League and securing a group stage spot once again after three years. The draw concluded that Dinamo will play in the Group C with Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Atalanta. Even though Dinamo has been considered as a complete outsider in the group, to the surprise of many, Dinamo beat Atalanta, who finished third in the previous season of Serie A, 4âÂÂ0 at home in Zagreb, which is the highest ever win in the Champions League for Dinamo in the history of the club. However, the club could not qualify for the next round, finishing on the last position in the Champions League group with a win and a loss against Atalanta (4âÂÂ0, 0âÂÂ2), two draws against Shakhtar Donetsk (2âÂÂ2, 3âÂÂ3) and two losses against Manchester City (0âÂÂ2, 1âÂÂ4).
On 16 April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bjelica announced that he is leaving the club after consultations with the board through mutual agreement.
After Bjelica's departure and the short stint of Igor JoviÃÂeviÃÂ, the club announced that Zoran MamiÃÂ will be appointed as the new manager.
After an unsuccessful 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign, Dinamo qualified for the 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Europa League, after beating the Estonian club Flora Tallinn 3âÂÂ1 in the play-off round. Dinamo got drawn in the Group K together with Feyenoord, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsberg. They started their group stage campaign with two goalless draws against Feyenoord and CSKA Moscow. In the third match of the group stage, Dinamo got their first win with a 1âÂÂ0 win against Wolfsberg. Afterwards, Dinamo went onto a four-game winning streak after beating Wolfsberg with 3âÂÂ0, Feyenoord with 2âÂÂ0 and CSKA Moscow with 3âÂÂ1, thus reaching the 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Europa League Round of 32 undefeated and with only one goal conceded, making them the club with the least goals conceded in the 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Europa League group stage.
As of the 34th minute in their last match in the group stage against CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Zagreb made history by not conceding a single goal for 526 minutes, a record previously held by Manchester United, which is the longest time span without a goal conceded in all of the football competitions held by UEFA, including the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
In the Round of 32, Dinamo got drawn with Krasnodar, who reached the Round of 32 after being 3rd placed in the 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Champions League group stage. In the first leg, Dinamo managed to beat Krasnodar away with the score of 3âÂÂ2, while in the second leg, Dinamo beat Krasnodar with the score of 1âÂÂ0, thus remaining undefeated in eight games of the 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Europa League. Dinamo were then drawn to play Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Dinamo and Tottenham were forced to reverse the order of ties and thus Dinamo played the first leg away, in which they lost 2âÂÂ0. In the second leg, however, Mislav Orà ¡iÃÂ's hat-trick, of which the last goal came in extra time to complete the comeback, sent Dinamo to the quarter-finals after winning 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
On 15 March, Mamiàresigned from the position as club manager and sports director after the verdict of the Osijek Municipal Court was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Croatia. Mamiàand three others (including his older brother Zdravko) were charged with tax evasion worth 12.2 million HRK and for siphoning off 116 million HRK from transfers of players from Dinamo. Assistant coach Damir Krznar was named MamiÃÂ's replacement the same day. Despite this, Dinamo's journey in Europa League ended in the quarter-finals with a 1âÂÂ3 on aggregate score defeat against Villarreal.
Dinamo Zagreb's tally of 25 Prva HNL titles is the highest in Croatian football. They were runners-up in the league four times, and only on four occasions have they concluded a season of Prva HNL finishing out of the top two places in the final standings. The team is also the most successful Croatian Cup competitor, appearing so far in 23 of the Cup's 29 staged finals, 16 of which they have won. In addition, the club also holds the record for most Croatian Supercup titles, appearing in eleven matches and winning eight times. Furthermore, the team managed to achieve the double twelve times, being both the Prva HNL champions and the Croatian Cup winners from 1996 to 1998, again from 2007 to 2009, from 2011 to 2012, 2015 to 2018 and most recently in season 2020âÂÂ21.
During the time Dinamo competed in the Yugoslav football league system, they were Yugoslav First League champions nine times. The team had won 8 Yugoslav Cup editions. Overall the club won 72 official domestic titles and one competitive international tournament. The league title in 2014âÂÂ15 is in bold because it is the only unbeaten season in the Croatian First Football League history. The club also claims the titles won during the Hà  K GraÃÂanski period (marked in italics).
GNK Dinamo played their first European Cup match against Czechoslovak side Dukla Prague in 1958. In the 1960s Dinamo experienced their most successful period in both domestic and European football which saw them win four Yugoslav Cups but failing to clinch a single championship title, finishing runners-up five times between 1960 and 1969. On the European stage, the club had two successful campaigns in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, reaching the finals on two occasions. In the 1963 final Dinamo lost to Valencia, but in 1967 they beat England's Leeds United. This was the only European silverware won by a Yugoslav club until Red Star Belgrade won the 1990âÂÂ91 European Cup 24 years later. Dinamo played semifinal of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960âÂÂ61 and two quarterfinals in 1964âÂÂ65 and 1969âÂÂ70. They reached UEFA Europa League quarterfinal in 2020âÂÂ21 and round of 16 in 2018âÂÂ19. Dinamo also won the Balkans Cup in 1976.
<small>Note: This summary includes matches played in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was not endorsed by UEFA and is not counted in UEFA's official European statistics.</small><br /><small>Defunct competitions are listed in italics.</small> <br /><small>Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against</small>
<small>Last updated on 11 December 2025. after match GNK Dinamo 1:3 Real Betis, Source: UEFA.com</small>
<small>Last updated on 22 February 2024. after match GNK Dinamo â Real Betis 1:1, Source: UEFA.com</small>
The following data indicates Dinamo coefficient rankings.
Dinamo Zagreb is a registered corporate personhood, more precisely a nonprofit organization that, unlike the football clubs organized as limited companies, does not issue shares, and, consistently with the Croatian law for citizens' associations, does not pay income tax. Consequently, the club is obliged to issue publicly assessible memberships. Each legally capable member of Dinamo has an equal say in its democratic processes; for example, the elections for the representatives in the chairmanship of the club.
In April 2024, Dinamo released its accounts for the 2023 calendar year. It showed operating revenue of â¬20.12m and a net profit after tax of â¬4.44m. The drivers of the result were player wage expenses of â¬20.95m and profit on player sales of â¬37.42m. The 2022 calendar year accounts showed operating revenue of â¬43.60m, boosted by UEFA Champions League participation, and a net profit of â¬1.16m.
The members of an initiative Zajedno za Dinamo [Together for Dinamo], composed of club supporters, have been claiming that the club was silently privatised by its executive president Zdravko MamiÃÂ, and that it functions as an evidently unlawful "public limited citizens' association". Subsequently, the tax exemption granted to the club by the constitutional law came under heavy criticism, particularly in the light of the club's lucrative transfers arranged at the start of the 2000s. Jutarnji list journalist Romana Eibl asserted that during this period the club had as much as 1.36 billion kuna of untaxed revenue, partly from selling its players, while approximately 360 million kuna were received from public funds. The former director of the club Damir VrbanoviÃÂ argued that the transfers do not offer a long-term source of revenue for the club, and that the club is therefore justified in remaining a nonprofit organization.
In spite of all criticism and controversy, Mamiàis moderately praised for being unprecedented in arranging some of the club's most profitable transfers of the Croatian players to top European clubs. These include the transfers of Boà ¡ko Balaban to Aston Villa for â¬7.8 million in 2001; Eduardo to Arsenal for â¬13.5 million and Vedran ÃÂorluka to Manchester City for â¬13 million in 2007; Luka Modriàto Tottenham Hotspur for â¬21 million in 2008; Dejan Lovren to Lyon for â¬8 million; Mario Mandà ¾ukiàto Wolfsburg for â¬7 million in 2010; and Mateo KovaÃÂiàto Internazionale for â¬11 million in 2013.
Dinamo Zagreb's home stadium is Stadion Maksimir. The stadium is situated in the northeastern part of Zagreb, opposite the city's largest urban park, Maksimir, which also lends its name to the eponymous neighbourhood. It was officially opened on 5 May 1912 and has been noticeably upgraded several times thereafter, most recently in 2011. The stadium was initially used by HAà  K, and the club became its tenant only in 1948, after the stadium was rebuilt. Before moving to Maksimir, the club played its home matches at the former GraÃÂanski Zagreb's stadium Stadion Koturaà ¡ka. It is there that the club played its first official match on 23 June 1945. Its first match at the Stadion Maksimir was played on 19 September 1948 in front of a crowd of 40,000 spectators.
The design of Stadion Maksimir initially included a single grandstand in a shape of a horseshoe that faced the other, much smaller stand to the north. The north stand was altered from the ground up in 1998, when it was replaced by a 10,965 all-seater stand, and also a building with 15,000 square meters of office space covered in a glazed façade. The north stand's capacity is nowadays reduced to 9,460 seats. As for the original grandstand, it is now replaced by three separate stands, although their present-day design came about after a long and toilsome process of numerous renovations, which have started almost immediately after the stadium was rebuilt in 1948. Some of the best Croatian architects at the time, such as Vladimir Turina, Eugen Erlich and Franjo Neidhardt, worked on this project. Prior to Croatian secession from Yugoslavia, the restructuring of the stadium was never completed as thoroughly as it was planned, mostly because of an array of bureaucratic obstacles. Lastly, it was put in order for the 1987 Summer Universiade, but even then the final appearance of the stadium was less satisfactory than what was to be expected.
Some progress was finally made in 1997 when seats were installed on both the east and south stands. Shortly before the 1999 Summer Military World Games, the west and also the largest stand of the stadium was renovated. It comprised 12,600 seats, and a VIP section with 718 seats that also included a presidential lodge. By this time, the total maintenance expenses for Stadion Maksimir have climbed up to 362.4 million kuna. In 2006, the then-mayor of Zagreb Milan Bandiàannounced a project worth â¬150 million that would see Stadion Maksimir once again completely rebuilt. By 2010, the taxpayers have vested another 288 million kuna on maintenance and restoration of the stadium, but no significant improvements were made. The arranged reconstruction of Stadion Maksimir soon became an enormous financial problem for the city, and for a brief period of time Bandiàwas planning to call a referendum in which the citizens of Zagreb would decide whether to continue with investments into Stadion Maksimir, or rather to build a brand new Stadion Kajzerica. The referendum was never held and both projects were ultimately abandoned in 2012. Nevertheless, some crucial work was done between 2011 and 2013, when the club replaced all of the seats from the four existing stands, installed the under-soil heating, ameliorated the interior of the stadium, and made some aesthetic adjustments, among others, to the colour of the stands and of the tartan track surrounding the pitch. Currently, Stadion Maksimir is listed as a 35,123 all-seater.
Although Dinamo Zagreb had followers since its founding, its first organised supporters' group emerged in 1986 under the name Bad Blue Boys (BBB). According to the BBB's official website, the name was inspired by the 1983 film Bad Boys. Following its establishment, the group gained attention in Zagreb and expanded into multiple neighbourhoods, and became known across the Yugoslavia for self-organised travel to Dinamo Zagreb away matches, expressing support for the club, the city of Zagreb, and Croatia. During home matches, the BBB occupy the north stand of Stadion Maksimir. The BBB and other Dinamo supporters consider Hajduk Split fans, particularly the ultras group Torcida Split, to be their principal rivals.
Dinamo Zagreb supporters have been linked to hooliganism and far-right politics since the 1990s. The Bad Blue Boys were involved in violent clashes during the 1990 Yugoslav league match against Red Star Belgrade at the Maksimir Stadium, an event that has been commemorated annually by the group as a symbolic precursor to the Croatian War of Independence. In the 2000s and 2010s, members of the Bad Blue Boys were repeatedly associated with nationalist and fascist imagery, including the use of Ustasha symbols and slogans such as "Za dom spremni", and performing fascist salutes at matches both domestically and abroad. In April 2018, 14 men identifying as members of the Bad Blue Boys were indicted in Salzburg, Austria, for glorifying the World War II Ustaà ¡e regime and performing Nazi salutes. The men were arrested for singing Ustaà ¡e songs and for performing fascist salutes in Salzburg. Police also seized materials promoting Ustaà ¡e and Nazi ideology. In June 2020, Croatian police detained four individuals, reportedly supporters of Dinamo Zagreb, after they displayed a banner in Zagreb reading "We will fuck Serbian women and children" and chanted "kill, kill the Serb" while waving torches. The group also displayed symbols associated with the pro-Nazi Ustaà ¡e militia. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic described the incident as "unacceptable" and inappropriate for a public setting, while Education Minister Blaà ¾enka Divjak called it "disgusting". In September 2022, Dinamo fans were seen performing fascist salutes before a game against AC Milan.
In July 2013, FARE reported homophobic and racist chanting by the group during domestic matches against NK Osijek, and European fixtures against Fola Esch and Sheriff Tiraspol, resulting in UEFA fines and partial stadium closures. In 2016, Croatian authorities and UEFA recorded multiple incidents of Bad Blue Boysâ involvement in hooliganism, including violent clashes with rival supporters and acts of vandalism. In April 2019, UEFA sanctioned Dinamo Zagreb by ordering a home European match to be played behind closed doors and levying fines following racist behaviour by supporters during a Europa League match against S.L. Benfica on 7 March. In August 2023, over 100 members of the Bad Blue Boys were detained in Athens following the fatal stabbing of AEK Athens fan Michalis Katsouris in premeditated violence before a Champions League qualifier, with further arrests in Zagreb in September 2023.
Zlatko Hasanbegoviàwas an active member of the Bad Blue Boys before serving as Croatia's Minister of Culture. Hasanbegoviàhas documented associations with far-right groups and, in his earlier writings for a pro-Ustaà ¡e publication, expressed positive views of the Ustaà ¡e movement.
Dinamo's biggest rivals are Hajduk Split, and the matches between the two teams are referred to as "Eternal Derby" or "Croatian Derby.". Their rivalry can be traced back to the 1920s when Dinamo's predecessor HÃ Â K GraÃÂanski played against Hajduk Split and riots on the field occurred. HÃ Â K GraÃÂanski and Hajduk remained the biggest rivals till 1945, when GraÃÂanski was disbanded. After Dinamo inherited GraÃÂanski they continued their rivalry with Hajduk Split. Matches between the two clubs are recognized as the most anticipated event of Croatian club football, which attracts the greatest number of spectators and most media attention of all the football matches in Croatia. It is considered as the battle of the north and south of Croatia.
There is also a rivalry with HNK Rijeka, which especially became fierce in 2010s when Rijeka became strongest challenger for title and cup.
In early 2020s, NK Osijek also became the contender after the Hungarian takeover, which led to bigger rivalry between clubs.
In Yugoslav times, major rivalries also included Serbian clubs Red Star Belgrade and Partizan. Even after the breakup of Yugoslavia the hatred still remained.
Despite spending some time of their history playing in the same division as Dinamo, and being from same city, NK Zagreb and NK Lokomotiva Zagreb are not considered major rivals by the fans.
The following players have previously made appearances or have appeared on the substitutes bench for the first team.
The following is a list of former Dinamo players which have made significant contributions to the club while playing for its first team. The list is sorted in alphabetical order and in accordance with the specified inclusion criteria. Players that were named in the club's "Best 11" squad are excluded from the list.
In 2016, the best squad in history of Dinamo was chosen by a group of experts, along with the club's fans, chose 11 of Dinamo Zagreb's former and current players to fit in an ideal squad in 4âÂÂ4âÂÂ2. Shown in brackets is a period in which the players played for the first team of the club.
The following are lists of top players in terms of the number of appearances and goals for Dinamo Zagreb, as of 15 March 2023. The numbers include only official games.
<br /> Ivica Smodek<br /> Hrvoje à  ojat<br /> Saà ¡a Jankovià<br /> Sebastian Grgac<br /> Josip JuriÃÂ<br /> Zlatko MihaliÃÂ<br /> Matej IviÃÂ
The GNK Dinamo Foundation "Nema predaje" (lit. "Never give up") is the official charitable foundation of Croatian football club GNK Dinamo Zagreb. It was established in 2019, and began operating at the end of 2020.
The Foundation operates in the fields of humanitarian aid, sport, education and social solidarity. Since its inception it has made donations exceeding â¬500,000 and helped raise an additional â¬300,000. See also: GNK Dinamo Zagreb Foundation "Nema predaje".