The Prva HNL Player of the Year award () was an annual association football award given by the Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija. It was awarded to the best football player who plied his trade in the Prva HNL (or "1. HNL"), Croatian top flight and winners were chosen by the newspaper's sports editors. Winners for the preceding year were usually announced around 1 January and all players who had spent the entire calendar year playing in the league were eligible for the award, regardless of their nationality. The award was established in 1992 and lasted until 2010 when it was awarded for the last time.
Igor Cvitanović holds the record for most wins with three awards won between 1992 and 1997, followed by Stipe Pletikosa and Niko Kranjčar with two wins each. The current award holder is Sammir of Dinamo Zagreb.
Another similar award is the Yellow Shirt Award which is based on aggregate player ratings in matches throughout the season as judged by the country's only sports daily Sportske novosti.
Winners † denotes shared wins YearPlayer (Wins)Club(s) 1992 † (1) Hajduk Split 1992 † (1) Varteks / HAŠK Građanski 1992 † (1) Hajduk Split 1993 (1) Hajduk Split / Croatia Zagreb 1994 (1) Hajduk Split 1995 (1) Hajduk Split 1996 (2) Croatia Zagreb 1997 † (3) Croatia Zagreb 1997 † (1) Croatia Zagreb 1998 (1) Croatia Zagreb 1999 (1) Croatia Zagreb 2000 (1) Osijek 2001 (1) Hajduk Split 2002 † (1) NK Zagreb / Dinamo Zagreb 2002 † (2) Hajduk Split 2003 (1) Dinamo Zagreb 2004 (1) Zadar / Hajduk Split 2005 (2) Hajduk Split 2006 Eduardo (1) Dinamo Zagreb 2007 (1) Dinamo Zagreb 2008 (1) Hajduk Split 2009 (1) Dinamo Zagreb 2010 Sammir (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Notes on club name changes: Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They reverted to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000. The NK Varteks changed their 52-year-old name to "NK Varaždin" in June 2010, then folded in 2015. Two newer clubs, both unassociated with the defunct team, use the defunct club's names: NK Varteks (founded 2011) and NK Varaždin (founded 2012 as "Varaždin ŠN", picked up the "NK Varaždin" name when the older club folded).
See also Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award, for the HNL footballer of the year, given by the Croatian sport newspaper Sportske novosti, chosen by sport journalists. Prva HNL Player of the Year (Tportal), given by the Croatian web site Tportal, chosen by captains of league clubs. Football Oscar, given by the Croatian union Football syndicate, chosen by players and managers of league clubs.
References
External links Complete list of winners 1992–2009