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Contact Niko Kranjcar |
| Full Name: | Niko Kranjcar |
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Times Online - Found 14 hours ago ... experiment that stymied the gifts of all three and meant Tottenham were outgunned in midfield until Niko Kranjcar emerged to offer craft and... |
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International Herald Tribune - Found Oct. 25, 2009 Niko Kranjcar smacked a long shot against a post and Peter Crouch drove close several times, but the Spurs, without the suspended England... Roundup: Tottenham Hotspur Loses in Bid for First Place - New York Times Explore All |
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Times Online - Found Oct. 24, 2009 Peter Crouch had two efforts cleared off the line, both by James Beattie, and Niko Kranjcar struck the post - then the visitors stung them at... Glenn Whelan shocks Tottenham's high hopes - Times Online Whelan goal shocks Spurs - Newcastle Sunday Sun Stoke stun Spurs thanks to Whelan's winner - ITV.com National Sport: Whelan goal shocks Spurs - Coventry Telegraph Explore All |
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Football.co.uk - Found Sep. 9, 2009 Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar is fearful his side will struggle without Tottenham colleagues Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka. Kranjcar hopes to ... |
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Football.co.uk - Found Sep. 3, 2009 Portsmouth have admitted they had no option than to sell Niko Kranjcar to Tottenham because the Croatia international was determined to leave Fratton ... |
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Football.co.uk - Found Aug. 31, 2009 ... goalkeeper David James Harry Redknapp is going back to his old club Portsmouth with an £8m offer for David James and Niko Kranjcar. |
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Tottenham Hotspur FC - Found Sep. 12, 2009 Niko Kranjcar has spoken for the first time since his transfer deadline day arrival from Portsmouth exclusively on Spurs TV Online. |
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Telegraph - Found Sep. 9, 2009 Wembley can be a source both of intimidation or inspiration for visiting players and, in the case of Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar, there is |
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Times Online - Found Sep. 1, 2009 Despite signing Niko Kranjcar, the Tottenham Hotspur manager failed in deals for David James, the goalkeeper he signed for Portsmouth, his... |
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Northampton Evening Telegraph - Found Sep. 1, 2009 We have reached agreement with Portsmouth for the transfer of Niko Kranjcar to the club,' read a statement from Spurs. Kranjcar joins Jermain... |
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Niko Kranjcar
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Niko KranjÄar | ||
| Date of birth | 13 August 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps†| (Gls)†|
| 2001–2004 | Dinamo Zagreb | 84 | (19) |
| 2004–2006 | Hajduk Split | 45 | (12) |
| 2006–2009 | Portsmouth | 83 | (9) |
| 2009– | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| Croatia U21 | 3 | (0) | |
| 2004– | Croatia | 51 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:50, 17 October 2009 (UTC+1). †Appearances (Goals). |
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Niko KranjÄar (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈniËkÉ” ˈkraɲtʃaËr]; born 13 August 1984 in Zagreb) is a Croatian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatian national team. His main traits are his vision, close control, range of passing, set piece prowess and his superb technique.
He has previously represented two of the biggest clubs in his homeland, playing for Dinamo Zagreb and then sparking controversy by making a move to their fierce rivals Hajduk Split in 2005.1 A transfer to England with Portsmouth soon followed in August 2006,2 and after several years of attempting to hold on to their key asset,345 Portsmouth decided to sell him at the start of the 2009–10 season, allowing KranjÄar to move to Tottenham in September 2009, where he was reunited with his former manager at Portsmouth, Harry Redknapp.6
Hailed as the next Robert ProsineÄki, KranjÄar was given his international debut by his father Zlatko in August 2004.7 As of September 2009, KranjÄar has won 50 caps for the Croatia national team.
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Niko KranjÄar spent most of his youth playing for Dinamo Zagreb, and later became the youngest captain of the squad for the first time at the age of 17. He also became one of the youngest goalscorers in the Prva HNL as he scored on his league debut for Dinamo at the age of 16 before helping them win the double of a Croatian cup and a league title in 2003 and then the Croatian cup again the following season.8 Such abilities and assistance led him to become a fan favorite, he began to receive comparison to French football legend Zinédine Zidane.9 However, in early 2005, he experienced a disagreement with the management, leading to a surprise transfer to Dinamo's biggest rivals, Hajduk Split.10 Nevertheless, he still managed to focus on his new club as he helped them to the Croatian title in his first season.7
After the 2006 World Cup, the world press hailed him for his talents, and several clubs immediately showed interest in the young star. Among such clubs were Stade Rennais and the Spanish Club Celta de Vigo. In August 2006, Rennes bid €4.5 million for KranjÄar, which Hajduk rejected, stating they felt they should get more for the player. Later on the same day, however, KranjÄar then moved for a reported £3.5 million (€5.2 million) to Portsmouth on 31 August 2006.1112
KranjÄar made his Premier League debut for Portsmouth on 1 October 2006 as he played all 90 minutes in their 2–1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He scored his first Premier League goal on 31 March 2007 against Fulham at Craven Cottage, giving Portsmouth an early 1–0 lead in a match that eventually ended in a 1–1 draw.13 He made a total of 24 appearances and scored two goals in his first Premier League season. His disallowed goal on the final day of the season would, if given, have resulted in Portsmouth qualifying for the UEFA Cup. He also managed to eventually score during his side's decisive 2–1 home victory over Liverpool.
In 2007–08 his second season in England, KranjÄar established himself as a regular in the Portsmouth side, putting in a string of impressive performances on the left of a three man attack, including a stunning 35 yard free-kick in a 2–0 victory against Birmingham City. Then a 30 yard free-kick in the 4–1 victory over Newcastle United. He also gained large credential for helping Pompey to the FA Cup title in 2008.14
At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, AS Monaco had a bid of £12 million rejected for KranjÄar,15 however this was denied by Monaco.1617 Then-Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp stated that KranjÄar was not going to leave the club at any price. The day after, KranjÄar openly said that he didn't intend to leave Portsmouth "for years to come" and also publicly thanked Redknapp for the faith that he showed in him. However, Redknapp subsequently left the club to take over the reins at Tottenham Hotspur.18 On 12 February 2009, with Portsmouth battling relegation, KranjÄar publicly declared his desire to quit Portsmouth and move to a bigger club.19 Arsenal and AS Monaco have previously been linked with moves for the Croatian International.2021 Everton manager David Moyes also expressed an interest in signing KranjÄar as a replacement for long-term absentee Mikel Arteta.22 In August, KranjÄar stated: "For now I am staying, but we have not strengthened like I would have liked us to. That's why I will not sign a new contract. It's one more season for me and then I'm off".23
On 1 September 2009, KranjÄar joined Tottenham Hotspur from Portsmouth after the two clubs agreed a transfer fee of around £2.5m. The deal was completed just before the transfer deadline passed.24 It was reported that Everton had made a late bid to sign KranjÄar, but the player opted to sign for Spurs, stating that: "Everton is also a big club but, in the end, the tradition and greatness of Tottenham made the difference. I also knew manager Harry Redknapp, and Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka told me great things about the club".25 KranjÄar made his debut for Tottenham as a substitute in the 3–1 defeat to Manchester United at White Hart Lane.26 On 26 September 2009, KranjÄar made his first Premier League start for Spurs in a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley at White Hart Lane.27 He scored his first goal for the club in a Premier League match against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium on 4 October 2009.2829
KranjÄar was previously a part of the Croatian national Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 teams before advancing to the senior national team. His senior debut for Croatia came on 18 August 2004 in a friendly match against Israel. He was a regular for Croatia during their qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, making nine appearances and scoring two goals, including a brilliant single effort against Bulgaria. Niko was then chosen for "Young guns firing for World Cup glory" on eurosport.com with some of the greatest talents in the world, such as Lionel Messi, Lukas Podolski and future Pompey team mate Sulley Muntari. He went on to play in all of Croatia's three group stage matches at the final tournament, proving to be a prestigious player for his impressive performances.
With the departure of his father as national team manager, KranjÄar became a regular for Croatia in their qualifying campaign for the UEFA Euro 2008, having appeared in all 12 matches, scoring two goals. The most famous of such was his long range opener for Croatia during their final match away to England. Croatia eventually won the game 3–2, resulting in England's failure to qualify for the final tournament.30 He then scored in a friendly game against Scotland with a spectacular effort just from inside the penalty area in a match played that ended 1–1, the equalising goal coming from Kenny Miller.
During the final Euro 2008 tournament, KranjÄar was hardly mentioned as he remained fairly quiet during Croatia's run, combined with three disappointing misses after being given golden opportunities to score against Germany and Turkey, the latter of such eventually led to Croatia's controversial exit from the competition.citation needed
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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| 01. | 4 June, 2005 | Vasil Levski Stadium, Sofia |
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| 02. | 17 August, 2005 | Poljud, Split, Croatia |
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| 03. | 7 September, 2005 | Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta |
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| 04. | 12 September, 2007 | Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra |
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| 05. | 21 November, 2007 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |
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| 06. | 26 March, 2008 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |
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| 07. | 11 February, 2009 | Steaua Stadium, Bucharest, Romania |
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Dinamo Zagreb
Hajduk Split
Portsmouth
KranjÄar is married to Simona Fistrić and the couple live in Portsmouth, England where KranjÄar formerly played.31
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