Danijel Pranjić

Danijel Pranjić

Footballer

AI

Danijel Pranjić is a Croatian football manager and former player known for his versatility on the field.

Pranjić was a key player for the Croatian national team, starting all four games at UEFA Euro 2008.

He earned 15 caps and scored one goal for the Croatian under-21 national team between 2002 and 2004.

Biography

Early Life

Danijel Pranjić was born in Našice, Croatia, where he began his football journey at his hometown club, NK NAŠK. His early career saw him play for local clubs such as NK Papuk and NK Belišće before making a significant move to NK Osijek in 2002, marking the start of his professional career in the Croatian top division.

Career

Pranjić's career took off when he transferred to GNK Dinamo Zagreb in 2004, where he made a name for himself by participating in the UEFA Cup and scoring crucial goals. In 2005, he moved to the Netherlands to join SC Heerenveen, where he excelled as an offensive winger, earning a call-up to the Croatian national team. His time at Heerenveen was marked by impressive performances, including a hat-trick in the KNVB Cup and a memorable goal against Ajax.

In 2009, Pranjić signed with FC Bayern Munich, where he faced challenges in his first season but gradually became a key player due to his versatility. He contributed to the team's success, winning multiple titles, including the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. After his stint in Germany, he played for Sporting CP, RC Celta de Vigo, and Panathinaikos, before transitioning into management.

International Career

Pranjić made his debut for the Croatian national team in 2004 and was a vital part of the squad during UEFA Euro 2008, where he assisted in crucial matches. He had a brief retirement from international football but returned to represent Croatia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. His last appearance for the national team was during Euro 2016, leaving behind a legacy as a dedicated player who contributed significantly to Croatian football.

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Career & Clubs

Club career

Born in Našice, Pranjić started his career at hometown club NAŠK. He also played for Papuk and Belišće before being acquired by Croatian top side Osijek in 2002. Pranjić transferred to Dinamo Zagreb two seasons later in 2004. While at Dinamo Zagreb, he also played regularly during their 2004–05 UEFA Cup campaign, making six appearances and scoring one goal in the competition. In 2005, Pranjić was transferred to Dutch Eredivisie side Heerenveen. His good performances as an offensive winger secured him a return to international football with Croatia in 2007. He started the 2008–09 Eredivisie season well, netting four goals in his first three league matches. Pranjić scored his first hat-trick in the KNVB Cup on 12 November 2008 in a huge 7–0 win against Haaglandia. On 31 January 2009, he scored the only goal in a Heerenveen victory against Ajax. A month later, Pranjić scored a late penalty that gave Heerenveen a 3–2 win over PSV. He won the KNVB Cup with Heerenveen at the end of the 2008–09 season, which turned out to be his last match for the club. In June 2009, Bayern Munich announced Pranjić would join the club. He struggled to make an impact in his first season with the club, starting only 14 matches and losing out to first choice left-back Holger Badstuber. Due to his utility and injuries to other teammates, however, he started an increasing number of games in his second season with the Bavarian club. On 13 July 2012, after the expiration of his Bayern contract, Pranjić…

International career

Pranjić started his international career with the Croatian under-21 national team, earning a total of 15 caps and scoring one goal for the team between 2002 and 2004. On 16 November 2004, Pranjić made his full international debut for Croatia in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. After two years of absence from the national team, he was called up for a friendly match against Norway in February 2007. Later that year, he also appeared in three UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. Asked to play a defensive role by Croatia coach Slaven Bilić, although still predominantly a midfielder in his club career, Pranjić was the only Croatian to start all four games at the UEFA Euro 2008 finals. Pranjić provided an assist to Darijo Srna to score the opener in Croatia's 2–1 victory over Germany and an assist to Ivan Klasnić to score the only goal in their next game, a 1–0 win over Poland. He kept his place as a regular in the national team during their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, appearing in a total of nine matches. On 28 September 2012, Pranjić retired from the national team in protest to the call up of Brazilian-born player Sammir. On 10 November 2013, Niko Kovač called up Pranjić to the national team after Ivan Strinić sustained an injury that made him ineligible for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs against Iceland. He was called up to Croatia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Pranjić's last match for Croatia was a Euro 2016…

Career statistics

Club

International goals

Scores and Results show Croatia's goal tally first

Managerial

As of match played 26 October 2024

Club
FC Bayern Munich (2009–2012)
Club
Sporting CP (2012–2013)
Club
NK Osijek (2002–2004)
Club
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (2004–2005)
Club
RC Celta de Vigo (2013–2013)
Club
NK Belišće (2001–2002)
Club
NK NAŠK (1998–2000)
Club
FC Bayern Munich II (2011–2011)
Club
SC Heerenveen (2005–2009)
Club
NK Papuk
Club
NK Papuk Orahovica (2000–2001)
Club
Panathinaikos F.C. (2013–2016)
Club
Croatia national under-21 football team (2002–2004)
Club
Croatia men's national football team (2004–)
League
Bundesliga
National team
Croatia

Legacy

Honours

Player

Heerenveen

KNVB Cup: 2008–09 Bayern Munich

Bundesliga: 2009–10 DFB-Pokal: 2009–10 DFL-Supercup: 2010 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2009–10, 2011–12 Panathinaikos

Greek Cup: 2013–14

Clubs

Played together with

Archive

Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Description

Croatian association football manager and former player

Position

wing half

Extract from Wikipedia

Danijel Pranjić is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who played as a full-back. Being a versatile left-footed player, he could play all across the left wing and could also be used as a central midfielder.

▸ Source: Wikipedia
All links
Official Website

Discussion

Opinions of fans — not verified facts.

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