Nikola Kalinic had actually taken a break from soccer. But to help his youth club, he’s ending it. And plays for free
In the summer of 2022, Nikola Kalinic returned to Hajduk Split for the first time. The then 34-year-old terminated his contract with Hellas Verona to sign for his youth club, where he had trained since 2003 and later made his breakthrough as a professional. However, after the 2022/23 season, in which he scored four goals in 18 games, he announced his intention to take a break from soccer.
And so he has been without a contract since last summer. Until Wednesday, when Hajduk Split announced that the now 35-year-old had signed a contract until the end of the current season. And, as the club announced on social media, Kalanic will receive exactly one euro in salary for the six months.
The Hajduk management were already considering bringing the experienced attacker back last fall. Coach Mislav Karoglan and sporting director Mindaugas Nikolicius had already approached him in November 2023. Since then, Kalinic has undergone individual training and will join the team after signing.
At Hajduk, Kalinik will once again be given the number 9, which Aleksandar Trajkovski has “voluntarily” handed over to him, according to a club statement. The Macedonian Trajkovski will wear the number 27 instead.
Kalinic left his mark in Serie A in particular
Kalinic left Split before the 2009/10 season and moved to England. He later made stops in Ukraine, Italy and Spain. He left his mark on the boot in particular, scoring 44 goals in 147 Serie A games for Verona, Roma, Milan and Florence.
He scored 15 times in 42 international matches for the Croatian national team. He took part in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 European Championships. He was also in Croatia’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but was sent home after the group stage for disciplinary reasons. As a result, he missed out on Croatia’s historic run to the World Cup final