Hajduk Split confirm signing of Josip Brekalo

Hajduk Split has confirmed on Monday that Croatia international Josip Brekalo has joined the club (Photo credit: Robert Matić/Hajduk.hr)

Hajduk Split has confirmed on Monday that Croatia international Josip Brekalo has joined the club. 

The club has reached an agreement with ACF Fiorentina for the loan of the 25-year-old winger until the end of the current season, and Brekalo will wear the number 70 jersey at Hajduk, the club announced on its official website.

Josip was born on June 23, 1998, in Zagreb. He went through all the youth ranks of the GNK Dinamo football academy, where he also made his senior debut before becoming one of the greatest talents in Croatian football and joining the ranks of German side Wolfsburg. 

He was part of the German Bundesliga club from 2016 to 2023, spending a loan spell at Stuttgart from January 2017 to June 2018, helping them secure promotion to the 1. Bundesliga. Additionally, from 2021 until his move to Fiorentina, he successfully played for Torino, where he was also on loan from Wolfsburg.

Throughout his career, Brekalo has played 246 official matches for the clubs he represented, scoring 37 goals and providing 24 assists.

He was a regular member of all Croatian youth national teams and has earned a respectable 35 caps for the Croatian national team, scoring 4 goals.

“Josip transferred to Wolfsburg in 2016 as one of Croatia’s greatest talents in a €10 million deal. Seven and a half years later, he returns with vast experience playing in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and for the Croatian national team. The numbers speak volumes about his football quality, especially considering he’s only 25 years old.

Sreća nije cilj koji treba postići, već način života koji treba odabrati. 🤝👏🥳❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/fXSSSXMPYk

— HNK Hajduk Split (@hajduk) January 29, 2024

We had no doubt when the opportunity arose to bring him in. Josip recognised the ambition and energy of our club, which aligns with his personal ambitions and desires. He will undoubtedly strengthen our championship aspirations. He is highly motivated and eager for new challenges. He comes to Hajduk to help us fight for the league title and the Croatian Cup, as well as to elevate his game to secure a place in the Croatian national team for the upcoming European Championship,” emphasised sports director Mindaugas Nikoličius.

“The agreement with Hajduk happened very quickly. I am happy, honored, and proud to have joined such a great club and to have the opportunity to compete for the title and showcase myself in Croatia in the best light. I left Croatia at a very young age, always motivated to someday return home and show our fans what I can do. Now is the perfect time for that, to try to secure my position in the national team and participate in the European Championship.

My family is a great support in all of this, everyone stands behind me. I am very happy and have nothing but praise for the people at Hajduk for how they accepted me and reacted to this situation. It’s up to me to repay that and show on the field what I am capable of. Yesterday’s reception at Poljud especially impressed me. For a kid from Zagreb, it’s a bit unusual, but I’ve always had great respect for this club. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to step onto Poljud with Ivan Perišić, a legend of Croatian football,” Josip told the official Hajduk Split website.