Why Hajduk Split Should Be Your Pet Club

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 2, 2014

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In the spring of 1995, Hajduk Split hosted Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League quarter-finals and drew 0-0. It wasn’t a bad result for the Croatian champions, as the Louis van Gaal-lead visiting side was the best in Europe that season and made up of Edwin van der Sar, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Jari Litmanen, the De Boer brothers… They would later proceed to lift the European title.

Hajduk weren’t nearly as illustrious, though their lineup did include two players who would win the Bronze for Croatia three years later at the World Cup in France, beating Netherlands (largely made of ’95 Ajax players) in the third-place match. Those two were Igor Stimac and Aljosa Asanovic.

But one more member of Croatia’s Bronze generation kicked a few balls that evening at Hajduk’s Poljud Stadium: Igor Tudor. He was a ball-boy.

Split-born and an ardent Hajduk fan since early childhood, he later became a top defender for Juventus and for his country before being forced to retire in 2008, aged just 30. A nasty ankle injury marred the last few seasons of his career, but he wouldn’t hang his boots before returning home and spending one more year playing for the club of his youth.

Now Tudor is Hajduk’s coach—a progressive-minded tactician who favours a proactive approach to playing football and isn’t afraid to experiment. Last week, after his team defeated Zadar 3-1 in the league, the club’s chairman called up a press conference to announce the coach’s contract had been extended.

And that was when Tudor broke down.

"I’m happy and proud to be Hajduk coach," he told the reporters gathered. "Every day I’m focused on my work here like I’m going to stay for the next 10 years. I’m honoured to be a part of something that to me, ever since I was a kid…" He couldn’t finish the ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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