This article shows statistics of individual players for the football club Dinamo Zagreb It also lists all matches that Dinamo Zagreb will play in the 2008–09 season.
9 May: Dinamo board of directors hold a press conference concerning the Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić's announcement that the Maksimir stadium could be torn down and replaced by a new stadium built at a different location. Club's chairman Mirko Barišić, club's legends Slaven Zambata and Igor Cvitanović as well as the current vice-captain Igor Bišćan and Bad Blue Boys spokesman all express the view that the new stadium should be built in Maksimir.[2]
21 May: Defender Hrvoje Čale signs a four-year contract with the Turkish club Trabzonspor in a transfer worth €2.2m.[5]
23 May: Goalkeeper Tomislav Butina signs a two-year contract with Dinamo on a free transfer after being released from Greek club Olympiacos. Butina returns to the club after spending five years playing abroad, and 15 years after his first top-flight debut for the Blues in 1993.[6]
25 May: Defensive midfielder Ognjen Vukojević signs a five-year contract with Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv on a transfer worth €6m.[7]
4 June: Attacking midfielder Guillermo Suárez signs for Dinamo from Argentina's Tigre for an undisclosed fee.[8]
5 June: Defender Etto agrees to a new four-year contract with Dinamo.[9]
5 June: The 6th edition of the annual Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament hosted by Dinamo begins, featuring youth squads from Croatia and abroad. Dinamo youngsters beat Bulgarian side Litex Lovech 3–1.[10]
6 June: UEFA commission inspect all venues expected to host the following Prva HNL season games and assigns Maksimir stadium a category 3 rating, declaring it fit to host European games.[11]
6 June: Dinamo youth squad beats Osijek 4–1 and secures a place in the tournament final.[12]
Updated 5 March 2009
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
As for the arrivals, goalkeeper Tomislav Butina signed a two-year deal after being released by Olympiacos. Butina signed a two-year deal after being released by the Greek powerhouse, in a transfer which marked his return to the club after spending five years playing abroad, and 15 years after his first top-flight debut for the Blues in 1993. Heart of Hajduk Award winner Mirko Hrgović also joined the club from Japanese side JEF United, in a transfer which stirred some resentment by supporters of both Hajduk and Dinamo. Three South American players also joined the club in the summer transfer window: Luis Ibáñez and Guillermo Suárez came from Argentina's Boca Juniors and Tigre for €650,000 and €1m respectively, while Chilean international Pedro Morales joined from Universidad de Chile in a €1.6m transfer.
Did'dy Guela also left the club in late August amid heavy criticism by Ivanković and a publicized conflict with Ante Tomić in training. Two months after his contract was terminated he joined Greek side Larissa.
On 15 December 2008, Dinamo executive Zdravko Mamić and sports director Zoran Mamić agreed on a 5+1⁄2-year deal with Adrián Calello signed from Argentina's Independiente. The following two signings were confirmed a few days later, in the form of forwards Miroslav Slepička, who signed from Sparta Prague a 3+1⁄2-year deal worth €1.5m, and the 21-year-old Ilija Sivonjić from the local side Inter Zaprešić. In late December it was announced that Mihael Mikić left the club to join the Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima for €800,000. The last player to arrive in the winter transfer window was the 34-year-old Croatian international Robert Kovač, who signed from Borussia Dortmund for €500,000.
Six youth players also signed their first senior contracts, out of which only Ivan Tomečak joined the first team squad, while the rest were loaned to NK Lokomotiva, Dinamo's feeder club.
Additionally, Dario Zahora, the 26-year-old Croatian forward who spent the last couple of seasons on loan spells at Slovenian sides Domžale and Interblock Ljubljana, joined Norwegian powerhouse Rosenborg for €280,000 in March 2009.
Defender Dino Drpić, a product of Dinamo's youth academy and a permanent member of the first team squad since 2000, was abruptly suspended in January 2009, for "poor disciplinary record". He was removed from the first team and soon loaned out to German side Karlsruher SC. It was announced on 21 May 2009 that Karlsruhe bought Drpić's contract for €900,000, with the German side trailing at the bottom of the league table with just one match left to play.
Source: Sportnet.hr Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions Notes:
^Because both cup finalists, Dinamo and Hajduk, qualified for Europe through their league positions, all three UEFA Europa League spots were given to teams according to their league positions, what means that fourth-placed Slaven Belupo also earned a spot in Europa League.
1. ab : On 5 March 2009 the managing board decided to release both Boško Balaban and Tomo Šokota citing "poor performance".
2. a : On 13 January the club's management announced that Dino Drpić was to be suspended due to "poor disciplinary record". His contract was terminated and was put on transfer list, and was subsequently loaned to Karlsruher SC.
