Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award

The Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award or SN Yellow Shirt for short (Croatian: Žuta majica Sportskih novosti) is an annual football award given by the Croatian sports daily Sportske novosti. It is awarded to the best football player playing in the Croatian First League at the end of every season, based on post-match ratings awarded by sports journalists over the course of a season.

Established in 1953, the award was originally sponsored by the defunct Zagreb-based sports newspaper Narodni sport and its sports weekly Sportska panorama, and was awarded to the Player of the Season in the Yugoslav First League. In February 1962, Narodni sport was acquired by the Vjesnik publishing company and renamed Sportske novosti (SN). Since 1991 and the breakup of Yugoslavia, the paper gives the award to the best players in the Prva HNL, Croatia's top flight.

As of 2024 only eight players have won the award on more than occasion, with each of them winning two awards:

Winners

Yugoslav league

Season Player (Wins) Club
Bernard Vukas (1) Hajduk Split
Stjepan Bobek (1) Partizan
Joško Vidošević (1) Hajduk Split
Ivica Horvat (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Todor Veselinović (1) Vojvodina
Tomislav Crnković (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Bora Kostić (1) Red Star
Vladimir Beara (1) Red Star
Milutin Šoškić (1) Partizan
Dražan Jerković (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Vladica Kovačević (1) Partizan
Rudolf Belin (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Vladica Kovačević (2) Partizan
Silvester Takač (1) Vojvodina
Ivica Osim (1) Željezničar
Dragan Holcer (1) Hajduk Split
Rudolf Belin (2) Dinamo Zagreb
Filip Blašković (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Jurica Jerković (1) Hajduk Split
Slobodan Santrač (1) OFK Belgrade
Dušan Bajević (1) Velež
Branko Oblak (1) Hajduk Split
Franjo Vladić (1) Velež
Jurica Jerković (2) Hajduk Split
Abid Kovačević (1) Borac Banja Luka
Nenad Stojković (1) Partizan
Safet Sušić (1) Sarajevo
Vladimir Petrović (1) Red Star
Zlatko Vujović (1) Hajduk Split
Velimir Zajec (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Dragan Mance (1) Partizan
Zoran Simović (1) Hajduk Split
Predrag Pašić (1) Sarajevo
Nenad Gračan (1) Rijeka
Semir Tuce (1) Velež
Dragan Stojković (1) Red Star
Miloš Šestić (1) Vojvodina
Aljoša Asanović (1) Hajduk Split
Zvonimir Boban (1) Dinamo Zagreb

Croatian league

Season Player (Wins) Club
Goran Vučević (1) Hajduk Split
Goran Vlaović (1) Croatia Zagreb
Mladen Mladenović (1) Rijeka
Robert Špehar (1) Osijek
Igor Cvitanović (1) Croatia Zagreb
Igor Cvitanović (2) Croatia Zagreb
Mario Bazina (1) Hrvatski Dragovoljac
Miljenko Mumlek (1) Varteks
Ivan Bošnjak (1) Cibalia
Boško Balaban (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Ivica Olić (1) NK Zagreb
Ivica Olić (2) Dinamo Zagreb
Niko Kranjčar (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Mladen Bartolović (1) NK Zagreb
Eduardo (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Eduardo (2) Dinamo Zagreb
Luka Modrić (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Mario Mandžukić (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Senijad Ibričić (1) Hajduk Split
Ivan Krstanović (1) NK Zagreb
Anas Sharbini (1) Hajduk Split
Leon Benko (1) Rijeka
Duje Čop (1) Dinamo Zagreb
Gabrijel Boban (1) NK Zagreb
Tino-Sven Sušić (1) Hajduk Split
Franko Andrijašević (1) Rijeka
Héber Araujo dos Santos (1) Rijeka
Mijo Caktaš (1) Hajduk Split
Antonio Čolak (1) Rijeka
Ramón Miérez (1) Osijek
Marko Livaja (1) Hajduk Split
Marko Livaja (2) Hajduk Split
Ramón Miérez (2) Osijek

Source: Nogometni-magazin.com

Notes on club name changes:

  • Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They reverted to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000.
  • While the original NK Varaždin (1931–2015), known as NK Varteks from 1958 until June 2010, no longer exists, two new teams, both unassociated with the earlier club, have been founded in the city of Varaždin: NK Varteks, founded 2011; and NK Varaždin, called Varaždin ŠN when founded in 2012, when it overlapped with the original club.

Other awards