Wikipedia

HNK Rijeka

(Redirected from S.C.F. Quarnero)

Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (English: Croatian Football Club Rijeka), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city of Rijeka.

Rijeka
Full nameHrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka
(Croatian Football Club Rijeka)
NicknameRiječki bijeli (Rijeka's Whites)
Short nameRIJ or RJK
Founded1904; 122 years ago (1904)
GroundStadion Rujevica
Capacity8,279[1]
Owner(s)Damir Mišković, via Teanna Limited (70%)
City of Rijeka (30%)
PresidentDamir Mišković
Head coachMatjaž Kek
LeagueCroatian Football League
2025–264th of 10
Websitenk-rijeka.hr Edit this at Wikidata
Current season

HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Supersport HNL, of which they have been members since its foundation in 1992. During the reconstruction of Stadion Kantrida, their traditional home ground, they have been based at Stadion Rujevica. Rijeka's traditional home colours throughout its history have been white, sky blue and gold.

The club was founded in 1904, with the football team being active at last since 1906,[2][3] and following the tumultuous political changes that swept the border city of Rijeka in the following decades, it changed its name to U.S. Fiumana in 1926, to S.C.F. Quarnero in 1946,[4] to NK Rijeka in 1954,[5] and finally HNK Rijeka in 1995.[6][7][8] Rijeka is the third-most successful Croatian football club, having won two Croatian First League titles, two Yugoslav Cups, seven Croatian Cups, one Croatian Super Cup, Serie C 1940–41, the Italian Federal Cup 1927–28 and the 1977–78 Balkans Cup.

History

edit

1904–1926

edit

The club was founded on 21 April 1904 as Club Sportivo Olimpia by Antonio Marchich, Aristodemo Susmel, Agesilao Satti, Carlo Colussi, the brothers Romeo and Alessandro Mitrovich during the time Rijeka was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a Corpus Separatum of the Hungarian Crown. The club was originally founded as a tennis-lawn, football, swimming, cycling and athletics club.[9] The first official activities of the football section recorded by contemporary chronicles happened on 25 November 1906, with historians still investigating the football activities in the previous 2,5 years. For lack of better data, this date is currently officially taken as the beginning of HNK Rijeka as a football club.[7][2] This also makes Rijeka the oldest still active association football club on the territory of today's Republic of Croatia.

While many clubs in town and the region often had specific ethnic leanings, Olimpia intentionally had a very international soul, with Italian, Croatian, Hungarian, and German players all playing and working with each other in unison.[10] The oldest line-up known from Rijeka's pioneer years was: Duimovic, Smoivar, Penka, Brosnich, R. Mittrovich, Lenardon, Satti, Novodnik, A. Mittrovich, Paulovatz, Cittovich (captain). Initially, the club played its matches on the main Scoglietto square, in front of the local Honved HQ, but moved to Kantrida stadium during the following decade (and the stadium changed its name to Campo Sportivo Olympia). Initially, Olimpia played in black and white garments, but in the 1910s, the club also used a fully white kit.

One of the first historic derbies between Olimpia and Doria at the Kantrida stadium, during the 1910s.
One of the last Olympia-Gloria matches before their merger, on 30 November 1924.

During the following years, Olimpia will be joined by several other local football clubs from the city of Rijeka and will continue the legacy of Fiumei Atletikai Club as the main city club, when Atletico discontinued its football section in the course of the 1910s.[11] Among the many clubs being founded in town during these years, a side, in particular, will soon rise as fierce arch-rival to Olimpia: Doria (later renamed into CS Gloria) arose from the proletarian classes and the humble old town dwellers of the industry-rich port town on the Adriatic. While Olimpia was associated with the wealthier classes, mostly players from working-class families performed for Gloria; therefore, the club found most of its sympathisers among the poorer part of the population.[12] Olimpia was renamed to Olympia on 9 January 1918 during a meeting of its board and the new president became the Fiuman writer Antonio de Schlemmer, possibly as an anti-irredentist move. During these years, it achieved its first major local and international successes: it became the champion of the Free State of Fiume championship in 1921, and it won several Julian March and North-Eastern Italian championships in the following years, soon becoming the strongest side in the Alpe-Adria region.

1926–1943

edit

On 2 September 1926, following Mussolini's reforms of the FIGC and the 1924 Fiume putsch led by local Italians, which brought to the annexation of the independent Free State of Fiume to Italy, Olympia was then merged with its arch-rival Gloria into the Unione Sportiva Fiumana. Pietro Pasquali was picked as the new president of the club. Two years later, Fiumana won its first national trophy when it reached first place in the Italian Federal Cup.

Players and management celebrating the 1927-28 Federal Cup victory.

The following season saw the club playing in the Italian Serie A, with some of the biggest Italian clubs such as Ambrosiana (today's Inter, also forced into a brand image change by the new regime), Juventus and Napoli played at the Kantrida stadium (renamed to Stadio Borgomarina in those years). Despite a decent performance in Serie A, the city, now impoverished by the annexation and cut off from its natural economic hinterland, was not in the financial position to compete with the biggest cities in Italy and following these successes, the club had to see many of its stars signed by major Italian sides. During most of the 1930s and 1940s, the club competed in the second and third tier of the Italian competitions. At the reopening of a refurbished Kantrida (then renamed Stadio del Littorio) in 1935, Fiumana hosted AS Roma. In June 1941, it became champion of the newly created Italian Serie C.

Serie C's last season before the fall of fascist Italy in 1943 saw Fiumana end in third place. Mostly from workers' families, the players leaned heavily toward the partisan movement, often joining it outright. They did not participate in the Italian Social Republic championships and the Adriatic Littoral championship set up by the German occupational force. Nonetheless, the players kept playing several matches with other local clubs and against sides organised or brought in by the German occupational authorities. Worth mentioning are the excessive celebrations for some victories against the German sides that brought several players to be imprisoned and sent to various concentration camps in Germany, and a last ceremonial game between the old legends of Olympia and Gloria that was held on 15 June 1944 while allied planes were bombing the city's surroundings.[10] Most Fiumana players joined the partisan movement and helped the Yugoslav liberation movement, with many ending up in imprisonment and being sent to concentration camps.

1943–1954

edit

Following the liberation of the city from the Nazi occupation and the subsequent occupation by Yugoslav troops, and due to the uncertain future status of the city during the long Paris peace conference, the club resumed its activities in the post-war period as a Rappresentativa Sindacale (union representative) but keeping its previous brand name Fiumana. During this period the club went on to play several games against the most notable teams of the newly constituted Yugoslav state, notably beating Dinamo Zagreb 4–2, Akademičar Zagreb 7–2 and Metalac Beograd 2–0.[10] During this interim post-war period, and before the creation of the Yugoslav First League, R.S. Fiumana played against several other of its future Balkan rivals. The authorities also set up an unofficial city tournament among factories named after Fiumana's late captain Giovanni Maras Coppa Maras, who died heroically in partisan combat on the nearby Mount Risnjak.[13] Despite Maras and most of his colleagues' partisan allegiance and the many hardships endured by several of its players in Nazi concentration camps for their partizan activities, the regime in Belgrade soon came to consider the name Fiumana too Italian and locally patriotic sounding for a city that the Yugoslav occupational authorities were trying to annex by force creating a fait-accompli before the official peace treaty could be signed, and a population that was very adverse to their efforts.

In mid 1946 all football clubs of Yugoslavia were disbanded by a new sport law passed by the communist authorities, also establishing new clubs. Rijeka being still legally part of Italy until September 1947, the authorities could not disband the club to force a new brand, so they had the union leadership that was leading the club establish a new identity for the city's most representative club in order for it to take part in the upcoming Yugoslav championship[8] and rebranded and restructured the club into Società Cultura Fisica Quarnero (S.C.F. Quarnero), which later added also the bilingual title Sportsko Društvo Kvarner.[4][14][15][16] The new name followed geographical and neutral naming conventions Belgrade imposed on all local communal councils by the central authorities, in order to let the local sport clubs activities go on and to participate in the new competitions. The same fate as all other football clubs in the Venezia-Giulia region, who can claim they were never formally disbanded. In Rijeka the initiative was led by Ettore Mazzieri, the city's sports commissioner within the Yugoslav military administration and a previous US Fiumana manager, that distinguished himself in the Yugoslav liberation movement. The first match under the new Quarnero brand was played on the 7th of August 1946, bringing revenge against Hajduk Split for the loss suffered at their hand the previous year. The club began the new course with a resounding 2–0 against the best Yugoslav club at the time.[17] Quarnero initially continued to play in the Fiumana amaranto colours, but soon the authorities had it start switching colours after the first few championships games, while trying to establish a new identity for the club. The club continued appearing with new kits every few matches until season 1957–58. All former Fiumana players and staff carried on playing in the renamed club for the next few years before the Italian exodus slowly forced many of them to leave their city, with most leaving after the end of season 1947–48. between 1945 and 1948 all clubs in Yugoslavia were required to change their organizational model to a general physical culture clubs that were following the Stalinist model at the time followed by Belgrade,[8] S.C.F. Quarnero itself incorporated 11 other sections in addition to football, including boxing, fencing, basketball and tennis. The international tennis champion Orlando Sirola started his career at the club before his exile.[10]

The authorities in Belgrade soon decided that Rijeka's club should be invited to participate in the first Yugoslav First League in 1946–47 as an external guest, representing the occupied Zone B of the Julian March region, but only after a play-off with the Pula-based club Unione Sportiva Operaia. When the city of Rijeka was assigned to Yugoslavia in February 1947, and Tito broke all ties with Stalin in 1948, most Yugoslav clubs underwent a further re-organisation. Thus, in 1948, Quarnero went back to being an all-football club, and the name was also modified into the bilingual Società Calcio Quarnero – Nogometni Klub Kvarner. Luigi Sošić and, in particular, Giovanni Cucera were presidents the following years and contributed greatly in shaping its new communist direction. During the early period playing in Yugoslavia's competitions, Kvarner reached moderate success in various national and local leagues. Still, the club was relegated at the end of their inaugural season in the Yugoslav First League in 1946–47 due to a purely political decision to favour Ponziana, occupied Trieste's communist club, after Quarnero had already secured its stay in the first league on the field. Upon securing Rijeka for Yugoslavia in 1947, Belgrade authorities were now more focused on trying to pander to the communist-leaning part of the Trieste population, using sport as a propaganda tool to strengthen its claim on the annextation of the city.[18]

The club, now with ever less of its best players who were leaving the city disappointed both by the new dictatorship as much as the unsporty relegation, continued to play with mixed results in Yugoslavia's second and third divisions. The club achieved quite mediocre results over the next decade, concurrently with the autochthonous population slowly leaving their hometown over these years. By the end of the '40s, the club already basically all its best players, who moved overseas.

In 1954, following rising tensions between Yugoslavia and Italy surrounding the Trieste Crisis, Belgrade authorities informally destroyed all forms of visual bilingualism in the city. This, paired with a desire by its leadership to have a brand more associated with the city proper, the club rebranded once again into the monolingual NK Rijeka.[19]

1954–1991

edit
HNK Rijeka badge from 1954 up until 1971

Given the political interferences in the club's life and the continuous mistreatment of ethnic Italians, many of Quarnero's best players were forced to join the Fiuman exodus, and the club lingered between the second and third tier of the Yugoslav competition for the next several years. Following new Italian-Yugoslav tensions that arose during the Trieste Crisis, and the subsequent de facto abolition of the city's full bilingual rights by the communist authorities in Belgrade,[20] the club changed its name once again, into the now completely monolingual NK Rijeka (Rijeka Football Club) on 2 July 1954, giving up onto the Italian language in its brand image for the first time in the club's history. Rijeka started to use a white kit for the second time in its history in a match in Šibenik in the 1957–58 second league season. During the previous seasons, the kit colours were constantly changing, depending on what was available to the management at any given time and what the sponsors could offer.[21] The main kit remained white since. Rijeka returned to the First League in 1958 and remained in the top tier for 11 consecutive seasons until 1969, when it got relegated once again to the Yugoslav Second League.[22] Despite finishing at the top in four (out of five) seasons of the second league, due to three failed promotion play-off attempts, the club only gained promotion back to the top tier in 1974. Rijeka remained in the top tier until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, with varying but improving results.[22]

The club's greatest successes during this period are two Yugoslav Cup titles in 1978 and 1979 and a runner-up finish in 1987, when Rijeka lost the final in the penalty shoot-out.[23] The club never managed to finish the season higher than fourth place in the Yugoslav First League. In 1984, the club came closest to a Yugoslav championship title, finishing only two points behind Red Star Belgrade. Rijeka were also the best placed Croatian club in the Yugoslav First League in 1965, 1984 and 1987.[24]

1991–present

edit
Players and staff celebrating their 2006 Croatian Cup win

Following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, Rijeka joined the Croatian First Football League in its inaugural season. In 1995, the club changed its name to HNK Rijeka, adding the prefix "Croatian" to its name, following the example of many other clubs during the Croatian War for Independence. Today, Rijeka remains one of only four founding member clubs of the HNL to have never been relegated and is regarded as one of the country's top three clubs. Since the Croatian independence, the club won its first-ever league title in 2017, ending Dinamo Zagreb's run of 11 consecutive titles, and was a runner-up eight times.[25] Rijeka has also won seven Croatian Cups, including back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and most recently in 2019 and 2020. The club also won the cup in 2014 and in 2017, which helped them secure a historic Double in that year.[26] Rijeka repeated this remarkable feat in the 2024–25 season, once again winning both the league and the cup to complete a second historic Double.

A refereeing error denied Rijeka their first championship title in the final round of the 1998–99 season. With one match to play, Rijeka was one point ahead of Croatia Zagreb, needing a home win against Osijek to secure the title. With the match tied at 1–1, in the 89th minute, Rijeka forward Admir Hasančić converted a cross by Barnabás Sztipánovics. However, moments later, assistant referee Krečak raised his flag, and referee Šupraha disallowed Rijeka's winning goal for an alleged offside.[27] Following an investigation, 3D analysis revealed Hasančić was not, in fact, in an offside position, and that Rijeka was wrongfully denied their first championship title.[28][29] An investigation by Nacional revealed Franjo Tuđman, the president of the Republic of Croatia and an ardent Croatia Zagreb supporter, earlier in 1999 ordered the country's intelligence agencies to spy on football referees, officials and journalists, to ensure the Zagreb club wins the league title.[29]

HNK Rijeka in the European competitions

edit

Rijeka participated in UEFA competitions on 25 occasions, including 13 consecutive appearances since 2013–14. The greatest success was the quarter-final of the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup, where they lost to Italian giants Juventus 2–0 on aggregate.[30] The most memorable result in Europe was the home win (3–1) against eventual winners Real Madrid in the 1984–85 UEFA Cup.[31] Controversially, in the return leg at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which Rijeka lost 3–0, three of their players were sent off. Madrid scored their first goal from a dubious penalty in the 67th minute with Rijeka already down to ten men. Over the next ten minutes, two additional Rijeka players were sent off, most notably Damir Desnica. While Desnica received the first yellow card because he did not stop play after Schoeters blew his whistle, the second yellow was issued because he allegedly insulted the referee. However, unbeknownst to the referee, Desnica had been a deaf-mute since birth.[24] With Rijeka reduced to eight players, Madrid scored two additional goals, progressed to the next round and eventually won the trophy.[citation needed]

In 2013, after winning 4–3 on aggregate against VfB Stuttgart, Rijeka qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage.[32][33] Rijeka also participated in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage, where they defeated Feyenoord and Standard Liège and drew with title-holders and eventual winners Sevilla.[34][35][36] In 2017, Rijeka reached the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League play-off, where they lost 3–1 on aggregate to Greek champions Olympiacos, and automatically qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage. In the group stage, they recorded a famous home win (2–0) against AC Milan.[37] In 2020–21 Rijeka reached the group stages of the Europa League for the fourth time in eight years but once again failed to progress to the knockout stages. In 2021–22, 2023–24 and 2024–25, Rijeka was eliminated in the play-off round of UEFA Conference League.[citation needed]

Private ownership

edit

In February 2012, Gabriele Volpi – an Italian businessman and the founder of Orlean Invest, as well as the owner of football club Spezia and water polo club Pro Recco – injected much-needed capital into the club. With the privatization process complete by September 2013, Volpi, through Dutch-based Stichting Social Sport Foundation, owned 70% of the club, with the City of Rijeka in control of the remaining 30%.[38][39] On 29 December 2017, it was announced that chairman Damir Mišković, through London-based Teanna Limited, acquired the majority stake in the club from Stichting Social Sport Foundation.[40][41]

Record transfers

edit

In January 2015, Rijeka sold their star striker Andrej Kramarić to Leicester City for a club-record transfer fee of £9.7 million.[42]

Historical names

edit
  • 1904 – C.S. Olimpia (Club Sportivo Olimpia)
  • 1918 – C.S. Olympia (Club Sportivo Olympia)
  • 1926 – U.S. Fiumana (Unione Sportiva Fiumana), after merger with C.S. Gloria
  • 1945 – R.S. Fiumana (Rappresentativa Sindacale Fiumana)
  • 1946 – S.C.F. Quarnero (Società Cultura Fisica Quarnero), after rebranding to partake in the Yugoslav football championships system
  • 1948 – S.C. Quarnero - N.K. Kvarner (Società Calcio Quarnero - Nogometni Klub Kvarner)
  • 1954 – N.K. Rijeka (Nogometni Klub Rijeka)
  • 1995 – H.N.K. Rijeka (Hrvatski Nogometni Klub Rijeka)

Stadium

edit
The Kantrida stadium in season 1921–22. At the time, the field was named Campo Sportivo Olimpia, as per the club's original name.
Rujevica stadium, NK Rijeka's current home.

The club initially played at the Honved training field in front of today's Popular University of Rijeka in the central Scoglietto suburb of Rijeka. During the 1920s, the club was allowed to build a new and, at the time, modern facility in Scoglietto, and toward the end of the decade, it started using Stadion Kantrida as its primary field, naming it Campo Sportivo Olympia. Kantrida was the club's traditional home ground for over 95 years (with a short hiatus between 1947 and 1951 due to refurbishing) until July 2015. Since August 2015, Rijeka has been based at the newly built Stadion Rujevica, a modern all-seater with a capacity of 8,279. Stadion Rujevica is part of Rijeka's new training centre and is the club's temporary home ground. Following the club's move to Rujevica, plans emerged to build a new, state-of-the-art, all-seater Stadion Kantrida.[43][44] The project was on hold for close to a decade as the club was seeking funding and co-investors to make the project viable. In December 2023, plans were unveiled that, in addition to the stadium, investors plan to build a commercial complex, which may include three residential highrise towers and a hotel, with a total cost exceeding €100 million. The new Kantrida stadium will be located at the previous location but rotated 90 degrees from the previously proposed location, facing north–south. The facility is designed to accommodate 12,000 to 14,000 spectators and will meet UEFA's fourth-category standards.[45]

Support

edit

Rijeka's ultras group is called Armada Rijeka, or simply Armada. The group has been active since 1987, but some forms of organised (albeit not registered as associations) support were present and following the club already in the decades before, with the earliest reported in the 1920s.

The Supporters of HNK Rijeka are mainly from Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Istra

During most home matches, the majority of the seats are occupied by season ticket holders. For the 2025–26 season, the club had 5,600 season ticket holders and 18,500 members.

Rivalries

edit

Rijeka's greatest rivalry nowadays is with Hajduk Split. Since 1946, the Adriatic derby has been contested between the two most popular Croatian football clubs from the Adriatic coast. Other rivalries exist with major clubs in Croatia like Dinamo Zagreb and a milder with Osijek. The primary regional derby (Derby della Učka) is with Istra Pula. The origins of the Rijeka–Pula rivalry date back to the clashes between Fiumana and Grion Pola since the late 1920s. The city derby with Orijent is probably the oldest, with its roots in the clashes between CS Olimpia and CS Gloria against Orijent and the other more successful in those early years Sušak-based club, Victoria

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

edit
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
1998–1999 Adidas INA
1999–2002 Kronos
2002–2003 Torpedo
2003–2004 Lero
2004–2005 Legea
2005–2006 INA
2006–2008 Kappa Croatia Osiguranje
2008–2012 Jako
2012–2014 Lotto  –
2014–2016 Jako
2017–2018 Sava Osiguranje
2018–2023 Joma
2023– Favbet

Players

edit

Current squad

edit
As of 9 June 2026[46]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  CRO Vito Kovač
2 DF  CRO Lovro Kitin
5 DF  CRO Mile Škorić
6 DF  BIH Stjepan Radeljić (4th captain)
7 MF  GEO Tornike Morchiladze
8 MF  SVN Dejan Petrovič
10 MF  CRO Toni Fruk (vice-captain)
11 FW  CRO Gabriel Rukavina
13 GK  BIH Martin Zlomislić (captain)
14 MF  BIH Amer Gojak
18 FW  ENG Daniel Adu-Adjei
19 MF  ITA Samuele Vignato
20 MF  CGO Merveil Ndockyt
22 DF  CRO Ante Oreč
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 MF  LTU Justas Lasickas
24 DF  CIV Dimitri Legbo
25 FW  CRO Dominik Thaqi
26 MF  POR Tiago Dantas
28 DF  CRO Teo Barišić
34 DF  SRB Mladen Devetak
45 DF  CRO Ante Majstorović (3rd captain)
51 DF  SUI Anel Husić
55 MF  PER Alfonso Barco
66 MF  CRO Branko Pavić
77 FW  CRO Ante Matej Jurić
91 DF  CRO Noel Bodetić
99 GK  SRB Aleksa Todorović
— FW  CRO Jakov Puljić

Players with multiple nationalities

edit

Dual registration

edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF  CRO Roko Valinčić (at Croatia Orijent)
12 GK  CRO Niko Vučetić (at Croatia Opatija)
17 DF  CRO Bruno Burčul (at Croatia Orijent)
21 GK  CRO Josip Jurčević (at Croatia Grobničan)
29 MF  ALB Florent Shehu (at Croatia Opatija)
No. Pos. Nation Player
30 MF  MKD Matej Momchilovski (at Croatia Grobničan)
31 GK  NGA David Nwolokor (at Croatia Opatija)
37 FW  GAM Cherno Saho (at Croatia Opatija)
79 MF  GAM Alasana Samateh (at Croatia Grobničan)
70 MF  CRO Rajan Žlibanović (at Croatia Opatija)

Youth academy

edit

The following players have previously made appearances or have appeared on the substitutes bench for the first team.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 MF  NGA Simon Karshe Cletus
15 FW  CRO Goran Grulović
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF  CRO Leon Šerifi
72 MF  CRO Fran Škalamera

Out on loan

edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 MF  CRO Niko Janković (at Slovakia Slovan Bratislava until 31 January 2027)
15 DF  MKD Jovan Manev (at Serbia Novi Pazar until 30 June 2026)
21 FW  CRO Dominik Dogan (at Bosnia and Herzegovina Velež Mostar until 30 June 2026)
27 FW  CRO Šimun Butić (at Croatia Vukovar 1991 until 30 June 2026)
32 GK  CRO Domagoj Ivan Marić (at Croatia Karlovac 1919 until 26 June 2026)
No. Pos. Nation Player
33 DF  CRO Petar Raguž (at Croatia Karlovac 1919 until 26 June 2026)
64 MF  BUL Dominik Yankov (at Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia until 30 June 2026)
71 FW  CRO Dominik Simčić (at Croatia Karlovac 1919 until 26 June 2026)
95 FW  SRB Komnen Andrić (at Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi until 30 June 2026)

Club officials and technical staff

edit
Position Staff
President Croatia Damir Mišković
Supervisory board president Italy Francesco Cuzzocrea
Supervisory board member Croatia Srećko Juričić
Supervisory board member Croatia Veljko Karabaić
Supervisory board member Nigeria Ndiomu Didi Dinepre Peter
Procurator Croatia Vlatko Vrkić
Board member Croatia Nikola Ivaniš
Director of finance Croatia Marina Cesarac Dorčić
Administrative director Croatia Marina Vela
Director of football Croatia Srećko Juričić
Sporting director Croatia Darko Raić-Sudar
Sporting director (assistant) Croatia Antonini Čulina
Academy director Croatia Tomislav Ivković
Club secretary Croatia Milica Alavanja
Press secretary Croatia Sandra Nešić
Head coach Spain Víctor Sánchez
Assistant coach Spain Ramiro Muñoz
Goalkeeping coach Croatia Ivan Vargić
Fitness coach Croatia Fedor Kulušić
Croatia Dominik Rilov
Team manager Croatia Alen Rivetti
Doctor Croatia Boban Dangubić
Physiotherapists Croatia Enio Krajač
Croatia Matija Čargonja
Croatia Dragan Marijanović
Analyst Croatia Matija Drnjević
Kit managers Croatia Denis Miškulin
Croatia Arsen Smolić

Last updated: 10 November 2025
Source: Teams

Notable players

edit
To appear in this section a player must have satisfied all of the following three criteria:

Source: Appearances and Goals. Last updated 26 April 2026.

All-time Best 11

edit

According to a 2005–07 survey of former players (older than 40 years of age) and respected journalists, Marinko Lazzarich found that the best all-time team of Rijeka is as follows:

1. Jantoljak, 2. Milevoj, 3. Hrstić, 4. Radaković, 5. Radin, 6. Juričić, 7. Lukarić, 8. Gračan, 9. Osojnak, 10. Naumović, 11. Desnica.[47]

Rijeka's daily, Novi list, in 2011 declared the following 11 players as Rijeka's best all time team:

1. Jantoljak, 2. Šarić, 3. Radin, 4. Juričić, 5. Hrstić, 6. Loik, 7. Radaković, 8. Mladenović, 9. Naumović, 10. Skoblar, 11. Desnica.[48]

Best 11 (2010–20)

edit

In 2020, the club's fans voted to select the best squad over the past decade to fit in a 4–2–3–1 formation:

Prskalo – Ristovski, Župarić, Mitrović, Zuta – Kreilach, Moisés – Vešović, Andrijašević, Sharbini – Kramarić. Manager: Kek.[49]

Historical list of coaches

edit

Source:[50][51]

Winning managers

edit

Presidents

edit
  • Antonio Carlo de Schlemmer 1918–1920
  • Antonio Marcich 1920–1921
  • Pietro Pasquali 1921–1923
  • Clemente Marassi 1923–1925
  • Nino Host-Venturi 1925–1926
  • Giovanni Stiglich 1926–1928
  • Ramiro Antonini 1928–1929
  • Oscar Sperber 1929–1931
  • Costanzo Delfino 1931–1936
  • Alessandro Szemere 1936–1937
  • Eugenio Zoncada 1937–1938
  • Alessandro Andreanelli 1938–1939
  • Giuseppe Ianetti 1939–1940
  • Alesandro Andreanelli 1940–1941
  • Carlo Descovich 1941–1942
  • Andrea Gastaldi 1942–1945
  • Luigi Sošić, 1946
  • Giovanni Cucera, 1946–1948
  • Ambrosio Stečić, 1948–1952
  • Dr. Zdravko Kučić, 1953–1954
  • Milorad Doričić, 1955–1956
  • Milan Blažević, 1957–1959
  • Stjepan Koren, 1960–1963
  • Milorad Doričić, 1964–1969
  • Vilim Mulc, 1969–1971
  • Davor Sušanj, 1971
  • Ljubo Španjol, 1972–1978
  • Zvonko Poščić, 1978–1979
  • Nikola Jurčević, 1980
  • Marijan Glavan, 1981
  • Davor Sušanj, 1981–1984
  • Stjepko Gugić, 1985–1986
  • Dragan Krčelić, 1986–1989
  • Želimir Gruičić, 1989–1991
  • Darko Čargonja, 1991–1992
  • Josip Lokmer, 1993–1994
  • Krsto Pavić, 1994–1995
  • Hrvoje Šarinić, 1995–1996
  • Franjo Šoda, 1996–1997
  • Prof. Žarko Tomljanović, 1997–2000
  • Hrvoje Šarinić, Dr. Ivan Vanja Frančišković, Robert Ježić, 2000
  • Robert Ježić, 2000
  • Sanjin Kirigin, 2000–2002
  • Duško Grabovac, 2002–2003
  • Robert Ježić, 2003–2008
  • Dr. Ivan Vanja Frančišković, 2008–2009
  • Ivan Turčić, 2009–2011
  • Robert Komen, 2011–2012
  • Damir Mišković, 2012–

Source:[50][51]

Seasons, statistics and records

edit

Honours

edit

Rijeka has won two Croatian First Football League titles, two Yugoslav Cups and seven Croatian Cups, one Italian Coppa Federale. In European competitions, the club has reached the quarter-final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1979–80, UEFA Conference League Round of 16 in 2025–26, UEFA Cup Round of 32 in 1984–85, and group stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18 and 2020–21. The club has also won the 1977–78 Balkans Cup.[52]

Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic Croatian First League 2 2016–17, 2024–25
Croatian Cup 7 2004–05, 2005–06, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2024–25
Croatian Super Cup 1 2014

Other titles

edit

Yugoslavia

Italy

  • Italian Coppa Federale
  • Italian North-East league
    • Winners (1): 1923–24
    • Runners-up: 1924–25
  • Italian Third League
  • Julian March Championship
    • Winners (2): 1921–22, 1922–23

Friuli and Julian March Cup

  • Winners (1): 1922–23

Free State of Fiume

  • Fiuman championship
    • Winners (1): 1920–21
  • Fiuman-Julian Cup
    • Winners (1): 1921

Austria-Hungary

Runners-up

edit

European record

edit

UEFA club competition record

edit
Competition Pld W D L GF GA Last season played
UEFA Champions League 10 2 3 5 11 14 2025–26
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League 76 29 19 28 105 97 2025–26
UEFA Conference League 26 11 8 7 36 26 2025–26
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 10 3 3 4 8 9 1979–80
UEFA Intertoto Cup 4 1 1 2 3 5 2008
Total 126 46 34 46 163 151

Source: uefa.com, Fully up to date on 19 March 2026.
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.

By ground

edit
Ground Pld W D L GF GA GD
Home 63 32 16 15 99 57 +42
Away 63 14 18 31 64 94 −30
Total 126 46 34 46 163 151 +12

Source: uefa.com, Fully up to date on 19 March 2026.
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against.

Matches

edit

Non-UEFA competitions are listed in italics.

Last updated on 13 May 2026.
Note: List includes matches played in competitions not endorsed by UEFA.
† Matches played at neutral ground in Ascoli and Pisa, Italy.

Player records

edit

UEFA coefficient

edit

Correct as of 21 May 2025.[55]

Rank Team Points
133Portugal Rio Ave F.C.12.453
134Kazakhstan FC Astana12.000
135Croatia HNK Rijeka12.000
136Lithuania FK Žalgiris12.000
137Russia FC Spartak Moscow12.000

References

edit
  1. ↑ "Stadion HNK Rijeka". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Official pages of the City of Rijeka municipality – Rijeka sport clubs". Grad Rijeka (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Rijeka – SuperSport HNL". hnl.hr. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Povijest". HNK RIJEKA (in Croatian). Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Istraživanje riječke nogometne povijesti: "NK Rijeka sigurno nije osnovana 1946. godine, poveznica s Fiumanom je jako čvrsta"". Novi list. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Lazzarich, Marinko (2014). "Stoljetno iščitavanje povijesti pod stijenama riječkoga sportskog hrama". Problemi sjevernog Jadrana (in Croatian). 13 (13). Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts: 47–76. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Official history of HNK Rijeka" (in Croatian). nk-rijeka.hr. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Mills, Richard (2018). The Politics of Football in Yugoslavia: Sport, Nationalism and the State. London, U.K.: I.B. Tauris. pp. 77, 80, 82, 87–89, 91–92. ISBN 978-1-78453-913-9.
  9. ↑ "Lawn-tennis, Foot-ball and more". La Bilancia. Rijeka: Tipografia Mohovich. 21 April 1904.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Moranjak, Zlatko; Burburan, Zlatko (2006). Rijeka nogometa. Rijeka: VSDR. pp. 57–58, 108, 112–113. ISBN 9537070107.
  11. ↑ Magyarfutball.hu. "League table: Vidéki bajnokság – Dunántúli kerület 1909/1910 • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Nogometni leksikon". nogomet.lzmk.hr. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Storie di cuoio. Quella Fiumana che sfidò il lager". www.avvenire.it (in Italian). 22 January 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  14. ↑ dš (21 August 2021). "Kome smeta ponosna povijest NK Rijeke i blistava tradicija nogometa na Kvarneru?". Rijeka Danas - riječki internetski dnevnik. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  15. ↑ Kramarsich, Igor; Krmpotić, Marinko; Lazzarich, Marinko; Ogurlić, Dragan; Povh, Denis; Urban, Marin (2020). Rijeka bijelih snova. Rijeka: Naklada Val. ISBN 9789538180149.
  16. ↑ Zanetti Lorenzetti, Alberto (2018). Sport i Hladni Rat u Julijskoj Krajini 1945–1954 (in Croatian). Rovinj: Centar za povijesna istraživanja Rovinj. ISBN 978-953-7891-26-8. OCLC 1090306382.
  17. ↑ "Prva utakmica Rijeke". www.hocuri.com (in Croatian). 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  18. ↑ "Calcio, guerra, politica e ideologia: l'incredibile caso del Ponziana Trieste". tonyface. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  19. ↑ Caucaso, Osservatorio Balcani e. "Identitet, jezik i teritorij: dvojezičnost u Rijeci". OBC Transeuropa (in Italian). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Caucaso, Osservatorio Balcani e. "Identitet, jezik i teritorij: dvojezičnost u Rijeci". OBC Transeuropa (in Italian). Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  21. ↑ "RT DOBRE NADE : PRVI PRVOLIGAŠKI POGODAK "RIJEKE"". Torpedo.media. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  22. 1 2 HNK Rijeka. "Povijest" (in Croatian). HNK Rijeka official website. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  23. ↑ Puric, Bojan; Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel (8 May 2014). "Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro – Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  24. 1 2 Vivoda, Vlado (16 July 2014). "HNK Rijeka: The Rise of the Phoenix". Hocuri.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Rijeka win Croatian league to end Dinamo dominance". Eurosport. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  26. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel (26 September 2014). "Croatia – Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "Rijeka-Osijek 1:1" (in Croatian). HRnogomet.com. 26 May 1999. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  28. ↑ Vidalina, Marko (1 June 2009). "Dokaz! Rijeci 1999. naslov prvaka definitivno ukraden" (in Croatian). 24 sata. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  29. 1 2 Bajruši, Robert (13 August 2002). "Dokumenti koji otkrivaju kako je Dinamo 1999. ukrao prvenstvo" (in Croatian). Nacional. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  30. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel (9 January 2008). "Cup Winners' Cup 1979–80". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  31. ↑ "Znaš li da je bila bolja od Real Madrida?" (in Croatian). HNK Rijeka. 24 October 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  32. ↑ Volarić, Ivan (22 August 2013). "Velika noć na Kantridi: Benko, Kvržić i Vargić za povijest" (in Croatian). Novi list. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  33. ↑ Volarić, Ivan; Rivetti, Orlando. "Stuttgart – Rijeka 2:2, bijeli u Europskoj ligi" (in Croatian). Novi list. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  34. ↑ Volarić, Ivan. "Hat trick za povijesnu pobjedu u Europskoj ligi: Kramarić – Feyenoord 3:1" (in Croatian). Novi list. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  35. ↑ Volarić, Ivan (27 November 2014). "Blago nama, Moises i Krama: Bijeli u pola sata pomeli Standard" (in Croatian). Novi list. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  36. ↑ Volarić, Ivan. "Peh u sudačkoj nadoknadi: Sevilla u posljednjim sekundama iščupala bod na Kantridi" (in Croatian). Novi list. Retrieved 2 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  37. ↑ Volarić, Ivan (7 December 2017). "POBJEDA ZA POVIJEST Rijeka skinula još jedan veliki skalp, na Rujevici pao veliki AC Milan (2:0)" (in Croatian). Novi list. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  38. ↑ "Rijeka postala sportsko dioničko društvo: Volpi dao 54 milijuna kuna za 70 posto vlasništva" (in Croatian). Index.hr. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  39. ↑ "Ownership". nk-rijeka.hr. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  40. ↑ "HNK Rijeka od petka u vlasništvu Teanna limited" (in Croatian). nk-rijeka.hr. 29 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  41. ↑ Rogulj, Daniela (29 December 2017). "Damir Mišković and Teanna Limited New Owner of NK Rijeka". Total Croatia News. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  42. ↑ "Andrej Kramaric set to complete £9.7m move to Leicester from Rijeka". ESPN. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  43. ↑ "Stadion Kantrida". Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  44. ↑ "Sportske novosti – 'Je li nova Kantrida potrebna? Ne znam. Ali, bit će. S tim stadionom kao da sam sebi radim spomenik...'". sportske.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 10 March 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  45. ↑ "Croatia: Presentation of new HNK Rijeka stadium project". stadiumdb.com. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  46. ↑ "Momčadi" (in Croatian). HNK Rijeka. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  47. ↑ Lazzarich, Marinko (2008) (in Croatian). Kantrida bijelih snova. Rijeka: Adamić. ISBN 978-953-219-393-0, p. 467.
  48. ↑ Cvijanović, Marko (29 August 2011). "Asevi s Kantride: Idealna momčad Rijeke". Novi List (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  49. ↑ "POSLOŽENA MOMČAD DESETLJEĆA Andrej Kramarić predvodi napad najbolje momčadi Rijeke u izboru navijača". Sportcom.hr (in Croatian). 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  50. 1 2 Dibenedetto, Luca (2004). El balon fiuman quando sula tore era l'aquila (in Italian). Borgomanero: Litopress. pp. 483–543, 735–738.
  51. 1 2 "Predsjednici i treneri" (in Croatian). HNK Rijeka. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  52. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel; Ionescu, Romeo (29 July 2010). "Balkan Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  53. ↑ "Croatia – HNK Rijeka – Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  54. 1 2 "Rijeka profile". UEFA.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  55. ↑ "Club coefficients". UEFA. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HNK_Rijeka&oldid=1358682538#1943–1954"