NK Dinamo Zagreb Academy (also known as Hitrec-Kacian) are the youth team of Dinamo Zagreb

Dinamo Zagreb

GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...

. The academy was founded on 27 December 1967. There are a total of ten age categories within the academy, the oldest being the Junior Team (under-19) and youngest being the Zagići II Team (under-8).

History

The first junior team was formed in 1945 and the coach was the famous Građanski Zagreb goalkeeper Maks Mihelčić. Soon after that, Márton Bukovi

Márton Bukovi

Márton Bukovi was a Hungarian association football player and manager. After playing for Ferencvárosi TC, FC Sète and Hungary he became a coach, most notably with Građanski Zagreb, MTK Hungária FC and Hungary...

 joined the youth squad as an expert coach, but left after two years following his disappointment with the disbanding of Građanski. The junior team won a treble in 1950 (Zagreb's, Croatian and Yugoslav championships) under the leadership of Mirko Kokotović

Mirko Kokotovic

Mirko Kokotović was a Croatian footballer who played international football for the both the Croatian and Royal Yugoslavian national teams....

.

In 1952 Branko Horvatek started training one of the best junior generations the club ever had. Some of the famous players that played in that generation were Dražan Jerković, Mladen Košćak, Marijan Kolonić and Mladen Klobučar. The decision to form the youth academy Hitrec-Kacian was brought on 27 December 1967 with Horvatek being elected as its first director. Apart from him, many other famous Croatian coaches worked with the generation that was very successful in the period of 1972-1974 in Yugoslav junior competitions. Some of them include: Zorislav Srebrić, Marko Jurić, Pero Dujmović, Vladimir Čonč

Vladimir Čonč

Vladimir Čonč is a former Croatian footballer. He played for several clubs from Zagreb, including Građanski, NK Poštar and Lokomotiva, but is best remembered for his eight-year spell with Dinamo Zagreb where he played from 1953 to 1961...

, Ivan Đalma Marković, Mirko Belić, Rudolf Cvek

Rudolf Cvek

Rudolf Cvek was a Croatian association football player.A native of Novi Marof near Varaždin, Cvek first started playing at the local side NK Varteks before moving to NK Dinamo Zagreb in 1965...

 and Zdenko Kobešćak

Zdenko Kobešcak

Zdenko Kobeščak is a former Croatian football player. He got two caps for Yugoslavia.He was an assistant coach to Mirko Jozić at the 1990 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship.-External links:*...

.

Dinamo’s juniors were the Yugoslav Champions five times (1950, 1954, 1972, 1973, 1974) and they won the Yugoslav Junior Cup two times (1967 and 1973).

Modern times

After the formation of HNL in 1991. Dinamo youth teams play important role with 6 U19 and 9 U17 titles (as of 2010).Since the mid 2000's Dinamo's youth academy is considered as one of the best in Europe with their teams winning notable international tournaments.Some of the former Dinamo youth players include Croatian

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

 internationals Vedran Ćorluka

Vedran Corluka

Vedran Ćorluka is a Croatian footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team...

, Luka Modrić

Luka Modric

Luka Modrić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national football team.Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His...

, Eduardo

Eduardo da Silva

Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...

, Niko Kranjčar

Niko Kranjcar

Niko Kranjčar is a Croatian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team.He represented two of the biggest clubs in his homeland, playing for Dinamo Zagreb before sparking controversy by making a move to their fierce rivals Hajduk Split in 2005...

, Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren is a Croatian footballer who plays for the Olympique Lyonnais. He is also a member of the Croatia national team.-Dinamo Zagreb:Dejan Lovren started his career in the youth teams of NK Karlovac. He joined top flight club Dinamo Zagreb in 2004. On 10 June 2006 he debuted for the senior...

 and current prominent first team players Milan Badelj

Milan Badelj

Milan Badelj is a Croatian football midfielder, currently a member of Dinamo Zagreb. His preferred position is a deep-lying playmaker.-Club career:...

, Ivan Kelava

Ivan Kelava

Ivan Kelava is a Croatian professional football goalkeeper with local powerhouse GNK Dinamo Zagreb.-Club career:Kelava has been playing for Dinamo Zagreb's youth teams since 1997, being promoted to the club's senior squad in the summer of 2006...

 and Šime Vrsaljko

Šime Vrsaljko

Šime Vrsaljko is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatia national under-19 and under-21 football teams. His preferred position is right back, but he can easily play as a left one too, making him a very versatile player....

.

Notable academy graduates

Luka Modrić

Luka Modric

Luka Modrić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national football team.Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His...

 Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren is a Croatian footballer who plays for the Olympique Lyonnais. He is also a member of the Croatia national team.-Dinamo Zagreb:Dejan Lovren started his career in the youth teams of NK Karlovac. He joined top flight club Dinamo Zagreb in 2004. On 10 June 2006 he debuted for the senior...

 Milan Badelj

Milan Badelj

Milan Badelj is a Croatian football midfielder, currently a member of Dinamo Zagreb. His preferred position is a deep-lying playmaker.-Club career:...

 Šime Vrsaljko

Šime Vrsaljko

Šime Vrsaljko is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatia national under-19 and under-21 football teams. His preferred position is right back, but he can easily play as a left one too, making him a very versatile player....

 Vedran Ćorluka

Vedran Corluka

Vedran Ćorluka is a Croatian footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team...

 Ivan Tomečak

Ivan Tomecak

Ivan Tomečak is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for Dinamo Zagreb and Croatia national under-21 football team.Tomečak started his senior football career at Lokomotiva, making 47 league appearances throughout his 18-months loan spell at Dinamo Zagreb feeder team...

 Niko Kranjčar

Niko Kranjcar

Niko Kranjčar is a Croatian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team.He represented two of the biggest clubs in his homeland, playing for Dinamo Zagreb before sparking controversy by making a move to their fierce rivals Hajduk Split in 2005...

 Zvonimir Soldo Igor Bišćan

Igor Bišcan

Igor Bišćan is a Croatian professional footballer, playing for Dinamo Zagreb. He also played for the English team Liverpool and Greek side Panathinaikos, also spending one-year loan at NK Samobor in his early career...

 Zvonomir Boban Tomislav Butina

Tomislav Butina

Tomislav Butina is a former Croatian footballer who played as goalkeeper for top level clubs Dinamo Zagreb, Club Brugge and Olympiacos. He was also capped 28 times for the Croatia national football team in the period from 2001 to 2006 and was member of Croatian squads at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA...

 Eduardo

Eduardo da Silva

Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...

 Hrvoje Čale

Hrvoje Cale

Hrvoje Čale is a Croatian international footballer who currently plays for VfL Wolfsburg.-Life and career:Čale began his career at age 9 in the youth ranks of Dinamo Zagreb. He made his break into the first team in 2003. However, he was mostly used as a substitute when starters were injured...

 Dino Drpić

Dino Drpic

Dino Drpić is a Croatian footballer. A product of Dinamo Zagreb Academy, Drpić turned professional in 2000 and went on to spend nine years with the club...

 Andrej Kramarić

Andrej Kramarić

Andrej Kramarić is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for team GNK Dinamo Zagreb. He is also a member of Croatia under-19 and under-21 national teams....

 Jerko Leko Dario Šimić

Dario Šimic

Dario Šimić is a retired Croatian football player. Šimić was a versatile defender who played as full-back, sweeper or centre back. A product of Dinamo Zagreb Academy, he later played for Serie A sides Inter Milan and AC Milan and Ligue 1 side Monaco, before returning to Dinamo Zagreb in 2010,...

 Robert Prosinečki

Robert Prosinecki

Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...

 Zoran Mamić

Zoran Mamic

Zoran Mamić is a former Croatian footballer and current sporting director for Dinamo Zagreb.He played for Dinamo Zagreb between 1992 and 1996, after which he went on to spend nine years playing for various clubs in Germany. Between 1996 and 1998, he made 45 Bundesliga appearances and scored four...

U19 & U17

Source: Transfermarkt.de HNL Statistika