Darijo Srna

Darijo Srna

File:Dario Srna.jpg
Personal information
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Right wingback, right midfielder
Team information
Current team	Shakhtar Donetsk
Number	33
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 15 2008

Darijo Srna [ˈdaːriɔ ˈsrna] (born 1 May 1982 in Metković) is a Croatian footballer who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national football team, in which he is currently the leading goalscorer out of the current active squad, and second on the all time list.

Club career

Srna's talent was seen by many scouts in Croatia when he was young. With the war still going on, it was deemed impossible for league side Hajduk Split to allow him to play because of his family's Muslim background. His father was asked to pay a sum if he wished for his sons admission into the team, however, with practically no money at all, it seemed like an impossible outcome. Srna was later signed anyway as his talent became evident and desirable for the Croatian giants Having made an impressive impact at Hajduk, he was considered one of his team's best players. In 2003 he was sold, along with Stipe Pletikosa, to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.. He is a common member and the captain in his club side, in which he has made a large impact in the league with.

After the 2006 World Cup, two-time European Cup winners S.L. Benfica were reported to be after the player's signature but nothing materialized, with what many considered a fallen or rejected sale. Since then, he has been linked with a number of other clubs, including Lazio.

He made his debut in main stage of UEFA Champions League on 14 September 2004 against AC Milan.

On 23 June Darijo gave interview to Croatian press in which he said "I will leave Shakhtar only when I stop getting place in the starting lineup. I want to win something great with Shakhtar. For now I don't want to leave Shakhtar even if Manchester United make an offer", pledging his faithfulness to his side. Although it has been reported that he has a love for Glasgow Celtic and has been spotted singing The Famine song at recent Glasgow derbys.

International career

Srna was part of the Croatian national team in Euro 2004, where he played in two games.

Srna then starred in all three games of Croatia's 2006 World Cup campaign. He was strictly criticized for his penalty miss against Japan, although highly praised and remembered for his spectacular 30 yard free kick which put Croatia ahead against Australia in the infamous "Graham Poll three-yellow card" blunder match that ended 2-2 and saw Croatia therefore exit from the group stage.

In September 2006, he was temporarily dropped from the Croatian squad for a Euro 2008 qualifying match with Russia because of a late night partying spree in a local disco along with teammates Boško Balaban and Ivica Olić.

Euro 2008

Dario was considered the hero of the match when he came on as a substitute against Macedonia in a Euro 2008 qualifying match and scored shortly after from a free kick which was shot into the right corner of the goal. In the 88th minute he provided a cross which found fellow teammate Eduardo da Silva, and allowed him to score and snatch a late win for Croatia. He also scored Croatia's equalizer in their hard fought away victory against Israel which eventually ended 4-3 in Croatia's favor. Srna went on to miss a penalty against Estonia, however his overall contribution to teamwork attack compensated for this mistake which Croatia quickly capitalized on to win 2-0.

Since helping his country qualify for Euro 2008 with a strong qualifying campaign, Srna was unsurprisingly named in their 23 man squad for the current tournament. On 12 June, Srna scored the opening goal in the 24th minute of Croatia's 2-1 victory over Germany in their second game of Group B. He was the only player to score for Croatia in their unsuccessful penalty shootout in the quarter finals against Turkey. At the conclusion of the match, Srna was seen struggling to hold back an emotional breakdown because of Croatia's strong efforts but eventual defeat.

After the tournament, Srna has been said to succeed current captain Niko Kovac in carrying the captaincy armband for the national team. Amongst other candidates, his head coach at Shakhtar gave an interview which praised his hard work and passion for the game, leaving him to be a most likely candidate

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	29 March 2003	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Belgium	1 – 0	4 – 0	Euro 2004 Qualifying
02.	31 March 2004	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Turkey	2 – 1	2 – 2	Friendly
03.	8 September 2004	Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden	Sweden	0 – 1	0 – 1	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
04.	9 October 2004	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Bulgaria	1 – 0	2 – 2	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
05.	9 October 2004	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Bulgaria	2 – 0	2 – 2	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
06.	9 February 2005	Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel	Israel	1 – 2	3 – 3	Friendly
07.	3 September 2005	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik, Iceland	Iceland	1 – 3	1 – 3	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
08.	8 October 2005	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Sweden	1 – 0	1 – 0	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
09.	1 March 2006	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Argentina	2 – 2	2 – 3	Friendly
10.	22 June 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany	Australia	1 – 0	2 – 2	World Cup 2006
11.	15 November 2006	Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel	Israel	1 – 1	3 – 4	Euro 2008 Qualifying
12.	24 March 2007	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Macedonia	1 – 1	2 – 1	Euro 2008 Qualifying
13.	22 August 2007	Koševo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0 – 2	3 – 5	Friendly
14.	22 August 2007	Koševo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2 – 4	3 – 5	Friendly
15.	12 September 2007	Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra	Andorra	0 – 1	0 – 6	Euro 2008 Qualifying
16.	12 June 2008	Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria	Germany	1 – 0	2 – 1	Euro 2008
17.	20 August 2008	Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia	Slovenia	2 – 2	2 - 3	Friendly

Playing style

Srna plays in the right midfield wing position for Croatia, but he plays in the right-back position for his club Shakhtar Donetsk. He is most well known for his ability to score from free kicks and makes precise crosses. Quick on his feet, he is talented in being able to constantly create an offensive game. While playing at national level, he is often praised for his hard work which sees him control the midfield battle of the game. He is also known for having a fierce powerful, shot.

At club level, he plays in a further held back defensive position with a common habit and license to move further forward and assist in attacking chances. He is usually the first choice penalty and free kick taker for both his club and national team.

Honours

Club

• Croatian Championship: 2000–01
• Croatian Cup: 1999–00, 2002–03
• Ukrainian Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08
• Ukrainian Cup: 2003–04, 2007–08
• Ukrainian Super Cup: 2005, 2008

Individual

• Heart of Hajduk Award: 2003

Personal life

Srna has on many occasions been dubbed as a family man. He has stated that he owes all his credentials to his father who kept him alive and faithful during the tough years of the war, helping him pursue his dream as a footballer. Before leaving Croatia to join for Shakhtar, he gifted him with a brand new Mercedes. He has a tattoo of a deer playing football on his leg, as 'Srna' in Croatian means 'deer'.

His brother, Igor, has Down's Syndrome. As a result, Srna dedicates all his goals to him, and even revealed a shirt under his jersey saying "Igor, svi smo uz tebe" ("Igor, we are all here for you") after scoring a goal against Macedonia. He also has a tattoo along his heart saying "Igor".

External links

• Darijo profile on official Shakhtar Donetsk website
• National Football Teams - Srna, Dario Player Details
• Croatian trio expelled from squad
• Darijo Srna profile, Player Details and Picture
• Become A Croatia Fan Player Profile