Hajduk Told Him He Was Too Small, and He Scored Against Them
Varaždin stunned Hajduk 2-1 at the start of the HNL, with a special story surrounding 20-year-old Ivan Canjuga, whom the Split side rejected ten years ago.
Varaždin stunned Hajduk 2-1 at the start of the HNL, with a special story surrounding 20-year-old Ivan Canjuga, whom the Split side rejected ten years ago.
Varaždin defeated Hajduk 2-1 in the opening match of the new SuperSport HNL season, with the game highlighted by stories of players who were once connected to the Split club. Match-winner Luka Mamić was with Hajduk until his junior years, as was striker Ivan Mamut, who shared a dressing room with Nikola Vlašić in the youth ranks.
Mamut has often emphasized that in those age groups, everything revolved around the Croatian international. Similarly, Škaričić and Luka Posinković never got a chance in the first team of the 'Whites' either.
The most intriguing story, however, revolves around 20-year-old midfielder Ivan Canjuga. Ten years ago, at the invitation of Hajduk's then academy director, he arrived in Split. He spent two weeks there, after which his parents were told that despite his footballing ability, he was simply too small in stature.
"As a parent, you want the best for your child. What they told us at Hajduk was hard to take at the time, but of course, life goes on."
said Goran Canjuga, Ivan's father, who, along with mother Marijana and sister, has been the young footballer's biggest support since the beginning of his career. The Canjuga family hails from Nedeljanec, specifically from an area locals call "Koutje."
Like Dario Melnjak and Marko Rog, Canjuga took his first footballing steps at the Fotex-Nedeljanec Football School. His football dream came true when, at the age of 10, he attended a Barcelona camp where he further honed his talent. As a youth player, he captained the Varaždin team that won the First Croatian League North Region without a single defeat.
At that time, Dinamo and Slaven Belupo were interested in him, but he got his chance in senior football at Varaždin. He made his debut under coach Mario Kovačević in the 2021/22 season against Dubrava Tim kabel, while Varaždin were playing in the second tier of Croatian football. As a cadet, he moved to Lokomotiva, only to return to Varaždin last winter. Coach Nikola Šafarić found a role for him as a defensive midfielder, and today he is one of the club's key players.
Against Hajduk, Canjuga shone again, providing the assist for the first goal scored by Mario Mladenovski. The hero of the match, however, was goalkeeper Josip Silić, who saved a penalty from Marko Livaja in the 90th minute to preserve Varaždin's victory. Unlike his teammates, Silić was never linked with Hajduk, his footballing path is exclusively tied to Dugopolje.
