Due to a shortage of homegrown players, the club had to trim its A list for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and former Dinamo players Mikić and Zajec urge the Blues to urgently return to their roots.
A tangible problem in Maksimir has been highlighted by UEFA's rule requiring each club to register at least eight players who played within the domestic association between the ages of 15 and 21 for international competitions. Of those eight, at least four must have spent three years at the club. Because of this regulation, Dinamo could not have the maximum of 25 players on the A list for the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Lithuanian side Žalgiris, but only 23.
Currently, only Goda and Valinčić meet UEFA's criteria at Dinamo, having completed part of their youth training in Maksimir. The sanction is clear: for every player short in that category, the club may register one fewer on the A list. This is a rare precedent for a club whose youth academy has been synonymous with top-tier talent production for decades.
The problems escalated after Zvonimir Boban thoroughly "purged" the dressing room. Baturina and Sučić left for big money, and a host of new players were brought in. Although some have justified expectations, the obvious downside is that the club's own academy was neglected in this squad overhaul. Dinamo has long thrived on transfers and UEFA prize money, and all lucrative transfers were achieved precisely through the sale of homegrown players.
Former Dinamo player Mihael Mikić recently pointed to the heart of the problem for Sportske novosti. "Dinamo must introduce and promote two or three players from its academy every year and stand behind them. Because without homegrown players in the first team, Dinamo loses its identity, which has been built over the years, and loses its reputation and 'brand' in Europe," Mikić is clear.
He insists that every signing must be "significantly better than the kid you have in your own academy," not brought in just for the sake of it. It was expected that Mikić, Jakirović, and Pavić would be the new gems of Maksimir, but that did not happen. Jakirović and Pavić are no longer at the club, and Mikić did not make the most of the opportunities given. After returning from a loan at Zrinjski, Topić is showing that he can be seriously counted on, while Zebić is in the B team.
As early as late 1998, after the historic 1-0 victory over Ajax in the Champions League, then-coach Zajec, now honorary club president, emphasized the importance of relying on one's own strengths. "Dinamo must always count on its 'kids'; our youth academy is quality and has produced a number of real players. I am proud of our young boys, and that is actually an indicator of how Dinamo must function, and that is how it functions," Zajec said then after throwing young Bišćan, Šimić, and Mikić into the fray.
Over the past 20-odd years, Dinamo has built a recognizable brand from its academy. The most notable products have been Kranjčar, Modrić, Eduardo, Ćorluka, Lovren, Kovačić, Jedvaj, Gvardiol, Franjić, Šutalo, Baturina, and Sučić. There are also players who arrived in Maksimir very young and made a name for themselves there: Olić, Mandžukić, Pranjić, Sammir, Vukojević, Vida, Brozović, Olmo, Pjaca, Rog, Ivanušec, and Majer.
The recent arrivals of Noah Nsoki from PSG, the expected Russian reinforcement Kravtsov, and the recovery of Spaniard Dani Rodriguez from Barcelona raise the question of whether these players will justify the trust shown and be "significantly better" than the young hopefuls from the club's own ranks. The "Class of '82," led by captain Zajec, which brought the championship title after a 24-year drought, was largely composed of domestic players and remains an eternal reminder of the strength of the club's own academy.
