Rejected 16 Foreign Offers for SHNL, Now Threatens Hajduk
Ivan Šaranić, last season's sensation for Sesvete with 15 goals, has decided to continue his career at Istra 1961. On Sunday at Poljud, he aims to prove his class.
Ivan Šaranić, last season's sensation for Sesvete with 15 goals, has decided to continue his career at Istra 1961. On Sunday at Poljud, he aims to prove his class.
Ivan Šaranić, a 23-year-old footballer who shone for Sesvete last season, has decided to continue his journey in the SuperSport HNL, despite having as many as 16 official offers from abroad on the table. The young midfielder has signed for Istra 1961 and already hopes for a new chance to prove himself against Hajduk on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at Poljud.
In the previous season (2025/26), Šaranić scored 15 goals for Sesvete in the First NL, clearly showing he had outgrown the second-tier level. Although he had brief stints in the SHNL, making a few appearances for Dinamo in the 2020/21 season and for Varaždin in 2022/23, and also played for Dugopolje and Al Bataeh, he now feels fully ready to make a more significant impact.
In an interview with Germanijak, Šaranić explained his decision: "It's nice to return to the top tier of our football. That's what I wanted most. My agent brought me as many as 16 official offers-he really has contacts all over the world-but I decided I want to play in the HNL and leave a deeper mark because I believe I can. He agreed with me, and we headed to Drosina."
The season at Sesvete didn't start brilliantly. Šaranić admits he worked well in preseason, but the goals just wouldn't come. "We got off to a bad start at the beginning of the season. I trained well in preseason, but the goal just wouldn't come; I missed several chances I could have scored. Things just didn't click," he recalled. The turning point was a spectacular backheel goal near the end of the first half of the season. "Toward the end of that first half, I scored that backheel wonder goal, and from then on, practically everything took off."
He considers the excellent chemistry in the team as key to his surge in form. "A lot of good players and people came together; we all clicked. We didn't hang out individually, but as a whole team. The coach is also young and ambitious. We did a lot of analysis. From the first coach and the entire staff to us players, we socialized and really clicked, and I think that's the main reason for our success."
In the first match of this season, Istra lost 3:2 to Lokomotiva at Drosina, despite a very good performance. Šaranić highlighted his maximum effort on that occasion. "It wasn't a good result for the club and all of us, but I gave my all and showed I'm here for a reason. I'd like to thank the club for giving me the chance and bringing me in. I believe things will get better as the season goes on, both for me and for the whole team."
Under coach Cabella, Istra fielded one of the youngest lineups in league history, a situation that even surprises Šaranić himself. "Given that I'm 23, it's a bit strange that I'm one of the most experienced on the pitch. But we're a great team; we're pushing on youthful energy and can show ourselves well," he said, and praised the coach: "The coach is excellent; you can see his quality and professionalism. He wants us to give our maximum in every match. He has the ambition for us to be aggressive, to run a lot, and most importantly, to move without the ball in both defense and attack."
An interesting detail is the number 80 on his jersey. "There's no special secret. My favorite numbers were taken, so I couldn't choose them. Ronaldinho is my favorite player. I've always loved watching him, even though I couldn't see much of him while he played because I'm young-I practically wasn't born yet. Still, I always enjoy watching his moves. I think he was by far the best, hence that number," Šaranić revealed.
On Sunday, Istra 1961 faces a tough away match against Hajduk, who come in buoyed by a high-scoring 5:2 victory in Vilnius against Žalgiris. However, the Pula side has been an unpleasant opponent for the Split team at Poljud in recent seasons, recording two wins and a draw in their last four visits. With Šaranić in attack, Istra has an extra asset to continue that positive run and chase their first points of the season.
