look news india
Mohali, July 26 (HS). Punjab FC on Friday announced the signing of Croatian midfielder Filip Merzlijak, their first foreign signing ahead of the upcoming 2024-25 season.
The Croatian player last featured for Croatian top-flight club, HNK Gorica.
The 31-year-old was born in Zagreb and plays primarily as a defensive midfielder. He graduated from the famous Dinamo Zagreb academy which has produced Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Vedran Corluka, Joško Gvardiol, Dejan Lovren, Niko Kranjcar and many other famous footballers. He signed his first professional contract with Dinamo Zagreb before being sent on loan to Radnik Sesvete in Zagreb. He played three seasons for Croatian top-flight club, Lokomotiva and then later spent five years in Romania playing for Pandurii Targu Jiu, Astra Giurgiu and Dinamo Bucuresti. He played two seasons for Russian club FC Ufa before signing with HNK Gorica.
Filip is an accomplished youth international for Croatia, having represented the country at all age categories from under-14 to under-21. He represented Croatia at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2012 UEFA U-19 Championship.
Speaking about the signing, Punjab FC Technical Director, Nikolaos Topoliatis said, “We are excited to have Philip in our squad for the upcoming season. He is an experienced player who has played at the highest levels of youth football in Europe. He will add strength to the midfield and will emerge as a leader on and off the field.”