Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 31 October 1992 | ||
Place of birth | Varaždin, Croatia | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Left-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Hajduk Split | ||
Number | 17 | ||
Youth career | |||
–2005 | Nedeljanec [ hr ] | ||
2005–2007 | Varteks | ||
2007–2010 | Nedeljanec [ hr ] | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2010 | Nedeljanec [ hr ] | ||
2011–2013 | Zelina | 63 | (1) |
2013–2015 | Slaven Belupo | 40 | (3) |
2015–2017 | Lokeren | 16 | (0) |
2016 | → Neftçi (loan) | 10 | (0) |
2017 | → Slaven Belupo (loan) | 13 | (1) |
2017–2019 | Domžale | 43 | (8) |
2019–2021 | Çaykur Rizespor | 79 | (7) |
2021– | Hajduk Split | 108 | (6) |
International career‡ | |||
2019–2024 | Croatia | 8 | (0) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 March 2021 |
Dario Melnjak (born 31 October 1992) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Croatian First Football League club Hajduk Split.
Melnjak was born on 31 October 1992 in Varaždin, Croatia. [1] At just two weeks old, he had severe surgery due to a tange of his intestines, with tiny chances of survival. [2] Melnjak's uncles Antun and Zvonko were handball players, so did his cousins, Alen and Nenad. [3] Apart from his native Croatian, Melnjak speaks, English, Greek, and Turkish. [4]
Melnjak started his career in the lower tier Nedeljanec [ hr ], spending most of his youth career there, apart from two seasons at Varteks at under-15 level. [5]
On 2 February 2015, Melnjak signed a contract with Belgian club Sporting Lokeren for three-and-a-half seasons. [6] On 20 June 2016, he signed for Azerbaijan Premier League club Neftçi on loan. [7] On 10 November 2016, Neftçi and Lokeren mutually agreed to the early termination of his loan. [8]
On 23 September 2021, Melnjak signed a one-year contract with Croatian club HNK Hajduk Split, with an option for a further two years. [9] On 19 January 2022, he extended his contract for two years until 2024. [10] On 2 March 2022, Melnjak scored two goals against HNK Gorica in the 2021–22 Croatian Football Cup semi-final, taking Hajduk Split to the final in a 2–1 victory. [11] In the 2022 Croatian Football Cup final on 26 May 2022, he scored twice again, this time in a 3–1 victory against HNK Rijeka to help his club winning its seventh cup and first since 2012–13. [12]
On 11 June 2019, Melnjak made his Croatia national team debut in friendly match against Tunisia. [13]