Zoran Nižić

Zoran Nižić
	Nižić with Akhmat Grozny in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	11 October 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Team information
Current team	Kyzylzhar
Number	23
Youth career
0000–2008	Zmaj Makarska
Senior career*
Years	Team
2008–2009	Zmaj Makarska
2009–2012	RWDM Brussels FC
2012–2018	Hajduk Split
2018–2023	Akhmat Grozny
2024–	Kyzylzhar
International career‡
2017–	Croatia
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 July 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2023

Zoran Nižić (Croatian pronunciation: [zǒran nǐːʒitɕ];^[1]^[2] born 11 October 1989) is a Croatian football player who plays as centre back for Kyzylzhar in the Kazakhstan Premier League.

Club career

Nižić started his career at his hometown club HNK Zmaj Makarska, establishing himself early as a first team member at the Treća HNL Jug club. He secured himself a transfer abroad in 2009, aged just 19, to the Belgian Second Division side FC Brussels, where he would spend the next 3 seasons as a starter. After his contract ran out, Nižić returned to Croatia and trained for a few months with HNK Hajduk Split, before signing with them in late 2012.^[3] He made his league debut for Hajduk on 16 February 2013, entering the game for the injured Matej Jonjić in a 2–0 away win against NK Slaven Belupo.^[4]

In June 2018, Nižić was named in the Prva HNL team of the season for 2017–18.^[5]

In August 2018, Nižić refused to play for Hajduk in both League and European matches, allegedly due to a fever; it was later revealed that Nižić refused to play for the squad due to frustrations towards the club management and its transfer policy towards him and the players. It was also revealed that he had a confrontation with a director of Hajduk, Saša Bjelanović, in the locker room, who eventually took away his role as a captain.^[6] He was later transfer-listed by request.

On 27 August 2018, he signed a 3-year contract with the Russian Premier League club FC Akhmat Grozny.^[7] On 6 June 2023, Akhmat announced that his contract expired and will not be extended.^[8]

On 6 February 2024, Kazakhstan Premier League club Kyzylzhar announced the signing of Nižić.^[9]

International career

Nižić made his debut for Croatia in a May 2017 friendly match against Mexico in Los Angeles and earned a total of 2 caps, scoring no goals. His second and final international was a March 2018 friendly, also against Mexico.^[10]

In May 2018 he was named in Croatia's preliminary 32 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia^[11] but did not make the final 23.^[12]

Career statistics

As of match played 29 April 2023^[13]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Brussels	2009–10	Belgian Second Division	32	0	0	0	–		32	0
	2010–11		29	2	0	0	–		29	2
	2011–12		23	0	0	0	–		23	0
	Total		84	2	0	0	0	0	84	2
Hajduk Split	2012–13	Croatian First Football League	6	0	1	0	–		7	0
	2013–14		12	0	3	0	0	0	15	0
	2014–15		16	0	5	0	3	0	24	0
	2015–16		16	2	2	0	7	1	25	3
	2016–17		28	2	0	0	5	1	33	3
	2017–18		23	3	4	1	6	0	33	4
	2018–19		1	1	–		1	0	2	1
	Total		102	8	15	1	22	2	139	11
Akhmat Grozny	2018–19	Russian Premier League	10	0	1	0	–		11	0
	2019–20		21	0	1	0	–		22	0
	2020–21		24	0	2	0	–		26	0
	2021–22		20	0	1	0	–		21	0
	2022–23		11	0	1	0	–		12	0
	Total		86	0	6	0	0	0	92	0
Career total			272	10	21	1	22	2	315	13