Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award

The Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award or SN Yellow Shirt for short (Croatian: Žuta majica Sportskih novosti) is an annual football award given by the Croatian sports daily Sportske novosti. It is awarded to the best football player playing in the Croatian First League at the end of every season, based on post-match ratings awarded by sports journalists over the course of a season.

Established in 1953, the award was originally sponsored by the defunct Zagreb-based sports newspaper Narodni sport and its sports weekly Sportska panorama, and was awarded to the Player of the Season in the Yugoslav First League. In February 1962 Narodni sport was acquired by the Vjesnik publishing company and renamed Sportske novosti (SN). Since 1991 and the breakup of Yugoslavia, the paper gives the award to the best players in the Prva HNL, Croatia's top flight.

As of 2024 only eight players have won the award on more than occasion, with each of them winning two awards:

• Vladica Kovačević (1963, 1965)
• Rudolf Belin (1964, 1969)
• Jurica Jerković (1971, 1976)
• Igor Cvitanović (1996, 1997)
• Ivica Olić (2002, 2003)
• Eduardo (2006, 2007)
• Marko Livaja (2022, 2023)
• Ramón Miérez (2021, 2024)

Winners

Yugoslav league

Season	Player (Wins)	Club
1952–53	Bernard Vukas (1)	Hajduk Split
1953–54	Stjepan Bobek (1)	Partizan
1954–55	Joško Vidošević (1)	Hajduk Split
1955–56	Ivica Horvat (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
1956–57	Todor Veselinović (1)	Vojvodina
1957–58	Tomislav Crnković (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
1958–59	Bora Kostić (1)	Red Star
1959–60	Vladimir Beara (1)	Red Star
1960–61	Milutin Šoškić (1)	Partizan
1961–62	Dražan Jerković (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
1962–63	Vladica Kovačević (1)	Partizan
1963–64	Rudolf Belin (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
1964–65	Vladica Kovačević (2)	Partizan
1965–66	Silvester Takač (1)	Vojvodina
1966–67	Ivica Osim (1)	Željezničar
1967–68	Dragan Holcer (1)	Hajduk Split
1968–69	Rudolf Belin (2)	Dinamo Zagreb
1969–70	Filip Blašković (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
1970–71	Jurica Jerković (1)	Hajduk Split
1971–72	Slobodan Santrač (1)	OFK Belgrade
1972–73	Dušan Bajević (1)	Velež
1973–74	Branko Oblak (1)	Hajduk Split
1974–75	Franjo Vladić (1)	Velež
1975–76	Jurica Jerković (2)	Hajduk Split
1976–77	Abid Kovačević (1)	Borac Banja Luka
1977–78	Nenad Stojković (1)	Partizan
1978–79	Safet Sušić (1)	Sarajevo
1979–80	Vladimir Petrović (1)	Red Star
1980–81	Zlatko Vujović (1)	Hajduk Split
1981–82	Velimir Zajec (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
1983–83	Dragan Mance (1)	Partizan
1983–84	Zoran Simović (1)	Hajduk Split
1984–85	Predrag Pašić (1)	Sarajevo
1985–86	Nenad Gračan (1)	Rijeka
1986–87	Semir Tuce (1)	Velež
1987–88	Dragan Stojković (1)	Red Star
1988–89	Miloš Šestić (1)	Vojvodina
1989–90	Aljoša Asanović (1)	Hajduk Split
1990–91	Zvonimir Boban (1)	Dinamo Zagreb

Croatian league

Season	Player (Wins)	Club
1992	Goran Vučević (1)	Hajduk Split
1992–93	Goran Vlaović (1)	Croatia Zagreb
1993–94	Mladen Mladenović (1)	Rijeka
1994–95	Robert Špehar (1)	Osijek
1995–96	Igor Cvitanović (1)	Croatia Zagreb
1996–97	Igor Cvitanović (2)	Croatia Zagreb
1997–98	Mario Bazina (1)	Hrvatski Dragovoljac
1998–99	Miljenko Mumlek (1)	Varteks
1999–2000	Ivan Bošnjak (1)	Cibalia
2000–01	Boško Balaban (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
2001–02	Ivica Olić (1)	NK Zagreb
2002–03	Ivica Olić (2)	Dinamo Zagreb
2003–04	Niko Kranjčar (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
2004–05	Mladen Bartolović (1)	NK Zagreb
2005–06	Eduardo (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
2006–07	Eduardo (2)	Dinamo Zagreb
2007–08	Luka Modrić (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
2008–09	Mario Mandžukić (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
2009–10	Senijad Ibričić (1)	Hajduk Split
2010–11	Ivan Krstanović (1)	NK Zagreb
2011–12	Anas Sharbini (1)	Hajduk Split
2012–13	Leon Benko (1)	Rijeka
2013–14	Duje Čop (1)	Dinamo Zagreb
2014–15	Gabrijel Boban (1)	NK Zagreb
2015–16	Tino-Sven Sušić (1)	Hajduk Split
2016–17	Franko Andrijašević (1)	Rijeka
2017–18	Héber Araujo dos Santos (1)	Rijeka
2018–19	Mijo Caktaš (1)	Hajduk Split
2019–20	Antonio Čolak (1)	Rijeka
2020–21	Ramón Miérez (1)	Osijek
2021–22	Marko Livaja (1)	Hajduk Split
2022–23	Marko Livaja (2)	Hajduk Split
2023–24	Ramón Miérez (2)	Osijek

Source: Nogometni-magazin.com

Notes on club name changes:

• Dinamo Zagreb changed their name to "HAŠK Građanski" in June 1991 and then again in February 1993 to "Croatia Zagreb". They reverted to "Dinamo Zagreb" in February 2000.
• While the original NK Varaždin (1931–2015), known as NK Varteks from 1958 until June 2010, no longer exists, two new teams, both unassociated with the earlier club, have been founded in the city of Varaždin: NK Varteks, founded 2011; and NK Varaždin, called Varaždin ŠN when founded in 2012, when it overlapped with the original club.

Other awards

• Football Oscar, given by the Croatian union Football syndicate, chosen by players and managers of league clubs.
• Prva HNL Player of the Year (Tportal), given by the Croatian website Tportal, chosen by captains of league clubs.
• Croatian Footballer of the Year, given by the Croatian newspaper Večernji list, chosen by sport journalists.