Nikola Jerkan

Nikola Jerkan (born 8 December 1964) is a Croatian former footballer who played as a defender. Jerkan was born in Split and started playing football professionally for NK Zagreb.

Nikola Jerkan
Personal information
Date of birth (1964-12-08) 8 December 1964
Place of birth Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1986 NK Zagreb 19 (0)
1986–1988 Dinamo Vinkovci 56 (2)
1988–1990 Hajduk Split 64 (1)
1990–1996 Real Oviedo 203 (1)
1996–1999 Nottingham Forest 14 (0)
1997–1998 → Rapid Wien (loan) 21 (0)
1999–2000 Charleroi 36 (0)
Total 413 (4)
International career
1992–1997 Croatia 31 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Club

He started his career in youth ranks of Junak Sinj. In 1982 he moved to NK Zagreb where he played until 1986.[1] Then, he moved to Dinamo Vinkovci where he would spend two years before moving to Hajduk Split in 1988.[2][3] Immediately he started playing for the first team and played two seasons before he moved to Real Oviedo in Spain in 1990. In 1991, in his second season there, he was selected for the best defender of La Liga.

Jerkan joined Nottingham Forest in the summer of 1996 for a fee of £1million. Jerkan's time at Nottingham Forest was disappointing.[4] He struggled to hold down a first-team place and after the departures of Frank Clark and Stuart Pearce, never hit it off with new manager Dave Bassett.

He went on a year-long loan to Rapid Vienna of Austria at the start of the 1997–98 season and was never seen in the English game again. He spent the 1998/99 season at the City Ground but played no games.

In 1999, he moved Charleroi where he played during the next two seasons, and then retired. He then moved to live in Oviedo.

International

Jerkan made his debut for Croatia in a July 1992 friendly match away against Australia and attained 31 caps, scoring one goal[5] (against Lithuania in Zagreb during the qualifications for Euro 96). He played three games at the Euro 96 and was at that point established in the centre of the Croatian defence. His final international was a June 1997 Kirin Cup match against Turkey.[6]

Managerial career

Jerkan managed Real Avilés B for two seasons, securing the club's first ever promotion to the Tercera División (fourth tier).[7] He also was assistant manager to Zlatko Dalić for Croatia at UEFA Euro 2020.[8]

Honours

Orders

References
  1. SD 1985, 3rd league playoff article
  2. SD 7/3/1988
  3. SD 13/07/1988
  4. "Where are they now? Former Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Jerkan". Nottingham Post. 18 November 2018.
  5. Mamrud, Roberto (16 July 2009). "Croatia – Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  6. "Player Database". EU-football. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  7. "Jerkan se pone serio" (in Spanish). La Nueva España. 24 October 2013.
  8. "Rival de España en la Eurocopa: un ex del Oviedo, en el banquillo de Croacia" (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 28 June 2020.
  9. "ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BUČARA" (in Croatian). hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.
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