Kristijan Jakić

Jakić built his path to the top from the bottom of Croatian football, working through the youth ranks at NK Mračaj Runović and NK Imotski before joining RNK Split, where he made his senior debut in 2015. A move to Lokomotiva Zagreb followed, with a loan spell at Istra 1961 along the way, and by 2020 Dinamo Zagreb paid €1.2 million to bring him in. That season delivered his first trophies, the Prva HNL title and the Croatian Cup.

The bigger step came when Dinamo loaned him to Eintracht Frankfurt for the 2021–22 campaign. He was on the pitch for the club's biggest night of that era, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute of the Europa League final against Rangers, which Frankfurt won on penalties. Eintracht made the deal permanent afterwards.

Jakić also has a senior international honour to his name: a bronze medal with Croatia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, having made his debut for the national team the previous year against Cyprus. His caps have come steadily rather than in a rush, with both of his international goals arriving against Montenegro during World Cup qualification.

His move to FC Augsburg began as a loan in January 2024 before turning permanent a few months later, on a contract running to 2028. It is with Augsburg that he has settled into a defensive midfield role.