Stipe Ukić

The transfer that took Stipe Ukić from Auckland to Istria nearly did not happen. Auckland City FC wanted a development fee for the teenager, and according to TransferFeed that demand broke off talks with Lokomotiva. NK Istra 1961 met the price instead, and on 10 January 2025 Ukić signed a contract running to 30 June 2028. The fee was never disclosed.

He had arrived at that point through Auckland City's academy. Three appearances for the first team in 2023 became 26 in the 2024 season, with five goals, and by the end of that year he held two medals: the New Zealand championship and the OFC Champions League.

The first season in Croatia was spent largely with the under-19s. For 2025/26 he was attached to the senior setup and placed at the disposal of Uljanik, a Second League club in Pula. Igor Žiković, Uljanik's sporting director, confirmed the arrangement, describing Ukić as an Istra 1961 player available to his side.

That season gave him a run of regular football: 22 matches and four goals in the Second League. One of them came in March 2026 against Solin.

Ukić was born on 3 January 2007 and holds New Zealand citizenship; he has Croatian roots. He has been mentioned as a New Zealand youth international, though specific call-ups remain unconfirmed. He has not played for any Croatian national team. His surname appears in databases in two forms, Ukić and Ukich.