Ivan Tsvetko

The Prva NL named Ivan Cvetko its best defender for the 2025–2026 season, at the end of a loan spell at NK Rudeš that brought 31 appearances, three goals and promotion to the top flight for the club.

He had put together almost the identical return a year earlier at NK Jarun: 31 matches and three goals in the same division during 2024–2025. Both loans came from GNK Dinamo Zagreb, where he arrived as a boy in 2014 from NK Sesvete and worked through every age group until 2022. His senior debut for Dinamo came on 28 February 2024, in a Croatian Cup tie against HNK Gorica.

The move that took him out of Dinamo for good was an unusual one. In June 2026 he joined NK Slaven Belupo as part of a swap: Gabrijel Šivalec went in the other direction to Dinamo Zagreb, and no money changed hands between the clubs. Cvetko signed a three-year contract, running to 30 June 2029.

With Croatia he has played at three youth levels. Six caps came at under-19, among them the qualifying campaign for the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, where he faced Germany, Turkey and Romania. He also appeared for the under-18 and under-16 sides, without scoring at any of them.

Zagreb-born and Zagreb-raised in football terms, he spent four seasons attached to the city's biggest club without breaking into its league side, and made his case instead in the division below, one full season at a time.