Nikola Kalinic is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian club Milan, on loan from Fiorentina, and for the Croatia national team..
Kalinic has the skill to hold on to the ball, he likes to do layoffs and play short passes, but he get fouled often.
Kalinic's 17 league goals in his first season with Hajduk was only beaten by league topscorer Zelimir Terkes, who managed 21 goals. However, it was a great achievement for the youngster who had initially set a target of scoring 15 goals. He finished the 2007–08 season in fifth place with Hajduk in the league, also helping them reach the final of the Croatian Cup in the same season. In all competitions, he ended the year with 26 goals, receiving the coveted Swan d'or Award from the Croatian Press Association.
Kalinic marked his first appearance for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk with a goal but was red carded for elbowing just two minutes after scoring. Kalinic netted ten goals in all competitions in both his first and second seasons with the Ukrainian side. On 27 May 2015, Kalinic opened the scoring with a header in the Europa League Final against holders Sevilla in Warsaw, although his team eventually lost 2-3. Kalinic scored six other goals in his sides run to the Europa League final and another 12 league goals, taking his tally for the 2014–15 season to 19, the highest of his career.
During his Fiorentina career, Kalinic's Serie A debut goal came in his fifth league appearance in the match against Bologna, scoring the second and final goal of the game in the 80th minute. The match ended 2-0 for Fiorentina, taking them to second place in the Serie A table after five matches. On 27 September, Kalinic scored a hat-trick against league leading and undefeated Internazionale to put Fiorentina in first place for the first time since the 1998–99 season. On 22 August 2017, Kalinic joined Milan on loan with an obligation to purchase for a reported fee of about €25 million. |
