Kranjcar Following In The Footsteps Of Prosinecki

Nico Kranjcar revealed that the impact made by former Croatian superstar Robert Prosinecki at Portsmouth influenced his decision to come to Fratton Park.

Pompey playmaker Niko Kranjcar explained that the man former chairman Milan Mandaric sensationally brought to Pompey for a season in 2001 was one of his all-time heroes.

Speaking to PfcTV, Kranjcar added that fellow countryman Prosinecki’s move to Portsmouth made the south-coast club well-known back home in Croatia, and thus when manager Harry Redknapp came calling he already felt it was the right move to make.

Kranjcar is currently training with Croatia in the build-up to their remaining qualifying games against Macedonia and England.

A draw against Macedonia on Saturday will see Croatia home and before going off to join the squad Kranjcar spoke candidly about the influence of one of his football idols.

“Robert Prosinecki was one of the all-time great players I looked up to and tried to model myself on,” Kranjcar told PfcTV.

“He had great technique and was just a fantastic player and he really enjoyed his experience in English football as much as anywhere.

“Unfortunately he had a few injuries in his career but he was a world-class footballer who was a dream to watch.

“I didn’t just enjoy watching him on the playing field during matches but on the training pitch as well.

“He talked about the atmosphere at Pompey and his life in England, so of course this was in my mind and an influence when joining the club.

“Figures like Robert and Milan Mandaric raised the profile of Pompey so much in Croatia.”

Kranjcar explained how watching and participating with his father Zlatco in training sessions made him fall in love with the game as a boy.

Kranjcar’s father made 474 appearances and scored 206 goals for Dinamo Zagreb, SK Rapid Wien and VSE St Polten.

He also won 11 caps for Yugoslavia and another two for Croatia when they gained independence. He was coach of the Croatia national team from 2004 to 2006, selecting his son.

“I first knew I wanted to be a footballer at the age of five or six when I used to watch my father with Rapid Wien in training sessions in Austria.” Kranjcar said.

“It was his influence in taking me to the training ground that made my mind up and being close to really great players was a bonus.

“I used to go on the training field to kick the ball at that really early age and they used to have to quit the training sessions to get me off.

“I loved playing the game and loved training and doing different things with the ball. I never saw football as a profession, more a love - and still do today. That expresses itself in my game.”