1. Overview
Dario Knežević is a former Croatian footballer who played primarily as a defender. His professional career spanned fifteen years, most notably featuring significant spells with Italian club Livorno and two separate tenures with his hometown club HNK Rijeka. Knežević also earned 13 caps for the Croatia national football team and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2008. Known for his consistent performances in both the Croatian First League and Serie A, he accumulated several domestic honors, including multiple Croatian Cups with HNK Rijeka.
2. Early Life and Background
Dario Knežević was born on April 20, 1982, in Rijeka, a city that was then part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He began his youth football career at NK Omladinac Vrata before joining Orijent from 1995 to 2000. These early years in local Croatian clubs laid the foundation for his professional career as a defender.
3. Club Career
Dario Knežević's club career saw him play for several teams, primarily in Croatia and Italy, establishing himself as a reliable defender over more than a decade.
3.1. HNK Rijeka (First Spell)
Knežević began his professional career with his hometown club, HNK Rijeka, in 2002, competing in the Croatian First League. He quickly established himself, making 89 league appearances during his initial tenure with the club. His consistent performances for Rijeka attracted attention from clubs abroad, leading to his eventual transfer to Italy.
3.2. Livorno (First Spell)
In late August 2006, Knežević moved to Italy, signing a three-year deal with Livorno. He made his Serie A debut on October 25, 2006, in a match against Internazionale, which Livorno lost 4-1. His first goal in the league came on April 18, 2007, against Cagliari, securing a 2-1 victory for his team. Following the 2007-08 Serie A season, Livorno was relegated to Serie B.
3.3. Juventus (Loan)
On June 30, 2008, following Livorno's relegation, Juventus acquired Knežević on a season-long loan deal. The agreement was valued at 750.00 K EUR, with an option for Juventus to purchase half of his contractual rights for 1.60 M EUR. However, Knežević's time at Juventus was limited. He made his first league appearance on October 5, 2008, in a 2-1 home loss to Palermo. Throughout the season, he made only four appearances in total for Juventus: three in the league and one in the UEFA Champions League, which was a 2-2 draw against FC BATE Borisov in Belarus.
3.4. Livorno (Second Spell)
After his loan spell with Juventus concluded, Knežević returned to Livorno on June 15, 2009. Upon his return, he immediately re-established himself as a vital part of the team. Despite his efforts, Livorno was relegated from the 2009-10 Serie A season. In the subsequent 2010-11 Serie B season, Knežević made 31 appearances as Livorno finished ninth in the league standings. He continued to be a key player in the 2011-12 Serie B season, again making 31 appearances across all competitions, helping the team narrowly avoid another relegation. After this period, Knežević decided to depart from Livorno, concluding his two spells with the Italian club with a total of 140 appearances.
3.5. HNK Rijeka (Second Spell) and Retirement
In June 2012, Knežević made his second return to his first professional club, HNK Rijeka. He quickly took on a leadership role, assuming the captaincy of the team. In the 2012-13 season, he played a crucial part in leading Rijeka to a third-place finish, missing only two games throughout the season. The following season, 2013-14, Knežević captained Rijeka through the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds, leading them to the group stages of the competition. Although Rijeka managed to secure four points through four draws in the group stage, they were ultimately eliminated. During this season, Knežević made a career-high 38 appearances across all competitions. In the 2014-15 season, his appearances became limited to just two, both near the end of the season. Recognizing that he had little left to contribute to Rijeka, Knežević mutually agreed to terminate his contract in September 2015. He announced his intention to rest until the winter before deciding on his future, eventually retiring from professional football.
4. International Career
Dario Knežević proudly represented the Croatia national football team, earning 13 caps and scoring one goal during his international career.
His international debut and his first, and only, international goal occurred in a friendly match against Hong Kong on February 1, 2006. Although he was not selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Knežević became a regular fixture in the Croatian team during the qualifying matches for the UEFA Euro 2008. He was subsequently included in the squad for the tournament.
During UEFA Euro 2008, Knežević came on as a substitute in Croatia's first two matches, against Austria and Germany. He started the third group stage match against Poland but was forced to leave the field after just 25 minutes due to a left knee injury. His final appearance for the national team was in November 2009, in a friendly match against Liechtenstein.
4.1. International Goals
Knežević scored one international goal for the Croatia national football team.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | February 1, 2006 | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China | Hong Kong | 1-0 | 4-0 | Friendly match |
5. Career Statistics
Dario Knežević's career statistics reflect his extensive playing time across various clubs and his contributions to the Croatian national team.
5.1. Club Statistics
| Season | Club | League | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 2000-01 | Orijent Rijeka | 2. HNL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | |
| 2001-02 | 2. HNL (South) | 24 | 1 | - | - | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2002-03 | Rijeka | 1. HNL | 7 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2003-04 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2004-05 | 26 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| 2005-06 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2006-07 | 5 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2006-07 | Livorno | Serie A | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 13 | 1 | |
| 2007-08 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 36 | 3 | |||
| 2008-09 | Juventus | 3 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2009-10 | Livorno | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | Serie B | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2011-12 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2012-13 | Rijeka | 1. HNL | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2014-15 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 311 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 364 | 8 | ||
| Last Update: May 17, 2015. Includes appearances in 2005 Croatian Supercup and 2006 Croatian Supercup. | ||||||||||
5.2. International Statistics
| Croatia national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2006 | 2 | 1 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 13 | 1 |
6. Honours
Knežević achieved several significant honors during his club career, primarily with HNK Rijeka.
;Rijeka
- Croatian Cup: 2005, 2006, 2014
- Croatian Supercup: 2005
7. External Links
- [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=6933&pn=Dario_Knežević Dario Knežević] profile, detailed club and national team statistics, honours (palmares) and timeline
- [https://hrnogomet.com/reprezentacija/igrac.php?id=1779&sortOrder=desc&lang=en&stranica=1&sortBy=4 Dario Knežević] national team statistics at hrnogomet.com
- [https://hrnogomet.com/kup/igrac.php?id=1816&stranica=1&lang=en Prva HNL] statistics at hrnogomet.com