Ivan Tomečak

Ivan Tomečak (pronounced [ˈiʋan tɔmɛˈtʃaːk]; born 7 December 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Croatian club HNK Rijeka. He is usually deployed as a right full-back, but is often used as a right winger or left full-back.

Ivan Tomečak
Tomečak with Dinamo Zagreb in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth (1989-12-07) 7 December 1989
Place of birth Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Right-back / winger
Club information
Current team
 Rijeka
Number 27
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2013 Dinamo Zagreb 74 (12)
2007–2009 → Lokomotiva (loan) 47 (4)
2013–2015 Rijeka 65 (6)
2015–2016 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 9 (0)
2016–2017 Al-Nassr 26 (2)
2017–2018 Mechelen 9 (0)
2018–2019 Club Brugge 8 (1)
2019– Rijeka 35 (2)
National team
2007 Croatia U18 4 (0)
2007–2008 Croatia U19 7 (0)
2008–2009 Croatia U20 2 (0)
2009–2010 Croatia U21 7 (0)
2014 Croatia 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 January 2021

Tomečak started his senior football career at Lokomotiva, making 47 league appearances throughout his 18-months loan spell at Dinamo Zagreb feeder team. In January 2009 he returned from the loan to Dinamo Zagreb. After spending four seasons with the club, in 2013 Tomečak was transferred to Rijeka.

Club career

Loan to Lokomotiva

On 14 August 2007, Tomečak joined Croatian third-tier club Lokomotiva on an 18-month loan spell. He played in almost every match of 2007–08 season and helped Lokomotiva win the promotion to Druga HNL. In 2008–09 season he featured in all 15 of Lokomotiva's league matches before his loan finished.[2]

Return to Dinamo Zagreb

Tomečak returned from loan on 1 January 2009 and has played an important part in Dinamo's 2008–09 championship title. His debut came on 1 March 2009 in a home match against Slaven Belupo, which Dinamo won 1–0. On 5 April 2009, he scored his first ever goal for Dinamo Zagreb, entering the match in 74th minute against Cibalia and scoring two crucial goals in Dinamo's 4–3 away win. He also played in both legs of 2009 Croatian Cup finals which Dinamo won third time consecutively, defeating Hajduk Split 4–3 after penalty shootout. With Dinamo Zagreb, Tomečak has won two consecutive domestic league titles, making a total of 30 league appearances for the club during the two seasons following his return. He also made his debut in the European competitions on 21 July 2009 in a 2009–10 UEFA Champions League match against Pyunik Yerevan which Dinamo Zagreb won 3–0.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, Tomečak won his fourth honour with Dinamo Zagreb, as the club won the 2010 Croatian Supercup.[3]

On 22 November 2011, Tomečak scored Dinamo's second goal in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, netting a header in Dinamo's 6-2 away loss to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Rijeka

On 7 June 2013, Tomečak signed a three-year contract with HNK Rijeka.[4] He scored on his official debut for the club on 12 July 2013, opening the score in the 16th minute of a league match against NK Istra 1961.[5] He immediately established himself as a regular starter both in Prva HNL and Europe. On 7 May 2014, Tomečak scored the winning goal in Rijeka's away win at GNK Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of the 2014 Croatian Football Cup Final.[6]

Later years

On 31 August 2015, Tomečak signed a two-year contract with Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, for a fee of €1 million.[7] However, his contract was terminated in July 2016 after the club faced financial difficulties.[8]

Subsequently, Tomečak switched clubs and countries and signed for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr which was managed by fellow Croatian and former Dinamo Zagreb manager Zoran Mamić.[9] In his only season with the Saudi club he scored three goals and gave five assists.

In August 2017, he moved to Belgian club KV Mechelen and penned a two-year contract.[10]

In January 2018, Tomečak moved to Mechelen's league rivals Club Brugge KV signing a 3½-year contract. The transfer fee was reported as €1 to 1.5 million[11]

Return to Rijeka

On 5 February 2019 Tomečak signed for HNK Rijeka as a free agent.[12]

International career

Tomečak started his international career for Croatia with the friendly match for the under-18 team in a match against Poland under-18. He made three more friendly match appearances for the under-18 team before he debuted for the under-19 team on 18 September 2007 in a friendly match against Slovenia under-19. He made a total of seven appearances for the under-19 selection before debuting for the under-20 and under-21 teams. He made two appearances in friendly matches for the under-20 team throughout the 2009 and 2010. On 7 June 2009, Tomečak debuted for the under-21 team in a qualifying match against Cyprus under-21.[13]

He made his senior debut on 12 November 2014 in a friendly match against Argentina in London, coming as a 71st-minute substitute for Hrvoje Milić.[14]

Career statistics
As of 23 January 2021[15][16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lokomotiva (loan)2007–08Croatian Third League322––––––322
2008–09Croatian Second League152––––––152
Total 474000000474
Dinamo Zagreb2008–09Croatian First League13430––––164
2009–101715081––302
2010–112246240––326
2011–121436061––264
2012–13801010––100
Total 74122121920011415
Rijeka2013–14Croatian First League27241100––413
2014–153343111010485
2015–1650––10––60
2018–192010––––30
2019–20232302010292
2020–21100108100191
Total 10081223212014611
Dnipro2015–16Ukrainian Premier League90––40––130
Al-Nassr FC2016–17Saudi Professional League26220––––282
Mechelen2017–18Belgian First Division A90––––––90
Club Brugge2017–185110––––61
2018–19300000––40
Career total 274273645532036734

Honours
Lokomotiva
Dinamo Zagreb
Rijeka
Club Brugge

References
  1. "Ivan Tomečak". Dinamo Zagreb. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  2. "Tomečak Ivan". Nogometni magazin. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  3. "Bišćan presudio Hajduku" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. 17 July 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  4. HNK Rijeka
  5. HRnogomet.com
  6. HRnogomet.com
  7. "Tomečak u Dnjipru". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). 31 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  8. "Ivan Tomečak potpisao za Al Nassr [Ivan Tomečak signed for Al Nassr]" (in Croatian). Nogometplus. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  9. "Dnjipro je bio veliki promašaj, a u Al Nassr odlazim zbog Mamića [Dnipro was a big fellow, and in Al Nassr I'm leaving for Mamić]" (in Croatian). Goal. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. "NIEUWE AANWINST BIJ KV MECHELEN: IVAN TOMECAK [NEW ACQUISITION IN KV MECHELEN: IVAN TOMECAK]" (in Dutch). KV Mechelen. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  11. "Club Brugge heeft nieuwe verdediger beet en stuurt er eentje ter vervanging richting KV Mechelen". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 8 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  12. "Rijeka vraća Ivana Tomečaka, koji će potpisati ugovor na dvije i pol godine" (in Croatian). 4 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  13. "Statistike - Nastupi: Ivan Tomečak" (in Croatian). Croatian Football Federation. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  14. "Argentina 2-1 Croatia". BBC Sport. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  15. "Ivan Tomecak > Club Matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  16. "I. Tomečak". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  17. TOM VAN AKEN (13 May 2018). "Club kampioen na een punt in Luik". www.sport.be. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
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