[RUMOUR] Josip Vrlic to Jadran Split

 

After two years in Radnicki Kragujevac, Croatia’s center-forward Josip Vrlic returns to his homeland.

Vrlic will likely play for Jadran Split next season. As the freshly-crowned Croatian champion, the Split-based team will get the wild card for the Champions League Group Stage.

 

Vrlic (37), started his career at Primorje Rijeka. After that, he was a member of Barceloneta, Jug, Botafogo, Mladost Zagreb, and  Radnicki on two occasions (2014 – 15 and 2021-23).

 

Representing Croatia, Vrlic won the European gold medal in Split last year and bronzes at the 2019 and 2018 World Championships.

 

Interestingly, he played for Brazil before his debut for Croatia. Vrlic won bronze in the World League with Brazil and played at the 2016 Olympic Games.

 

 

He finished the season earlier than planned because of an injury suffered in the semifinals of the playoffs, but he is recovering. Croatia head coach Ivica Tucak called up Vrlic to the preparations for the World Championships.

 

As for Radnicki, which won 3rd place in the Serbian League, the club will probably rejuvenate the team. Several players already left. Marko Radulovic and Nemanja Vico did it before the end of the season. Lazar Dobozanov and Nikola Lukic will join Radulovic in Novi Beograd. Montenegro’s leftie Aleksa Ukropina will also depart from Radnicki.