It is awarded by the newspaper Večernji list to the best Croatian football player in the preceding year, regardless of the league they play in, based on a points system which measures their performances for both club and country.
The award is usually presented in a ceremony hosted by the Croatian Football Federation.
Luka Modrić holds the record for most wins, with thirteen awards.
[7] In 1995, a separate award, the Hope of the Year (Croatian: Nada godine), was introduced.
† denotes shared wins Notes on club name changes: Players in bold are still active.