Nikola Pokrivac: Former Croatia international dies in car accident

Former Croatia international Nikola Pokrivac has died in a car accident in his home country, the Croatian Football Federation has confirmed.

The 39-year-old midfielder played for Dinamo Zagreb, AS Monaco and RB Salzburg over his career and won 15 international caps from 2008 to 2010.

Pokrivac was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015 which forced him to retire from professional football.

But he returned to amateur football in 2021 and joined lower league side NK Vojnic last summer.

Local media said he was in a vehicle with three team-mates from NK Vojnic when they were involved in a four-vehicle collision in Karlovac in central Croatia on Friday evening.

It has been reported a 42-year-old person in another car was also killed, while the other occupants of Pokrivac’s car were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

“Nikola was a great football player, who lived football until his last moment in this world, and who showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease,” said Croatian Football Federation president Marijan Kustic.

“This is a great loss for our football community, and especially painful for the family.”

Pokrivac played at Euro 2008, where Croatia reached the quarter-finals, and faced England twice in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

“It is impossible to find words of comfort in such a shocking and unimaginably sad moment when we have lost a young life,” added Kustic.

“I can only express my deepest condolences to Nikola’s family and loved ones for this irreparable loss, and the HNS [the national football association] and the Croatian football family will be with them in these most difficult moments.”