Niko Kranjcar made his name as a talented youngster at Dinamo Zagreb before moving onto Hadjuk Split, where he cemented his place in the national squad for the 2006 World Cup and earned a big money move.
Debuting for Dinamo at 16 and scoring on his debut, as he was one of the squad who won a league and cup double, he took the captain's armband at 17, becoming the youngest to do so at the club. Another cup medal came the following season, but in 2005, he fell out with the management at the club and this lead to him moving to rivals Hadjuk Spilt. A championship in his first season there added to his growing reputation and a move to England.
Made an impact in Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth side and his hard-working wing play was instrumental in the side progressing to the 2008 FA Cup final, where they beat Cardiff City 1-0 and won a place in Europe. However, a year later, the club started to hit financial trouble and had to sell on some of their players and with Redknapp now installed as the Spurs manager, he returned to Fratton Park to bring Kranjcar to White Hart Lane for a knock-down price.
An instant hit, the midfielder showed his versatility by playing on either flank and his presence in the absence of his injured countryman Luka Modric, gave Tottenham a very good replacement who chipped in with some important goals during a season when the team gained fourth place and a Champions League qualifying tie.
Married to Simona, they had a baby daughter Loree on 8th March 2011.
A regular Croatian international, Niko scored for his country in the European championship qualifying 3-2 win over England in 2008, which knocked England out of the competition. Towards the end of his Tottenham career, Niko ended up playing more games for his country (making the Croatia squad for Euro 2012) than he did for his club and not being a regular in the team, when he did play, he often looked disinterested and a little over-weight. It was not a surprise that he left the club at the end of the 2011-12 season, moving to Dynamo Kyiv.
Niko linked up with Harry Redknapp for a third time when, on the last day of the summer 2013 transfer window, he signed for Queens Park Rangers on loan for the season.