Striker Nikola Kalinić decided to terminate his contract with Verona and went back to his native Croatia to play for Hajduk Split, the club where he started his adventure as a professional football player back in 2005.
In his first press conference, he talked about his hopes for a comeback and his happiness: “For me it is a great day, I do not have to hide how proud I am of being here, in my team and in my city. The decision to come back to Split was made a long time ago, a year ago we met in Verona and we agreed for the next summer, but then we have decided that the right time was now. In the end we found a consensual agreement and I am happy to be part of Hadjuk. The team was doing great before and I hope they will do even better now that I am here.”
Verona wished good luck to the Croatian player in a statement published on their official website: “Verona-Hellas Verona FC announces the consensual termination of the contract with Nikola Kalinić, the 34 years old Croatian striker who laves the Gialloblù club, with whom- in a season and a half- he played 33 games in Serie A with 6 goals and 2 assists. Hellas Verona FC thanks and greet affectionately ‘Kale’, wishing him the best for the rest of his football career.”
The striker played his last game with Verona last Sunday against Juventus. Kalinić also played for Fiorentina, Milan and Roma during his years in Italy and on February 2020 he joined the Gialloblù. In 6 Serie seasons, he totalized 147 caps and scored 44 goals.