10 Things to Know about Nikola Kalinic

Learn a little more about the striker - who should already be a fairly familiar name to Serie A fans...

1. Nikola Kalinic was born on 5 January 1988 in Salona, a small town not far from Split in Croatia.

2. He began his career in the game in Hadjuk Split’s academy, breaking into the first team and playing two seasons for the club – scoring an impressive 44 goals in 79 games.

3. As a kid he was football-mad, supporting AC Milan because of the presence of an icon of Croatian football, Zvonimir Boban, within their team. His striking idols were Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

4. Kalinic eventually left Hadjuk for the Premier League, and Blackburn Rovers, but the move never really worked out. After two years he left for Ukrainian club Dnipro.

5. In four seasons there, he proved a key component of the side that reached the 2014-15 Europa League final – losing 3-2 to Sevilla. He scored five goals in the club’s run to the final, including one in the final itself.

6. To date Kalinic has made 47 appearances in the Europa League, and eight more when it was known as the UEFA Cup.

7. Kalinic has plenty of Serie A experience. In 100 appearances (for Fiorentina and AC Milan) he has scored 39 goals so far - although he is yet to score one at the Stadio Olimpico..

8. Before joining Atletico Madrid, Kalinic refused a big offer from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian to leave AC Milan. “If I went there my career would basically be over,” he said. “So I decided to keep going at the highest level.”

9. The Croatian isn't the only Nikola Kalinic currently making a living as a professional sportsman. Top Turkish basketball team Fenerbahce also have a Nikola Kalinic on their roster - the Serbian forward a key member for the team and his country.

10. Kalinic has two official social media accounts - Twitter ( @nikolakalinic) and Instagram ( @nikolakalinic).