Marko Tolić, a former player of GNK Dinamo Zagreb, played the match of his life in the Chinese Super League this week. The 30-year-old Croatian midfielder scored one goal and provided four assists for Zhejiang in a convincing 6-0 win over Yunnan Yukun in the 25th round. Dinamo had, according to a report by Index.hr Sport, "written him off and sold him for a million euros" last summer. Meanwhile, Dinamo Zagreb leads the Croatian Football League with a perfect record of three wins from three matches, and you can follow their dominance on our standings page.
How did Tolić dominate in China?
Marko Tolić opened the match in just the 2nd minute, scoring the first goal for Zhejiang. Only two minutes later, in the 4th minute, he assisted the first of two goals for Alexandru Mitriță. He registered his third assist in the 29th minute, again for Mitriță. After halftime, Tolić immediately assisted Tao Qianglong in the 46th minute, and in the 47th minute (the second minute of stoppage time) he achieved his fourth assist for Park Jin-seob. He was directly involved in five of his team's six goals and was deservedly named man of the match. The victory gave Zhejiang 28 points and lifted them to 10th place in the table, while Yunnan Yukun, who entered the match with 35 points and was fighting for the top, suffered a heavy defeat.
How did Tolić end up in China?
Marko Tolić joined Zhejiang at the beginning of February this year as a free agent. He arrived after mutually terminating his contract with Slovak side Slovan Bratislava. He spent two and a half years at Slovan, making 110 appearances, scoring 29 goals, and providing 30 assists. With them, he won two league titles and played in European competitions. In China, he replaced another Croatian, Franko Andrijašević, who left the club after more than four years.
What was Tolić's career at Dinamo like?
Tolić arrived at Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2020 via Lokomotiva. Before that, he spent almost six years in Dinamo's youth academy before leaving for Sesvete. For the Modri's first team, he made 62 official appearances and scored 7 goals. With Dinamo, he won three consecutive Croatian league titles, the 2021 Croatian Cup, and the 2022 Croatian Super Cup. However, he never became a regular starter. In August 2022, he was loaned to Slovenian side Maribor, where in 35 league appearances he scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists. The following summer he went on loan to Slovan Bratislava. Dinamo announced at the time that the loan included an automatic purchase option if Slovan remained in the Slovak first division. That option was later activated for a fee reported to be around one million euros.
What does this mean for Dinamo Zagreb?
Dinamo Zagreb is currently enjoying a brilliant start to the season, leading the HNL with nine points and an impressive goal difference of +8. In three matches played they have scored nine goals and conceded only one. Their last result was a 2-0 win over NK Slaven Belupo on July 31st, and they are unbeaten in their last three matches. The next challenge will be an away fixture against second-placed NK Osijek on September 12th, which promises to be a key match in the title race. The current state of the squad can be followed in more detail on our squad page. The sale of Marko Tolić shows how the club manages players who do not fit into long-term plans, securing revenue for further reinforcements. Dinamo's current form shows that the focus has successfully shifted to the current squad and its goals for this season.
