Best Defensive players by Season Rating in HNL 25/26

The best defensive players in HNL in 25/26, ranked on Field Insider.

Best defensive goalkeepers in HNL Best defensive defenders in HNL Best defensive midfielders in HNL Best defensive attackers in HNL Best players in HNL Most in-form players in HNL

At a glance

Dali of HNK Hajduk Split is the standout for raw talent across players in HNL, with a Field Insider Rating of 54.3, and D. Beljo has been the form player this season, grading 77.9.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: D. Beljo has improved his Season rating most, up +68.8 on last season, while D. Adu-Adjei's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +9 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, D. Beljo of Dinamo Zagreb is the most valuable name in this group at 10.4.

HNK Rijeka · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

D. Beljo+68.8SsN

Dinamo Zagreb · 23/24→25/26

50 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	Sergi Domínguez Centre-back	Dinamo Zagreb	21	49.3	491046.5%	4244.1%
2	S. McKenna Centre-back	Dinamo Zagreb	29	41.4	41197.8%	2756.7%
3	A. Majstorović Centre-back	HNK Rijeka	32	39	39	18
4	L. Jelenić Centre-back	NK Osijek	26	38.4	38	32
5	A. Oreč Full-back	HNK Rijeka	25	38.3	38	39
6	Z. Šarlija Centre-back	HNK Hajduk Split	30	36.5	377.6%	2534.4%
7	S. Radeljić Centre-back	Dinamo Zagreb	29	33.5	34	30
8	M. Valinčić Full-back	Dinamo Zagreb	23	33.2	33	38
9	B. Goda Full-back	Dinamo Zagreb	28	31.5	32	28
10	M. Devetak Full-back	HNK Rijeka	27	31	31620.9%	3237.8%
11	Š. Hrgović Full-back	HNK Hajduk Split	22	30.6	31	41
12	A. Kadušić Full-back	Istra 1961	28	29.9	30	26
13	Olof Matteo Perez Vinlöf Full-back	Dinamo Zagreb	20	27.7	2813750%	4040.2%
14	Renan Guedes Full-back	NK Osijek	28	26.7	27124.4%	2457.1%
15	D. Kovačić Centre-back	NK Slaven Belupo	32	26.6	27135.4%	1843.9%
16	F. Maglica Defensive midfielder	NK Varazdin	29	26.5	27	25
17	M. Čabraja Full-back	HNK Gorica	29	26.3	2628.9%	2637.3%
18	F. Karačić Full-back	HNK Hajduk Split	30	25.8	2638.7%	1571.1%
19	J. Filipović Centre-back	HNK Gorica	33	25.6	2624.7%	1631.6%
20	N. Galešić Centre-back	Dinamo Zagreb	25	25.3	25	35
21	M. Heister Full-back	NK Osijek	34	24.8	25	11
22	R. Jurišić Full-back	NK Osijek	24	24.7	2516.5%	341.8%
23	S. Perić Full-back	HNK Gorica	29	22.4	22	24
24	F. Krušelj Full-back	NK Slaven Belupo	21	21.9	22	39
25	L. Škaričić Centre-back	NK Varazdin	24	21.1	21	37
26	E. Hasić Full-back	NK Osijek	23	20.9	2171.3%	336.8%
27	T. Jukic Centre-back	NK Lokomotiva Zagreb	24	19.8	20	36
28	T. Božić Centre-back	NK Slaven Belupo	38	19.7	20	9
29	M. Nasraoui Centre-back	Istra 1961	24	18.2	18	33
30	L. Hodak Full-back	HNK Hajduk Split	20	18.2	18	36
31	A. Husic Defensive midfielder	HNK Rijeka	25	18	1825.9%	3319.1%
32	D. Hadžikadunić Centre-back	HNK Hajduk Split	28	17.5	1830.6%	4913.8%
33	M. Mladenovski Centre-back	NK Varazdin	26	17.2	17	33
34	R. Punčec Centre-back	NK Varazdin	34	17	17900%	952.5%
35	M. Ticinovic Defensive midfielder	Vukovar	34	16.8	17	10
36	N. Tepšić Full-back	NK Varazdin	24	15.9	16	34
37	K. Pavičić Centre-back	Vukovar	27	15.8	16	26
38	D. Marešić Centre-back	HNK Hajduk Split	26	15.7	16137.9%	3841.9%
39	J. Mersinaj Centre-back	NK Osijek	27	15.5	16	25
40	R. Raci Centre-back	HNK Hajduk Split	23	15.4	15	34
41	J. Gurlica Defensive midfielder	Vukovar	22	13.6	14	34
42	D. Melnjak Full-back	HNK Hajduk Split	33	13.3	1339.5%	1073.4%
43	A. Van Hoorenbeeck Centre-back	HNK Hajduk Split	27	12.7	1326.2%	3345.6%
44	R. Kumar Centre-back	Istra 1961	17	11.8	12	37
45	M. Tadić Centre-back	Vukovar	33	11.4	11	10
46	K. Čabrajić Full-back	NK Lokomotiva Zagreb	22	11	11	33
47	V. Međimorec Centre-back	NK Slaven Belupo	30	10.5	1147.9%	1725.2%
48	A. Jakir Full-back	NK Slaven Belupo	23	10.5	11	32
49	L. Vrzić Full-back	HNK Gorica	19	10.3	10	34
50	B. Barišić Full-back	NK Osijek	33	9.8	10180%	849.4%