# Sandro Kulenović

Sandro Kulenović (Croatian pronunciation:; born 4 December 1999) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Dinamo Zagreb.

## Club career

Kulenović was born in Zagreb in 1999. His father Almin Kulenović, who hails from Bihać, is a former Bosnian international who has seven caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina. His mother Tajana (née Prša) is the daughter of Croatian musician Franjo "Nano" Prša.
Kulenović joined the academy of Dinamo Zagreb in 2008. During the 2015–16 season, he played 27 times for the reserves, scoring 22 goals and adding 11 assists. On 7 June 2016, he moved abroad and joined the academy of Polish club Legia Warsaw on a three-year contract. On 22 July 2017, he was loaned out to the youth team of Italian club Juventus, but returned to his parent club in the following June.
On 10 July 2018, Kulenović made his first team debut, playing the last nine minutes of a 1–0 victory over Irish club Cork City in the UEFA Champions League. On 22 August, he signed a three-year contract extension with the club. On 27 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 league draw against Jagiellonia Białystok.
On 2 September 2019, Kulenović returned to Dinamo Zagreb, signing a long-term deal. He debuted on 21 September against Varaždin. However, after an unsuccessful season where he failed to scored a single goal, he was loaned out to Rijeka on 21 September 2020. On 24 September, in a Europa League third qualifying round against Kolos Kovalivka, he made his debut for Rijeka. The match went into extra time and, while the score was 1–0, Kulenović notably had an opportunity to set the score to 2–0; however, the ball stopped in a puddle of mud on the goal line as the pitch was soaking wet due to heavy rain. It was then netted in by teammate Franko Andrijašević. He scored his first goal for Rijeka on 4 October, a penalty kick in a 2–0 victory over Slaven Belupo. In the second half of the season, Kulenović fell out of favour with coach Simon Rožman, who left him out of the squad during the training ahead of the derby with Hajduk Split on 27 February 2021.

## International career

Kulenović has been capped at the youth international level and also captained the Croatia under-16 team. He was part of Croatia's 23-man squads for UEFA Under-21 Euros 2019 and 2021.
During August 2024, various Bosnian and Croatian media reported about the possibility of Kulenović choosing to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina internationally. Kulenović allegedly refused to represent any national team other than Croatia, as well as claimed that he hadn't been contacted by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina at all.

## Style of play

Kulenović plays as a typical number 9. Croatian journalists have often hailed him as "the new Mandžukić", whom he named his idol alongside Fernando Torres.

## Career statistics

    As of match played on 9 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Legia Warsaw | 2018–19 | Ekstraklasa | 21 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 |
| Legia Warsaw | 2019–20 | Ekstraklasa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
| Legia Warsaw | Total | Total | 24 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 36 | 6 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2019–20 | Prva HNL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2020–21 | Prva HNL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2021–22 | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2023–24 | Prva HNL | 21 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 35 | 11 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2024–25 | Prva HNL | 23 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 35 | 15 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Total | Total | 62 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 89 | 26 |
| Rijeka (loan) | 2020–21 | Prva HNL | 29 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 37 | 8 |
| Lokomotiva (loan) | 2021–22 | Prva HNL | 29 | 10 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 11 |
| Lokomotiva (loan) | 2022–23 | Prva HNL | 34 | 9 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 37 | 12 |
| Lokomotiva (loan) | 2023–24 | Prva HNL | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 |
| Lokomotiva (loan) | Total | Total | 68 | 20 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 74 | 24 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 183 | 49 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 5 | 236 | 64 |
* ↑ Includes Polish Cup, Croatian Cup
* 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

## Honours

Dinamo Zagreb
* Croatian Football League: 2019–20, 2023–24
* Croatian Cup: 2023–24