PAOK would be the third and perhaps the last club for the celebrated footballer Darijo Srna.
Just yesterday we announced that Darijo Srna, the former Croatia national team captain and member of Shakhtar Donetsk for 15 years, would not end his career without playing one final season. If you recall, the Croatian footballer missed out on the 2017/18 season due to a suspension for doping.
"Fans want me to be in the club, but my football career will end on the field! It was long and great, and I deserve to finish it on the pitch. Out of respect for my father and my family, to all the supporters who were with me all this time. I'm sure I'll play somewhere else, and I want to play. I want to play the last year for fun, for good. Shakhtar was always my club, and I was always ready to give everything to it. For me, there is only one club in Ukraine, and it is Shakhtar, so I will continue my career outside of Ukraine," Darijo said in the interview yesterday, which you can read here.
Today, Croatian media headlines are sharing more news about the famous footballer - and this time about the potential club he has chosen to end his career, reports Gol.hr on May 24, 2018.
The former captain of Croatia and Ukrainian champion Shakhtar, according to media reports, has decided to leave his beloved Donetsk club and head for warmer weather at PAOK from Thessaloniki. Greek media announced yesterday that the 36-year-old was welcomed at the airport by PAOK sports director Luboš Michel, a former Slovak referee.
The coach of PAOK, Romanian Razvan Lucescu, is the son of Srna’s longtime trainer at Shakhtar. Precisely, Razvan is the son of Mircea Lucescu, who was the coach of Shakhtar from 2004 to 2016.
Media reports have claimed that Srna is to sign a one-year contract with PAOK with the option of extending it for another year with a salary of 500,000 euro.
A former member of Hajduk Split, who played a record 134 matches for the Croatia national team, is serving an 11-month suspension for doping and will remain suspended until August 22.
In the Shakthar shirt, Darijo was not only the captain but played 536 games for the team, the most of any other player in the history of the Ukrainian club. With Shakhtar, Srna also achieved seven Ukrainian Premier League titles, five Ukrainian Cup titles, five Ukrainian Super Cup titles and won the UEFA Cup with the team in 2009.
Srna's future club PAOK finished the season as second in the Greek Championship, behind AEK, and will play in the Champions League next season. PAOK was close to winning the title, but in a tense finish, which was briefly suspended due to the chaos of the PAOK - AEK game, they were unable to triumph.
