NK Kustošija

NK Kustošija
Full nameNogometni Klub Kustošija
Founded1929 (1929)
GroundKustošija
Capacity2,550
ChairmanBranimir Majdak
ManagerIvan Božić
LeagueDruga NL
2024–258th
Websitenk-kustosija.hr

NK Kustošija is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb, which currently competes in the Druga NL, the third level of Croatian football league system. Kustošija's home ground is the Kustošija Stadium in Zagreb, which has a capacity of 2,550 spectators. It was founded in 1929.

Kustošija also have a football school attached to the club, where a number of children of famous Croatians have trained due to its location in the center of Zagreb.[1]

History

The club was founded on 15 July 1929 in Zagreb, at Ilica 55, under the name Sportski klub Metalac. It had 18 members and consisted of football, swimming and chess sections. The initiative to establish the club came from members of the Metal Workers’ Union, Ivan Slugić and Ivan Korošec, who became the club’s first president. The club was a workers’ club for metal industry employees. It was not permitted to operate publicly until its statutes were officially approved in June 1930.[2] The club statutes from 1930 list it under the name Športski klub Metalac.[3] The football section of Metalac played its first official match on 14 September 1930 at the Tipografija ground against Esperant (1–2). Metalac initially did not have its own ground and played its home matches at the Grafičar ground, a workers’ club which allowed Metalac to use the pitch free of charge.[2] The club premises were located at Haulikova Street 10/IV, which from 1933 also served as the headquarters of the “Association of Third-Class Clubs”.

In 1932, the club colours were red and black.[4] During the interwar period, Metalac was associated with the activities of the illegal Communist Party.[5]

The club was dissolved on 15 May 1941 during the period of the Independent State of Croatia, along with other workers’ clubs.[6]

During World War II, almost all members of Metalac’s various sections participated in the Yugoslav Partisan movement. A total of 41 members were killed, seven of whom were proclaimed People’s Heroes of Yugoslavia: Petar Biškup Veno, Marijan Čavić, Dragica Končar, Rade Končar, Ivica Lovinčić, Marko Orešković and Joža Vlahović.[5] Milutin Baltić and Ivan Šibl were also proclaimed People’s Heroes.[7]

Metalac was re-established on 9 June 1945, with its first general assembly held ten days later. From that point it operated under the name Fizkulturno društvo Metalac. Josip Broz Tito became a member and honorary president of the club on 2 October 1945.[5] In 1947, Metalac was granted use of the Šparta ground.[8] After its post-war re-establishment, the club finished 6th in the 1946 Croatian League, earning promotion to the second tier. In the 1952–53 season, Bogdan Cuvaj became head coach, and in 1954–55 the club achieved its best league result, finishing third in the Yugoslav Second League. Metalac reached the quarter-finals of the Yugoslav Cup in 1948 and 1951. From 7 August 1953, the club operated under the name Sportsko društvo Metalac. The club competed in the second and third tiers until the 1972–73 season, after which it played exclusively in lower-division competitions.

In 1964, the club merged with NK Kustošija (formerly Sloboda) and acquired the football ground in Sokolska Street. Until then, it had played at the Munjarski put ground.[9] On 18 March 1969, the club changed its name to Radničko sportsko društvo Metalac.

Since 1993, the club has been known as NK Kustošija.[10]

In the 2015–16 season, Kustošija won the MŽNL Središte and was promoted to the 3. HNL – West. In 2016–17, after finishing second, the club earned promotion to the 2. HNL.

Kustošija was relegated from the First NL in the 2022–23 season (the second tier since the 2022–23 season). In February 2023, 18-year-old Senegalese player Mikayil Faye joined the club. After making 14 appearances, he was sold in the summer to Barcelona for €5 million plus bonuses, a record fee for a player from the Croatian second tier.

In September 2025, the team presented a rebranding, adopting a new badge. In December they presented gold and black as main colors.

Honours

Croatian football league system
Yugoslav football league system
  • Croatian Republic Football League
    • Winners (1): 1946–47
  • Podsavezna liga Zagreb
    • Winners (1): 1952
  • Nogometno prvenstvo Jugoslavije – Hrvatsko-slovenska
    • Winners (1): 1953–54
  • Zagrebačka zona
    • Winners (3): 1959–60; 1965–66; 1967–68

Current squad

As of 28 October 2025[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  CRO Antonio Rajić (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb)
4 MF  CRO Tomislav Baltić
5 DF  CRO Nikica Peranović (on loan from Rudeš)
6 DF  CRO Lovro Dukić
7 FW  ESP Borja Garcés
8 DF  SRB Saša Domić
9 FW  CRO Noel Đurković (on loan from Lokomotiva Zagreb)
10 MF  ANG Messias
11 FW  CRO Jan Doležal
13 DF  CRO Filip Markanović (on loan from Lokomotiva Zagreb)
14 DF  CRO Matija Ruškovački (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb)
15 DF  SRB Nikola Maksimović
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF  CRO Filip Pirš
17 FW  ECU Carlos Mejia
18 MF  CRO Tomislav Krizmanić
19 MF  CRO Belinho
20 FW  CRO Karlo Kovačić
21 MF  ESP Dario Serra
23 MF  ESP Junior Bita
25 DF  CRO Ivan Graf (captain)
33 GK  CRO Noah Popović
— MF  BEN Rodolfo Aloko (on loan from Crown Legacy FC)
— MF  BEN Razack Rachidou (on loan from AS Sobemap)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  NGA Adiele Eriugo (at Rudeš until 30 June 2026)

Recent seasons

Season League Cup European competitions Top league scorer
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Player Goals
2012–13 2. ŽNL Zagabria 24 20 2 2 126 22 62 2st ↑
2013–14 1. ŽNL Zagabria 30 22 5 3 78 21 71 2nd
2014–15 MŽNL - Centro 30 16 5 9 68 38 53 3rd
2015–16 MŽNL - Centro 30 23 3 4 77 24 72 1st ↑
2016–17 3. HNL 30 16 6 8 59 35 54 2nd ↑ Preliminary
2017–18 2. HNL 33 11 7 15 34 39 40 8th DNQ Kristijan Lovrić 11
2018–19 2. HNL 26 7 7 12 20 28 28 11th DNQ Matija Čakarun 6
2019–20 2. HNL 19 6 5 8 19 27 23 13th DNQ
2020–21 2. HNL 34 12 15 7 43 38 51 5th DNQ Fran Brodić 14
2021–22 2. HNL 30 11 9 10 39 35 42 5th DNQ Jan Jurčec 8
2022–23 1. NL 33 9 14 10 35 50 34 11th ↓ DNQ Andrej Šaronja 8
2023–24 2. NL 30 18 7 5 61 25 61 2nd DNQ Fran Petković 11
2024–25 2. NL 30 13 9 8 51 40 48 8th R2 Marko Guja 16
2025–26 2. NL DNQ

Historical list of coaches


References

  1. ^ Žukina, Predrag (1 December 2013). "NK Kustošija nije Dinamo ni Hajduk, ali za nas igraju Todorić, Ivanišević, Šimići, Šokota..." jutarnji.hr. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b Labud Kirić, Osnivanje sportskog kluba Metalac u Zagrebu 1929. godine, Povijest sporta, March 1979, no. 38, pp. 3250–3251.
  3. ^ Pravila hrvatskih društava 1845–1945, FFZG, accessed 28 December 2025.
  4. ^ Izveštaj o radu Jugoslovenskog nogometnog saveza u 1932 godini, Yugoslav Football Association, Belgrade, 1932, p. XVI.
  5. ^ a b c Franjo Frntić, Josip Broz Tito član i počasni predsjednik Radničkog sportskog društva Metalac u Zagrebu, Povijest sporta, December 1977, no. 33, pp. 2851–2852.
  6. ^ Labud Kirić, Osnivanje sportskog kluba Metalac u Zagrebu 1929. godine, Povijest sporta, March 1979, no. 38, p. 3254.
  7. ^ RSD Metalac, Kartografija otpora, accessed 15 July 2025.
  8. ^ NK Šparta od 1945. godine…, NK Šparta Zagreb, accessed 15 July 2025.
  9. ^ Kustošija, NK Maksimir Zagreb, accessed 15 July 2025.
  10. ^ Kustošija, NK, Nogometni leksikon, accessed 15 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Seniori" (in Croatian). NK Kustošija. Retrieved 28 September 2025.


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