Ana Maria Markovic is back in Croatia and has joined Hajduk Split after thanking Brooklyn FC for a single season in New York, a move that adds another stop to an already fast-moving career. For Markovic, it is a return home. For Hajduk, it is another sign the club is trying to build on a May title while it prepares for its next league stretch.
The move is drawing attention because Markovic has been in the conversation for more than one reason this year. She was on the field for Croatia in the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Play-Off Round 1 second leg match against Northern Ireland on Oct. 29, 2024, and earlier she served as team manager of Las Ligas Ladies at the Baller League Final Four on Oct. 7, 2024. Now she is back in the domestic game with Hajduk Split, the club that won its first Croatian Women's First Football League championship title in May.
That return also gives the transfer its edge. Hajduk Split is the fifth different team Markovic has played for since 2024, and the club is still chasing stability after wrapping up the preliminary qualification rounds in the UEFA Women's Champions League and missing out on a qualifying spot. Her arrival brings name value and attention, but it also comes after a long recovery from a major knee injury she suffered in March 2023 while playing for Switzerland's Grasshopper Club.
That injury still hangs over the story. Markovic reportedly has not scored a goal since March 2023, when the knee problem interrupted her momentum, and her recent team changes have kept the focus as much on fitness and availability as on finishing. She was described as the World's Most Beautiful Soccer Player, but at this point the more relevant question is whether she can stay on the pitch long enough to matter to Hajduk's season.
What comes next is straightforward enough. Hajduk Split is turning to its upcoming Croatian Women's League schedule, and Markovic will be judged by whether she can translate a homecoming into actual production. The club has a title to defend in spirit if not yet in record, and she has a recovery to complete before anyone can know whether this move becomes a fresh start or just another brief stop.
