Jona and Izak Ježić Continue Their White-and-Blue Journey

Jona and Izak Ježić have signed their first professional contracts with NK Osijek, marking another important step in their football journeys. The brothers, who have progressed from the club’s youth academy to the first team, will continue developing in the white-and-blue jersey, with both contracts running until the summer of 2028 with an option to extend for another year.

They arrived in Osijek in the summer of 2021 from NK Donji Miholjac. From their first training sessions at the club’s academy to their senior appearances, their journey has been marked by hard work and steady progress. Today, both players also represent Croatia at youth international level, and signing their first professional contracts is a special moment for them, their family, and the entire club.

Jona: I Want to Qualify for Europe with Osijek

Jona was born on October 8, 2008, and turned 18 just a few days ago. He made his first-team debut last season against Hajduk at Opus Arena and has made 10 appearances to date. This season, he scored twice against Slaven Belupo and earned a call-up to Croatia’s under-19 national team.

Thank you to the club for its trust, especially our coach. It feels great to play for Osijek, a club that has had many excellent players throughout its history. I’m honoured to represent one of the best clubs in Croatia.

First, I was waiting to make my senior debut, and my next goal was to score my first goal, which also came true. My next ambition is to qualify for European competition with Osijek and compete for trophies.

Thank you to everyone for their support, especially my parents. I’m also happy that our teammates and fans are cheering us on. We’re only at the beginning of our professional careers, and I hope that both my brother and I will meet all the club’s expectations, Jona said.

Izak: It’s Great to Share a Dressing Room with My Brother

Izak is the younger brother, born on March 23, 2010. At just 16, he is the youngest player in the White-and-Blues’ first team and the youngest player to make his debut in the SuperSport HNL this season. He made his senior debut on September 5 in an away match against Rijeka at Rujevica and has made five appearances so far. He is a member of Croatia’s under-17 national team.

My brother got his opportunity first, which is only natural since he’s older. I was really happy for him and hoped I would get the chance to play within a year or two. It happened even sooner, so I’m very grateful to coach Bessone for including me in the squad, as well as to the entire club for placing its trust in players from its own academy.

Although all of this is still new to me, I think I’ve adapted quite well. I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m always ready for that. I’m happy to share a dressing room with my brother, and I have to say that everyone else has also been very supportive of us.

We’ll fight to help Osijek finish as high in the table as possible and to make sure our fans are satisfied at the end of every season, Izak said.

Confidence in Jona and Izak

Sports director Kenneth Zandvliet also expressed his satisfaction with the brothers’ continued commitment to the club and their progress so far. He first spoke about Jona:

We are extremely happy to have secured Jona’s future with the club for the years ahead. There is already considerable interest in him, thanks to his exceptional style of play. He seems to find a way out of tight spaces from seemingly nowhere, creating room for his teammates.

Jona possesses outstanding technical ability, and he gets better the more he plays. He is an intelligent player who uses space well in attack and knows how to deliver that final, decisive pass.

He is undoubtedly one of the greatest talents of his generation. In a short time, he has already established himself as an important asset to the first team. We are confident that we will enjoy watching him in our colours, and we wish him every success at our club.

Speaking about Izak, Zandvliet particularly highlighted his development and the maturity he has demonstrated on the pitch.

Izak is an exceptionally talented player, and we all agree on that. He is very young, yet he has improved at an incredible rate over the past few months. His tremendous progress makes us extremely happy.

He reads the game quickly across all areas of the pitch, giving him an advantage when making decisions on the field. He is strong and reliable on the ball and can deliver both long and short passes with precision.

We are extremely pleased to have secured this great talent for NK Osijek for the years ahead, and we also wish Izak many excellent performances and plenty of success at our club, the White-and-Blues’ sports director concluded.