- Ante Rukavina
Football player infobox
playername = Ante Rukavina
fullname = Ante Rukavina
height = 1.87m
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1986|6|18
cityofbirth =Šibenik
countryofbirth = SFR Yugoslavia
currentclub =Panathinaikos FC
clubnumber = 5
position =Striker , Winger
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2004-2007 2007-2008 2008-
clubs =HNK Šibenik Hajduk Split Panathinaikos FC
caps(goals) = 51 (15) 35 (9) 2 (1)
nationalyears = 2006-2007 2007-
nationalteam = Croatia U-21Croatia
nationalcaps(goals) = 12 (7) 0 (0)
pcupdate = July 2008
ntupdate = 04 February 2008Ante Rukavina (born
June 18 ,1986 inŠibenik ) is aCroatia n footballer currently playing for Panathinaikos [ [http://www.pao.gr/index.php?category_id=2 Official announcement of the transfer in Panathinaiko FC Official Website] ] . As a regular in his national under 21 side, he is yet to make a cap for the senior squad, despite being called up a few times. He is seen as one of the most promising youngsters from thePrva HNL , and was often called the "Croatian Henry" because of his style of play.Club career
He started his career at a young age with hometown club
HNK Šibenik and, eventually, his performances drew attention of some big names inEurope , notably Lyon and Arsenal. It was rumoured that Lyon offered 12 million euros for Rukavina. After impressive performances as a youngster, he moved toHajduk Split in2007 where he showed a decent amount of promise for the Croatian giants. However, eventually he was criticized for his inconsistence and inability to find his natural scoring touch, and did somewhat fade from Hajduk's first team on rare occasions. It was clear he cannot find his form in Hajduk, although he showed some good appearances at the end of season. Finally he stated he will probably leave Hajduk this summer.On
July 5 ,2008 , he was signed by Greek sidePanathinaikos FC who saw him as a progress in building up their offensive lineup for the next season, noting him as an impressive young prospect. The 4 year deal was reported to be worth 2,800,000 € [http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/spieler/44247/rukavinaante/transferdaten.html, 5 July 2008]National team
A key player for the Croatian national under-21 team, Rukavina was called up to the senior side squad for the first time on March 12, 2007, [ [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=515701.html Rukavina earns maiden Croatia call] , UEFA.com, 12 March 2007] but to date has not played for his country at full level. However, many consider him to be a future star for the national side.
He is known to be very fast and often used to say that athletics are his second favourite sport, especially 100m sprint.He is very fast with the ball and has excellent technique. Also he plays great in the air and has great playmaker abilities.
References
External links
* [http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=22194 National Football Teams - Rukavina, Ante Player Details]
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