Long after leaving Zagreb, Dani Olmo has kept part of his career tied to Croatia. The Spain international gives 2% of his annual salary to social projects in the Croatian cities of Vukovar and Slavonski Brod, a commitment he has maintained since departing Dinamo Zagreb.
Olmo’s agent, Andy Bara, revealed the arrangement during an appearance on the Inkubator podcast, explaining that the midfielder makes the contribution discreetly despite the value increasing sharply through his moves to RB Leipzig and then Barcelona. Bara said Olmo earns “very well” and felt the gesture deserved recognition because the player does not usually speak publicly about it.
Vukovar was among the Croatian cities most severely affected during the Balkan wars. Olmo channels his donation through Common Goal, the charitable initiative founded by former Spain midfielder Juan Mata, which encourages footballers to dedicate part of their earnings to social causes.
Speaking before Spain’s Nations League meeting with Croatia, Olmo said he had felt indebted to the country when he left. “I wanted to give something back to Croatia,” he said, after spending six years there as a young player.
A Croatian chapter that shaped Olmo
Barcelona-born Olmo joined Dinamo Zagreb in 2014 after coming through the Catalan club’s academy, taking an unusual route for a Spanish teenager and developing into one of the leading attacking players in Croatian football. He remained at Dinamo until 2020, when he joined Leipzig.
After four seasons in Germany, he returned to Barcelona in 2024. The 60-cap Spain player, who has scored 12 international goals, was part of the squads that won Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.
His annual support for Vukovar and Slavonski Brod remains a quiet reminder that, for all the trophies and major-club moves, Croatia was not simply a stepping stone in Olmo’s career.
