Darijo Srna (born on May 1, 1982 in Metković) is a Croatian footballer who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national football team, in which he is currently the leading goalscorer out of the current active squad.

Srna started his career in Hajduk Split, where he was considered one of their best players. In 2003 he was sold, along with Stipe Pletikosa, to Shakhtar Donetsk. He is a common member and the vice captain in his club side, in which he has made a large impact in the league with. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on 18 September 2007 in his sides 2-0 home victory over Celtic. Shakter were eventually eliminated from the competition after an unsuccessful group stage.

Srna was part of the Croatian national team in Euro 2004, where he played in two games. He also starred in all 3 games of Croatia’s 2006 World Cup campaign where he was strictly criticized for his penalty miss against Japan, although highly praised and remembered for his spectacular 30 yard free kick which put Croatia ahead against Australia in the match that ended 2-2 and saw Croatia therefore exit from the group stage.

In September 2006 he was temporarily dropped from the Croatian squad for a Euro 2008 qualifying match with Russia because of a late night partying in a local disco along with teammates Boško Balaban and Ivica Olić.

After the World Cup, two-time European Cup winners SL Benfica were after the player’s signature but nothing materialized, with what many considered a fallen or rejected sale. Since then, he has been linked with a number of other clubs, including Lazio.

Srna was considered the hero of the match when he came on as a substitute against Macedonia in a Euro 2008 qualifying match and scored shortly after from a free kick which was shot into the right corner of the goal. In the 88th minute he provided a cross which found fellow teammate Eduardo da Silva, and allowed him to score and snatch a win for Croatia.

Since helping his country qualify for Euro 2008 with a strong qualifying campaign, he has unsurprisingly been named in their 23 man squad for the upcoming tournament.