Kristijan Jakić

Istra 1961 and Lokomotiva In May 2017, following the relegation of RNK Split, Jakić moved to Lokomotiva. After struggling during his first half-season at the club, he requested a loan move to Istra 1961 from club's director of football Božidar Šikić. Jakić spent the second half of the 2017–18 season in Pula, where he regained form by Istra coach Darko Raić-Sudar. He returned to Lokomotiva at the end of the season, where he turned into one of the best players during coach Goran Tomić's tenure at the club.

Dinamo Zagreb His good performances for Lokomotiva drew attention from Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, who signed him for €1.2 million on 24 July 2020. Jakić was forced to miss the beginning of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He made his Dinamo debut on 12 September in a 2–1 victory against Hajduk Split. By the end of the first half-season, Jakić had already established himself as the important part of Dinamo Zagreb's starting lineup. Ahead of Dinamo Zagreb's Champions League play-off against Sheriff Tiraspol on 25 August, Jakić was dropped from the squad, with coach Damir Krznar claiming he had injured his ankle in the 1–0 league victory over Lokomotiva the weekend before. However, Sportske novosti published that Jakić was removed from the squad as a disciplinary measure after he was dissatisfied by the club refusing Eintracht Frankfurt's offer to buy him. He was unexpectedly named in the starting lineup in the 29 August league derby against Osijek, and scored the opener as Dinamo won 2–0.

Eintracht Frankfurt On 30 August 2021, Jakić officially moved to German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. He made his debut on 12 September in a 1–1 draw against VfB Stuttgart, coming off the bench for Ajdin Hrustić. He scored his first goal for Eintracht on 12 December in a 5–2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen. Despite Eintracht Frankfurt's underwhelming performance in Bundesliga where they finished eleventh, Jakić helped the club reach the Europa League final unbeaten, eliminating Barcelona in the process, where they defeated Rangers 5–4 on penalties.

On 29 May 2022, the transfer was made permanent and Jakić signed a four-year contract with Frankfurt.

FC Augsburg On 19 January 2024, Jakić moved to fellow Bundesliga club FC Augsburg on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season, with an option to buy if obligations were met. On 24 May 2024, he signed for the club permanently on a four-year contract until June 2028.

International career Jakić received his first call-up to the Croatia national team on 20 September 2021, when coach Zlatko Dalić called him up for the October World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Slovakia. He made his debut on 8 October against the former opponent, being replaced in the 84th minute; the match ended in a 3–0 victory for the Croats.

On 18 May 2026, Jakić was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Croatia goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jakić goal

Honours Dinamo Zagreb Prva HNL: 2020–21 Croatian Cup: 2020–21

Eintracht Frankfurt UEFA Europa League: 2021–22 Croatia

FIFA World Cup third place: 2022