East Bengal sign Croatian defender Diego Živulić on one-year deal ahead of 2026-27 season

East Bengal FC have signed Croatian defender Diego Živulić on a one-year contract ahead of the 2026-27 season, the club announced on 26 August 2026. The move follows East Bengal’s 2025-26 ISL title and their 17th Durand Cup triumph, secured by beating Mohun Bagan SG at VYBK on 23rd August.

Živulić, 34, becomes the Red & Gold Brigade’s sixth foreign recruit, joining Nacho Monsalve, MD Basim Rashid, Chris Ikonomidis, Dani Ramirez and Effiong Nsungusi. The club will have him available until the end of the season, and his listed positions are centre-back and defensive midfield.

He began his professional career with Croatian side NK Orijent 1919 and went on to feature for several Croatian clubs, including HNK Rijeka. His first transfer abroad came in 2014 when he left HNK Rijeka to join Fastav Zlín.

In 2017 Živulić moved from Fastav Zlín to Viktoria Plzeň, and his overseas résumé also includes spells with Pafos and Otelul Galati. Reports of his later career list additional clubs he represented between 2022 and 2026, such as Bregalinca and Tabor Sezana.

He departed his most recent Croatian club, NK Rudes, by mutual understanding after a very short spell before completing the switch to East Bengal. He will be the third Croatian to wear the club’s Red & Gold jersey, following Franjo and Antonio Perošević.

Listed at around 6'2", Živulić’s versatility in covering both centre-back and defensive midfield duties is highlighted in coverage of the signing, with that profile cited as a potential asset for defensive stability alongside Anwar Ali and for squad dynamics across a long campaign.

The signing arrives as East Bengal prepare to compete in the Indian Super League and the ACL Two Group Stage in the 2026-27 season.