“Hajduk is probably the most special of all the clubs I had because it was where I started playing professionally,” Skoko told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“It gave me my first chance and it was a place where I formed myself as a footballer.

“I had some good times there [at Hajduk], met a lot of good people and a lot of legends of the club. I got to know how massive the club really was.”

Friday night’s event will be held at the King Tomislav Club in Edensor Park, Sydney. Aside from Skoko the celebration will feature ex Hajduk Split players – from Croatia Ivo Jerolimov and Ivan Buljan as well as Ante Zanetic (currently living in Wollongong).

Skoko, now 35, enjoyed two stints with the club. The first between 1995 and 1999 where he made almost 100 appearances.

Then at the back-end of his career in 2008 to 2010 where he racked up a further 64 appearances for the Whites.

The passion and size of the Croatian club is personified by their crowd support. Skoko said he’d never seen or heard anything like it in his long career that also took in clubs in England, Belgium and Turkey.

“The fans there, they are just unbelievable,” he said of Hajduk’s “Torcida” fans.

“They are really passionate and crazy and you see that in some of their derbies and European games – you can’t compare the atmosphere they create to any league in the world.

“It does work both ways. If you’re not playing well it can almost put you back in your shell – especially if you’re young and inexperienced.

“It’s a frightening place to play if things don’t go well. Sometimes they are so passionate they can cause trouble but it’s really just a handful of guys.

“But when they’re behind you and you’re doing well it can be like not just one extra player but two or three.

“You can get some results you think impossible – with them behind you anything really is possible. When we played at home we didn’t really fear other teams even at the worst of times."

He added: “The fans had a big input into everything that happened at the club. And they still do.

These days Skoko, a former World Cup Socceroo capped 51 times by the green and gold, is based in Geelong after retiring from professional football.

His last season ended earlier this year at A-League club Melbourne Heart after a stellar 16 year professional career.

Tickets for Friday night’s event to mark 100 years of Hajduk Split can be purchased on the door at the King Tom club. For more information, ring Sydney United on 02 9610 6111.

And in late news, both Mark Rudan and Zeljko Kalac have been confirmed as attending the night.