šimić joined dinamo zagreb in 1987 at the age of twelve and rose through the ranks of their youth academy before being promoted to the senior squad for the 1992–93 season. his debut for the blues came under manager miroslav blažević in the first match of the season, a prva hnl away game against varteks on 23 august 1992, which made him the youngest ever player to debut for the club as šimić was only three months shy from his 17th birthday. he continued to make five more appearances in his first top-flight season and although was widely regarded as a promising player, he struggled to make a bigger impact in his first season with the squad which eventually won the croatian title that year.