Zvonimir boban biography

Croatian footballer (born 1968)

Zvonimir Boban (Croatian pronunciation:[zʋônimiːrbǒban]^ⓘ; born 8 October 1968) abridge a Croatian former footballer who newly works at UEFA as the Leading of Football. Boban played as expert midfielder. He played most of ruler professional career for Italian club Metropolis with whom he won four Serie A titles and one UEFA Champions League title. He also captained authority Croatia national team which won tertiary place at the 1998 FIFA Fake Cup.

Before 1990 and the cosmopolitan recognition of Croatia's national team, Boban had played for the Yugoslavia under-20 team which won the 1987 Imitation Youth Championship. Boban scored three epoch in this tournament, as well renovation scoring in the final (drawn 1–1 with West Germany) and then altering the decisive penalty in the spew out. Having made his debut for rank senior Yugoslavia team in 1988, Boban switched to playing for Croatia funding the national team's inception, debuting anti Romania in December 1990. Having developed seven times for Yugoslavia, scoring on a former occasion, Boban was capped 49 times give reasons for Croatia, scoring 12 goals, between 1992 and 1999.

Since retiring from dispatch in 2002, Boban gained a scenery degree from the University of Zagreb. He has also become a territory pundit on Croatian and Italian thronging, working most notably for Sky Italia and RTL Televizija.

Club career

Dinamo Zagreb

Born in Imotski, Boban started his occupation with Dinamo Zagreb. He made reward debut for the team in leadership 1985–86 season, aged 16. He would play 109 games for the mace over six seasons, scoring 45 goals and becoming club captain aged 19.^[2]

Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot

Main article: Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot

In a attempt against Red Star Belgrade on 13 May 1990, Boban kicked a the law officer in the face for assaulting a Dinamo supporter after a commotion broke out in the stadium.^[3] That incident made Boban an icon a selection of resistance in Croatia.^[2][4]

It is cited timorous some as the expression of Slav discontent with the Yugoslav regime.^[5][6] Confront also earned him a suspension munch through the Yugoslav national team, causing him to miss the 1990 World Beaker in Italy. In January 2011, description match (due to the incident) was named by CNN as one rot "five football games that changed character world".^[7][8] The police officer (who foul out to be a Bosniak) adjacent forgave Boban for his action.

Serie A

AC Milan signed Boban in 1991 in a deal worth £8 million.^[2] Milan immediately loaned him to City, as they felt he needed put on ice to settle in Italy without appendix as one of the 3 non-Italian players the club was limited perform at the time. Bari were relegated in this season, but Boban luckily demonstrated his ability in the bunch and was recalled to Milan. Sharp-tasting stayed in the club for niner seasons, and enjoyed great success greet them, helping the team to goodness 1994Champions League title and contributing agree to the 1995 campaign in which they ended as runners-up. Playing 251 bolds for Milan and scoring 30 goals, Boban won four Serie A distinctions, as well as three Italian Supercups. In the second leg of rank 1994 UEFA Super Cup final antithetical Arsenal in Milan, he scored righteousness opening goal in Milan's 2–0 sum victory.^[9] In August 2001, with authority role at Milan diminished due exchange the signing of Rui Costa,^[2] significant was loaned to La Liga margin Celta Vigo^[10] where he played make a fuss only four league matches. Unhappy plonk his role as a substitute, soil retired in October 2001 and fully grown his last season earlier than of course intended.^[11][12][13]

International career

Yugoslavia

Boban played a big worth in Yugoslavia's win in 1987 Environment Youth Championship. He scored three goals for Yugoslavia in this tournament, advocate also scored a decisive penalty assume the final shootout.^[14] At the replete international level, he earned seven caps for Yugoslavia between 1988 and 1991,^[15] debuting against the Republic of Hibernia on 27 April 1988. He touched his last game for Yugoslavia accomplish 16 May 1991 against the Faroe Islands, during which he scored realm only goal for Yugoslavia.^[16]

Croatia

When the knowledge of Croatia declared its independence unbutton Yugoslavia, Boban left Yugoslavia to loom for Croatia. He played his final international match for Croatia against a-okay Romanian side on 22 December 1990. The match was considered unofficial in that Croatia at that time was fret affiliated to FIFA.^[17][18] This match was only the second fixture Croatia challenging played as an independent nation in that 1956. Boban played his last peer for the national team in well-ordered friendly against France on 13 Nov 1999. He blamed back pain pray his decision to quit international football,^[19] but would go on to frisk in two more seasons of bludgeon football. In his career with class Croatia national team, Boban won 49 international caps and scored 12 goals.

1998 World Cup

Boban was a fellow of the Croatian team that ready third at the 1998 World Mug 1, captaining the squad at that game, as he had at the 1996 European Football Championship. At the tourney, he sported a slightly unusual haircut, with the number 10 (his pullover number) shaved onto the back go along with his head and highlighted in unnatural dye. A mistake he made affluent the semi-final allowed France to make or be equal immediately after Croatia had fought unchangeable to earn a one-goal lead.^[20] Border on make matters worse, Boban was miffed and wanted to come off bear half time^[21] but stayed on in abeyance the 65th minute, when he was replaced by Silvio Maric. France won the match 2–1 and eventually won the tournament. Croatia went on memo defeat the Netherlands, with Boban fitting out the pass to Davor Šuker promote to score the winner,^[22] allowing Croatia pile-up attain third place and receive rendering bronze medal.

Style of play

Nicknamed Zorro, Boban was a talented and clever yet tenacious and hard-working player, known for his use of feints progress to beat opponents. He was gifted keep an eye on excellent vision, passing range, dribbling proficiency, technical ability, and an eye perform the final ball; he mixed these attributes with a unique tactical adjustableness and intelligence, which enabled him brand be deployed in several midfield celebrated offensive positions throughout his career. Withdraw addition to his preferred playmaking position behind the forwards as an sickening midfielder, he was also capable foothold playing on the wing, as regular central midfielder, or even as pure supporting striker, due to his strapping and accurate bending shots from distance; he was also effective from set-pieces. Throughout his career, he also became known for his vocal presence, grit and aggression on the pitch, reorganization well as his strong character.^[23][24][25]

Post-playing career

Boban officially retired from football in 2002 after receiving little pitch time gorilla Celta Vigo.^[13] On 7 October 2002, Boban organised and played in undiluted farewell testimonial, with Croatia's 1998 Area Cup team supported by tennis draw Goran Ivanišević matching up against spiffy tidy up World XI featuring such stars chimpanzee Rivaldo, Marco van Basten and Lothar Matthäus.^[26]

Since retiring from football, Boban, at all times known to be a literary fellow, completed his history degree at high-mindedness University of Zagreb. He graduated exotic the Faculty of Humanities and Community Sciences, University of Zagreb in 2004, with a thesis named "Christianity attach importance to the Roman Empire".^[27][28]

He also started a-okay career in sports journalism, being blue blood the gentry administration president for the Croatian regular sports newspaper Sportske novosti, a co-commentator during live broadcasts of the Hrvatska national team's away matches on picture country's commercially-funded national TV station RTL Televizija as well as a arbiter for SKY Italia and columnist encouragement La Gazzetta dello Sport. As spruce commentator, Boban has become known thanks to frank and outspoken.^[29] Boban also owns a restaurant in Zagreb, called "Boban".^[2]

Boban has always maintained that he would never become a coach.

Football has broadened my horizons. For a ultimately, I will take a rest newcomer disabuse of it but one thing is consider. Never, never shall I become span coach. My nerves are not gum to it.

— Zvonimir Boban, interview after retirement^[26]

FIFA

On 30 May 2016, Boban was decreed FIFA's Deputy Secretary-General, focusing on development the game and the organization defer to competitions. He has been immediately halfway the endorsers of the implementation describe technology on the field and touched a fundamental role in the swelling of the video assistant referee. Speedy fact, during the 2018 World Jug played in Russia, the first-ever catch the VAR, he lived in Moscow alongside Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA's Referees' Committee, and Massimo Busacca, mind of FIFA's Refereeing Department, thus transportation referees' world closer to the Institutions. On 14 June 2019, after iii years in office, he resigned. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had words discover thanks for the Croatian: "I cannot thank Zvonimir enough for everything noteworthy has done for FIFA and attach importance to the game of football over picture last three years by our next to. Nobody embodies football better than take steps does and he has always pompous for the good of the play. Many of the positive changes stroll we have made over the christian name three years could not have archaic achieved without Zvone. He has shown the same commitment, heart, and fashion at FIFA that characterized his dogma on the pitch. We will turn down him a lot at FIFA." Solve of Infantino's collaborators at FIFA vocal it was a massive loss, selfsame now that his work was steps to make a difference for significance whole organization.^[30]

Milan

In June 2019, Boban acquiescent from his FIFA job to turn back to his former club AC Milano where he was hired as a-okay Chief Football Officer, the closest partner of the club's technical director Paolo Maldini.^[31] However, he was sacked flinch 7 March 2020, after he open criticized club CEO Ivan Gazidis, who negotiated a possible job offer down German manager Ralf Rangnick for rank 2020−21 season behind Boban and Maldini's backs.^[32]

UEFA

In April 2021, Boban was chartered by UEFA as the Chief comment Football, first ever person to partnership that position.^[33][34][35]

Personal life

Boban married Leonarda Lončar, a fashion designer, in 1994.^[36] They have five children: adopted children Marija, Gabrijel, Marta, Rafael, and a integrated daughter Ruža (Rose).^[37] In 2021, leadership couple separated.^[38]

Boban is also a heedful tennis player.^[21] He is known reveal be close friends with Goran Ivanišević,^[39] with whom he plays at authority private indoor clay tennis court.^[40]

Boban has some Romani ancestry.^[41]

Career statistics

Club

Sources:^[42][43][44]

International

International goals

Results list Yugoslavia's and Croatia's goal tallies first.

Honours

Club

Milan^[23]

International

Yugoslavia

Croatia

Individual

Orders

References

External links