Croatian footballer (born 1968)
Zvonimir Boban
(
Croatian pronunciation:
[z?onimiːr
b?ban]
ⓘ
; born 8 October 1968) is a Croatian former
footballer
who currently works at
UEFA
as the Chief of Football. Boban played as a
midfielder
. He played most of his professional career for Italian club
Milan
with whom he won four
Serie A
titles and one
UEFA Champions League
title. He also
captained
the
Croatia national team
which won third place at the
1998 FIFA World Cup
.
Before 1990 and the international recognition of Croatia's national team, Boban had played for the
Yugoslavia under-20
team which won the
1987 World Youth Championship
. Boban scored three times in this tournament, as well as scoring in the final (drawn 1?1 with
West Germany
) and then converting the decisive penalty in the shootout. Having made his debut for the senior
Yugoslavia
team in 1988, Boban switched to playing for Croatia after the national team's inception, debuting against
Romania
in December 1990. Having appeared seven times for Yugoslavia, scoring once, Boban was
capped
49 times for Croatia, scoring 12 goals, between 1992 and 1999.
Since retiring from playing in 2002, Boban gained a history degree from the
University of Zagreb
. He has also become a football
pundit
on Croatian and Italian television, working most notably for
Sky Italia
and
RTL Televizija
.
Club career
[
edit
]
Dinamo Zagreb
[
edit
]
Born in
Imotski
, Boban started his career with
Dinamo Zagreb
. He made his debut for the team in the 1985?86 season, aged 16. He would play 109 games for the club over six seasons, scoring 45 goals and becoming club captain aged 19.
[2]
Dinamo Zagreb?Red Star Belgrade riot
[
edit
]
In a game against
Red Star Belgrade
on 13 May 1990, Boban kicked a police officer in the face for assaulting a Dinamo supporter after a riot broke out in the stadium.
[3]
This incident made Boban a icon of resistance in Croatia.
[2]
[4]
It is cited by some as the expression of Croatian discontent with the Yugoslav regime.
[5]
[6]
It also earned him a suspension from the Yugoslav national team, causing him to miss the
1990 World Cup
in Italy. In January 2011, the match (due to the incident) was named by
CNN
as one of "five
football
games that changed the world".
[7]
The police officer (who turned out to be a Bosniak) later forgave Boban for his action.
Serie A
[
edit
]
A.C. Milan
signed Boban in 1991 in a deal worth £8 million.
[2]
Milan immediately loaned him to
Bari
, as they felt he needed time to settle in Italy without counting as one of the 3 non-Italian players the club was limited to at the time. Bari were relegated in this season, but Boban ably demonstrated his ability in the team and was recalled to Milan. He stayed in the club for nine seasons, and enjoyed great success with them, helping the team to the
1994
Champions League
title and contributing to the
1995
campaign in which they ended as runners-up. Playing 251 games for Milan and scoring 30 goals, Boban won four
Serie A
titles, as well as three
Italian Supercups
. In the second leg of the
1994 UEFA Super Cup
Final against
Arsenal
in Milan, he scored the opening goal in Milan's 2?0 aggregate victory.
[8]
In August 2001, with his role at Milan diminished due to the signing of
Rui Costa
,
[2]
he was loaned to
La Liga
side
Celta Vigo
[9]
where he played in only four league matches. Unhappy with his role as a substitute, he retired in October 2001 and finished his last season earlier than he intended.
[10]
[11]
[12]
International career
[
edit
]
Yugoslavia
[
edit
]
Boban played a big part in
Yugoslavia
's win in 1987
World Youth Championship
. He scored three goals for Yugoslavia in this tournament, and also scored a decisive penalty in the final shootout.
[13]
At the full international level, he earned seven
caps
for
Yugoslavia
between 1988 and 1991,
[14]
debuting against
the Republic of Ireland
on 27 April 1988. He played his last game for Yugoslavia on 16 May 1991 against the
Faroe Islands
, during which he scored his only goal for Yugoslavia.
[15]
Croatia
[
edit
]
When the nation of Croatia declared its independence of Yugoslavia, Boban left Yugoslavia to play for
Croatia
. He played his first international match for Croatia against a
Romanian
side on 22 December 1990. The match was considered unofficial because Croatia at that time was not affiliated to
FIFA
.
[16]
[17]
This match was only the second fixture Croatia had played as an independent nation since 1956. Boban played his last match for the national team in a friendly against
France
on 13 November 1999. He blamed back pain for his decision to quit international football,
[18]
but would go on to play in two more seasons of club football. In his career with the Croatia national team, Boban won 49 international caps and scored 12 goals.
1998 World Cup
[
edit
]
Boban was a member of the Croatian team that finished third at the
1998 World Cup
, captaining the squad at that tournament, as he had at the
1996 European Football Championship
. At the tournament, he sported a slightly unusual haircut, with the number 10 (his jersey number) shaved onto the back of his head and highlighted in red dye. A mistake he made in the semi-final allowed
France
to equalize immediately after Croatia had fought hard to earn a one-goal lead.
[19]
To make matters worse, Boban was injured and wanted to come off at half time
[20]
but stayed on until the 65th minute, when he was replaced by
Silvio Maric
. France won the match 2?1 and eventually won the tournament. Croatia went on to defeat the
Netherlands
, with Boban providing the pass to
Davor ?uker
to score the winner,
[21]
allowing Croatia to attain third place and receive the bronze medal.
Style of play
[
edit
]
Nicknamed
Zorro
, Boban was a talented and creative yet tenacious and hard-working player, known for his use of
feints
to beat opponents. He was gifted with excellent vision, passing range,
dribbling
skills, technical ability, and an eye for the final ball; he mixed these attributes with a unique tactical versatility and intelligence, which enabled him to be deployed in several
midfield
and
offensive
positions throughout his career. In addition to his preferred
playmaking
role behind the forwards as an
attacking midfielder
, he was also capable of playing on the
wing
, as a
central midfielder
, or even as a
supporting striker
, due to his powerful and accurate
bending
shots from distance; he was also effective from set-pieces. Throughout his career, he also became known for his vocal presence, determination and aggression on the pitch, as well as his strong character.
[22]
[23]
[24]
Post-playing career
[
edit
]
Boban officially retired from football in 2002 after receiving little pitch time at Celta Vigo.
[12]
On 7 October 2002, Boban organised and played in a farewell
testimonial
, with Croatia's 1998 World Cup team supported by tennis star
Goran Ivani?evi?
matching up against a World XI featuring such stars as
Rivaldo
,
Marco van Basten
and
Lothar Matthaus
.
[25]
Since retiring from football, Boban, always known to be a literary man, completed his history degree at the
University of Zagreb
. He graduated from the
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
in 2004, with a thesis named "Christianity in the Roman Empire".
[26]
[27]
He also started a career in
sports journalism
, being the administration president for the Croatian daily sports newspaper
Sportske novosti
, a co-commentator during live broadcasts of the Croatia national team's away matches on the country's commercially-funded national TV station
RTL Televizija
as well as a commentator for
SKY Italia
and columnist for
La Gazzetta dello Sport
. As a commentator, Boban has become known as frank and outspoken.
[28]
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 while, I will take a rest from it but one thing is certain. Never, never shall I become a coach. My nerves are not up to it.
?
Zvonimir Boban, interview after retirement
[25]
FIFA
[
edit
]
On 30 May 2016, Boban was appointed
FIFA
's Deputy Secretary-General, focusing on developing the game and the organization of competitions. He has been immediately among the endorsers of the implementation of technology on the field and played a fundamental role in the development of the
video assistant referee
. In fact, during the
2018 World Cup
played in
Russia
, the first-ever with the VAR, he lived in
Moscow
alongside
Pierluigi Collina
, chairman of FIFA's Referees' Committee, and
Massimo Busacca
, head of FIFA's Refereeing Department, thus bringing referees' world closer to the Institutions. On 14 June 2019, after three years in office, he resigned. FIFA President
Gianni Infantino
had words of thanks for the Croatian: "I cannot thank Zvonimir enough for everything he has done for FIFA and for the game of football over the last three years by our side. Nobody embodies football better than he does and he has always worked for the good of the game. Many of the positive changes that we have made over the last three years could not have been achieved without Zvone. He has shown the same commitment, heart, and passion at FIFA that characterized his attitude on the pitch. We will miss him a lot at FIFA." One of Infantino's collaborators at FIFA said it was a massive loss, especially now that his work was beginning to make a difference for the whole organization.
[29]
Milan
[
edit
]
In June 2019, Boban resigned from his FIFA job to return to his former club
A.C. Milan
where he was hired as a Chief Football Officer, the closest cooperator of the club's technical director
Paolo Maldini
.
[30]
However, he was sacked on 7 March 2020, after he publicly criticized club CEO
Ivan Gazidis
, who negotiated a possible job offer with German manager
Ralf Rangnick
for the
2020?21 season
behind Boban and Maldini's backs.
[31]
UEFA
[
edit
]
In April 2021, Boban was hired by
UEFA
as the Chief of Football, first ever person to hold that position.
[32]
[33]
[34]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Boban married Leonarda Lon?ar, a fashion designer, in 1994.
[35]
They have five children: adopted children Marija, Gabrijel, Marta, Rafael, and a biological daughter Ru?a (Rose).
[36]
In 2021, the couple separated.
[37]
Boban is also a keen tennis player.
[20]
He is known to be close friends with
Goran Ivani?evi?
,
[38]
with whom he plays at his private indoor clay tennis court.
[39]
Boban has some
Romani
ancestry.
[40]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Club
[
edit
]
- Sources:
[41]
[42]
[43]
International
[
edit
]
Team
|
Year
|
Apps
|
Goals
|
Yugoslavia
|
1988
|
2
|
0
|
1989
|
1
|
0
|
1990
|
2
|
0
|
1991
|
2
|
1
|
Total
|
7
|
1
|
Croatia
|
1992
|
1
|
0
|
1993
|
1
|
0
|
1994
|
5
|
0
|
1995
|
5
|
2
|
1996
|
9
|
2
|
1997
|
8
|
3
|
1998
|
13
|
5
|
1999
|
7
|
0
|
Total
|
49
|
12
|
International goals
[
edit
]
- Results list Yugoslavia's and Croatia's goal tallies first.
#
|
Date
|
Venue
|
Cap
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Result
|
Competition
|
Yugoslavia goals
|
1
|
16 May 1991
|
Red Star Stadium
,
Belgrade
, Yugoslavia
|
7
|
Faroe Islands
|
5
?0
|
7?0
|
Euro 1992 qualifying
|
Croatia goals
|
1
|
25 March 1995
|
Stadion Maksimir
,
Zagreb
, Croatia
|
10
|
Ukraine
|
1
?0
|
4?0
|
Euro 1996 qualifying
|
2
|
3 September 1995
|
13
|
Estonia
|
4
?1
|
7?1
|
3
|
2 June 1996
|
Lansdowne Road
,
Dublin
, Republic of Ireland
|
17
|
Republic of Ireland
|
2
?1
|
2?2
|
Friendly
|
4
|
16 June 1996
|
Hillsborough
,
Sheffield
, England
|
19
|
Denmark
|
2
?0
|
3?0
|
Euro 1996
|
5
|
2 April 1997
|
Stadion Poljud
,
Split
, Croatia
|
25
|
Slovenia
|
2
?0
|
3?3
|
1998 World Cup qualification
|
6
|
3
?1
|
7
|
6 September 1997
|
Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
|
27
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
3
?2
|
3?2
|
8
|
22 April 1998
|
Stadion Gradski vrt
,
Osijek
, Croatia
|
32
|
Poland
|
1
?0
|
4?1
|
Friendly
|
9
|
6 June 1998
|
Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
|
35
|
Australia
|
4
?0
|
7?0
|
10
|
7
?0
|
11
|
14 October 1998
|
44
|
Macedonia
|
2
?1
|
3?2
|
Euro 2000 qualifying
|
12
|
3
?2
|
Honours
[
edit
]
Club
[
edit
]
Milan
[22]
International
[
edit
]
Yugoslavia
Croatia
Individual
[
edit
]
Orders
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Zvonimir Boban"
. A.C. Milan. Archived from
the original
on 3 March 2000.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Schiavone, David.
"Legend of Calcio: Zvonimir Boban"
. Archived from
the original
on 9 April 2010
. Retrieved
6 June
2011
.
- ^
Haylett, Trevor (10 October 1995).
"Boban the inspiration for Croatia"
.
The Independent
. London. Archived from
the original
on 11 November 2012
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
Podnar, Ozren.
"The Day Yugoslav Soccer Died"
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
machiavelli.
"Arkan, Zvonimir Boban, football and the bloody end of Yugoslavia"
. Archived from
the original
on 16 August 2011
. Retrieved
6 June
2011
.
- ^
J-Rock.
"May 13 ? The Match That Started a War"
. Archived from
the original
on 5 October 2011
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"Utakmica Dinamo-Crvena zvezda među pet koje su promijenile svijet"
. Sarajevo-x.com
. Retrieved
16 August
2011
.
- ^
Harris, Harry (9 February 1995). "Taking the pizza".
Daily Mirror
. London. pp. 36?37.
- ^
Evans, Nic.
"Boban agrees to Celta loan deal"
. Sky Sports
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"Zvonimir Boban"
. acmilan-online.com
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"Boban to call it a day"
. The Sunday Herald. 14 October 2001
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Boban retires"
. BBC. 16 October 2001
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"FIFA ? Zvonimir Boban Stats"
. FIFA.com. Archived from
the original
on 3 July 2008
. Retrieved
6 June
2011
.
- ^
"Serbia National Team ? Zvonimir Boban Stats"
. Retrieved
6 June
2011
.
- ^
"Serbia National Team Statistics ? Yugoslavia vs the Faroe Islands"
. Retrieved
8 June
2011
.
- ^
"Croatia v Romania, 22 December 1990. The match was considered unofficial by FIFA"
. 11v11.com
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"Sve o sportu"
. Sve o sportu. Archived from
the original
on 16 July 2011
. Retrieved
16 August
2011
.
- ^
"Boban calls time on Croatia career"
. Retrieved
6 June
2011
.
- ^
Oberjurge, Paul.
"Thuram finds perfect time to finally find net"
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
a
b
Hale, Alex.
"Zvonimir Boban"
. Trivela.co.uk. Archived from
the original
on 25 March 2012
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"CROATIA ? NETHERLANDS"
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
"A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Zvonimir Boban"
. A.C. Milan
. Retrieved
9 December
2014
.
- ^
"Zvonimir BOBAN"
(in Italian). Magliarossonera.it
. Retrieved
10 August
2016
.
- ^
Holiga, Aleksandar (29 April 2014).
"Where Does Luka Modric Rank Among Croatia's Greatest Midfielders?"
. Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
14 July
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Bach, Nenand.
"Croatia's Boban leaves football with farewell match"
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
"50 najbogatijih Hrvata"
[50 richest Croats] (in Croatian).
Nacional (weekly)
. 30 March 2004. Archived from
the original
on 27 May 2012
. Retrieved
16 August
2011
.
- ^
Podnar, Ozren.
"Zvonimir Boban: Next Croatian FA President, Or Deputy Minister Of Sports?"
. Retrieved
6 June
2011
.
- ^
Romao, Kevin.
"Whatever happened to ? Zvonimir Boban"
. The Graduate Times. Archived from
the original
on 4 October 2011
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
Homewood, Brian.
"Former Croatia captain Boban given high-ranking FIFA role"
.
Reuters UK
. Retrieved
5 June
2017
.
- ^
HINA (14 June 2019).
"Nije odolio pozivu: Zvonimir Boban napu?ta FIFA-u i sti?e u Milan za ?efa nogometnih operacija"
.
Slobodna Dalmacija
(in Croatian)
. Retrieved
21 April
2021
.
- ^
"Milan i slu?beno potvrdio ono o ?emu se pri?alo: Zvone Boban dobio otkaz!"
.
Gol.hr
(in Croatian). 7 March 2020
. Retrieved
21 April
2021
.
- ^
Rogulj, Daniela (17 April 2021).
"Zvonimir Boban to Become First-Ever UEFA Head of Football"
.
Total Croatia News
. Retrieved
21 April
2021
.
- ^
"Zvonimir Boban to be appointed UEFA role | Croatia Week"
.
Croatia Week
. 17 April 2021
. Retrieved
21 April
2021
.
- ^
Matteoni, Robert (16 April 2021).
"Zvonimir Boban ima novi posao: Dobio funkciju koju jo? nitko nikad nije obna?ao u povijesti nogometa!"
.
Sportske novosti
(in Croatian)
. Retrieved
21 April
2021
.
- ^
"Zvonimir & Leonarda Boban"
. Story.Hr
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
"Zvonimir Boban becomes father for a fifth time"
. Croatian Times. Archived from
the original
on 5 October 2011
. Retrieved
7 June
2011
.
- ^
"Razi?li se Zvonimir i Leonarda Boban: 'Nadam se da ?e ljudi shvatiti delikatnost ove odluke'
"
.
Ve?ernji list
(in Croatian). 4 May 2021
. Retrieved
5 May
2021
.
- ^
Staunton, Peter.
"Top 10 ? Roland Garros Special: When Football Meets Tennis"
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
Law, David (1 January 2003).
"Ivanisevic promises final display of fireworks"
.
The Independent
. London.
Archived
from the original on 7 May 2022
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
[9] Kassimeris, Christos (2009). Anti-Racism in European Football: Fair Play for All. p. 78. ISBN 9780739126110.
- ^
"Boban, Zvonimir"
.
National Football Teams
. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"Zvonimir Boban"
. FootballDatabase.eu
. Retrieved
10 June
2011
.
- ^
"Zvonimir Boban Dinamo Zagreb statistics"
. Povijest.gnkdinamo.hr
. Retrieved
7 October
2017
.
- ^
"UEFA Awards"
.
Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
. 21 December 2006
. Retrieved
12 March
2024
.
- ^
"AC Milan: The 20 Greatest Rossoneri of All-Time"
.
Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
24 November
2011
.
- ^
FIFA.com
- ^
"ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BU?ARA"
(in Croatian). hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.
- ^
"PREDSJEDNIK TUDJMAN ODLIKOVAO HRVATSKU NOGOMETNU REPREZENTACIJU"
(in Croatian). hrt.hr. Archived from
the original
on 8 November 2016.
External links
[
edit
]
Zvonimir Boban international tournaments
|
---|
|