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Zvonimir Boban

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Zvonimir Boban (Croatian pronunciation: [zʋônimiːr bǒban] ⓘ; 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.

Zvonimir Boban
Boban in 2008
Personal information
Full name Zvonimir Boban
Date of birth (1968-10-08) 8 October 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth Imotski, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1978–1981 Mračaj Runović
1981–1982 Hajduk Split
1983–1985 Dinamo Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1991 Dinamo Zagreb 109 (45)
1991–2001 Milan 178 (21)
1991–1992 → Bari (loan) 17 (2)
2001 → Celta Vigo (loan) 4 (0)
Total 308 (68)
International career
1987 Yugoslavia U20 6 (3)
1988–1991 Yugoslavia 7 (1)
1992–1999 Croatia 49 (12)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Yugoslavia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 1987 Chile
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 1990
Representing  Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Third place 1998 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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

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Dinamo Zagreb

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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

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Main article: Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot

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 an 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][8] The police officer (who turned out to be a Bosniak) later forgave Boban for his action.

Serie A

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AC 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.[9] 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[10] 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.[11][12][13]

International career

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Yugoslavia

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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.[14] At the full international level, he earned seven caps for Yugoslavia between 1988 and 1991,[15] 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.[16]

Croatia

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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.[17][18] 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,[19] 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

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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.[20] To make matters worse, Boban was injured and wanted to come off at half time[21] 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 Šuker to score the winner,[22] allowing Croatia to attain third place and receive the bronze medal.

Style of play

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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.[23][24][25]

Post-playing career

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

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".[27][28]

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.[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 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[26]

FIFA

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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.[30]

Milan

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In June 2019, Boban resigned from his FIFA job to return to his former club AC Milan where he was hired as a Chief Football Officer, the closest cooperator of the club's technical director Paolo Maldini.[31] 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.[32]

UEFA

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In April 2021, Boban was hired by UEFA as the Chief of Football, first ever person to hold that position.[33][34][35]

Personal life

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

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

Boban has some Romani ancestry.[41]

Career statistics

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Club

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Sources:[42][43][44]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Intercontinental Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Yugoslavia League Yugoslav Cup League Cup Europe Intercontinental Cup Total
1985–86 Dinamo Zagreb First League 2 0 0 0 - - 0 0 - - 2 0
1986–87 28 8 0 0 - - 0 0 - - 28 8
1987–88 30 13 1 1 - - 0 0 - - 31 14
1988–89 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0 - - 0 0
1989–90 26 9 2 1 - - 2 0 - - 30 10
1990–91 26 15 2 0 - - 2 1 - - 30 16
Italy League Coppa Italia Supercoppa Italiana Europe Intercontinental Cup Total
1991–92 Bari Serie A 17 2 0 0 - - 0 0 - - 17 2
1992–93 Milan Serie A 13 0 3 0 0 0 6 1 - - 22 1
1993–94 20 4 2 0 1 0 8 0 0 0 31 4
1994–95 21 1 3 0 1 0 11 2 1 0 37 3
1995–96 13 3 2 0 1 0 5 3 - - 21 7
1996–97 28 1 3 0 - - 5 1 - - 36 2
1997–98 23 2 6 1 - - 0 0 - - 29 3
1998–99 27 2 4 0 - - 0 0 - - 31 2
1999–2000 17 6 3 0 0 0 2 0 - - 22 6
2000–01 16 2 3 1 - - 7 0 - - 26 3
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa de España Europe Other Total
2001–02 Celta Vigo La Liga 4 0 0 0 - - 2 0 - - 6 0
Total Yugoslavia 112 45 5 2 - - 4 1 - - 121 48
Italy 195 23 29 2 3 0 44 7 1 0 272 33
Spain 4 0 0 0 - - 2 0 - - 6 0
Career total 311 68 34 4 2 3 50 8 1 0 398 81

International

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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

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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

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Club

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Milan[23]

International

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Yugoslavia

Croatia

Individual

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Orders

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References

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  1. ^ "Zvonimir Boban". AC Milan. Archived from the original on 3 March 2000.
  2. ^ a b c d e Schiavone, David. "Legend of Calcio: Zvonimir Boban". Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Podnar, Ozren. "The Day Yugoslav Soccer Died". Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  5. ^ machiavelli. "Arkan, Zvonimir Boban, football and the bloody end of Yugoslavia". Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  6. ^ J-Rock. "May 13 – The Match That Started a War". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Utakmica Dinamo-Crvena zvezda među pet koje su promijenile svijet". Sarajevo-x.com. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  8. ^ "Five games that changed the world". CNN. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  9. ^ Harris, Harry (9 February 1995). "Taking the pizza". Daily Mirror. London. pp. 36–37.
  10. ^ Evans, Nic. "Boban agrees to Celta loan deal". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  11. ^ "Zvonimir Boban". acmilan-online.com. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  12. ^ "Boban to call it a day". The Sunday Herald. 14 October 2001. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  13. ^ a b "Boban retires". BBC. 16 October 2001. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  14. ^ "FIFA – Zvonimir Boban Stats". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  15. ^ "Boban Zvonimir". Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  16. ^ "(1991) Jugoslavija - Farska Ostrva 7:0". Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  17. ^ "Croatia v Romania, 22 December 1990. The match was considered unofficial by FIFA". 11v11.com. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  18. ^ "Sve o sportu". Sve o sportu. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  19. ^ "Boban calls time on Croatia career". Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  20. ^ Oberjurge, Paul. "Thuram finds perfect time to finally find net". Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  21. ^ a b Hale, Alex. "Zvonimir Boban". Trivela.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  22. ^ "CROATIA – NETHERLANDS". Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  23. ^ a b c "AC Milan Hall of Fame: Zvonimir Boban". AC Milan. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  24. ^ "Zvonimir BOBAN" (in Italian). Magliarossonera.it. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  25. ^ Holiga, Aleksandar (29 April 2014). "Where Does Luka Modric Rank Among Croatia's Greatest Midfielders?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  26. ^ a b Bach, Nenand. "Croatia's Boban leaves football with farewell match". Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ Podnar, Ozren. "Zvonimir Boban: Next Croatian FA President, Or Deputy Minister Of Sports?". Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  29. ^ Romao, Kevin. "Whatever happened to – Zvonimir Boban". The Graduate Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  30. ^ Homewood, Brian. "Former Croatia captain Boban given high-ranking FIFA role". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  31. ^ HINA (14 June 2019). "Nije odolio pozivu: Zvonimir Boban napušta FIFA-u i stiže u Milan za šefa nogometnih operacija". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Milan i službeno potvrdio ono o čemu se pričalo: Zvone Boban dobio otkaz!". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 7 March 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  33. ^ Rogulj, Daniela (17 April 2021). "Zvonimir Boban to Become First-Ever UEFA Head of Football". Total Croatia News. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Zvonimir Boban to be appointed UEFA role | Croatia Week". Croatia Week. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  35. ^ Matteoni, Robert (16 April 2021). "Zvonimir Boban ima novi posao: Dobio funkciju koju još nitko nikad nije obnašao u povijesti nogometa!". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  36. ^ "Zvonimir & Leonarda Boban". Story.Hr. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  37. ^ "Zvonimir Boban becomes father for a fifth time". Croatian Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  38. ^ "Razišli se Zvonimir i Leonarda Boban: 'Nadam se da će ljudi shvatiti delikatnost ove odluke'". Večernji list (in Croatian). 4 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  39. ^ Staunton, Peter. "Top 10 – Roland Garros Special: When Football Meets Tennis". Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ [9] Kassimeris, Christos (2009). Anti-Racism in European Football: Fair Play for All. p. 78. ISBN 9780739126110.
  42. ^ "Boban, Zvonimir". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  43. ^ "Zvonimir Boban". FootballDatabase.eu. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  44. ^ "Zvonimir Boban Dinamo Zagreb statistics". Povijest.gnkdinamo.hr. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  45. ^ "European Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013.
  46. ^ "UEFA Awards". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  47. ^ "AC Milan: The 20 Greatest Rossoneri of All-Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  48. ^ FIFA.com
  49. ^ "ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BUČARA" (in Croatian). hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.
  50. ^ "PREDSJEDNIK TUDJMAN ODLIKOVAO HRVATSKU NOGOMETNU REPREZENTACIJU" (in Croatian). hrt.hr. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016.
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