Alen Bokšić facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 January 1970 | |||||||||
| Place of birth | Makarska, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia | |||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||
| Zmaj Makarska | ||||||||||
| Hajduk Split | ||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||
| 1987–1991 | Hajduk Split | 95 | (27) | |||||||
| 1991–1992 | Cannes | 1 | (0) | |||||||
| 1992–1993 | Marseille | 49 | (26) | |||||||
| 1993–1996 | Lazio | 67 | (17) | |||||||
| 1996–1997 | Juventus | 22 | (3) | |||||||
| 1997–2000 | Lazio | 48 | (14) | |||||||
| 2000–2003 | Middlesbrough | 68 | (22) | |||||||
| Total | 359 | (116) | ||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||
| 1988–1991 | Yugoslavia U21 | 11 | (3) | |||||||
| 1993–2002 | Croatia | 40 | (10) | |||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Croatia (assistant) | |||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||
Alen Bokšić (born 21 January 1970) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward. He was known for his amazing skill and powerful playing style. Many people consider him one of the best players ever for the Croatia national football team.
Bokšić had a very successful career, playing for big clubs in France and Italy. With Marseille, he won the famous 1992–93 UEFA Champions League. In 1993, he was voted the fourth-best player in Europe and was also named the Croatian Footballer of the Year. He later won two Serie A titles, which is Italy's top football league, with the teams Juventus and Lazio.
After Croatia became an independent country, Bokšić became a key player for its national team. He played in the 1996 European Championship. Sadly, an injury kept him from playing in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where Croatia finished in third place. He finally got to play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup before he retired from football a year later.
Club Career Journey
Starting at Hajduk Split
Bokšić was born in Makarska, Croatia, and began his football journey at a local club called Zmaj. He was so talented that he soon moved to the bigger club Hajduk Split. He played for their main team from 1987 to 1991.
During his time there, he helped Hajduk win the Yugoslav Cup twice. In the 1991 final, he scored the winning goal against the famous team Red Star Belgrade. This was the last goal ever scored in the Yugoslavian Cup because the country of Yugoslavia later split into different countries.
Success in France with Marseille
In 1991, Bokšić moved to France to play for Cannes, but injuries meant he only played one game all season. The next year, he joined the huge French club Marseille.
His 1992–93 season was incredible. He became the top scorer in Ligue 1, the French league, with 23 goals. His biggest achievement was helping Marseille win the 1993 UEFA Champions League, Europe's most important club trophy. He scored six goals in that competition.
He played a few more games for Marseille the next season. However, the club had to move to a lower division because of financial problems and for breaking rules.
Italian Adventures with Lazio and Juventus
First Time at Lazio
In late 1993, Bokšić moved to Italy to play for Lazio. He was so respected that he was voted fourth for the 1993 European Footballer of the Year award. In his first season, he scored four goals and helped Lazio finish fourth in Serie A.
The next season, he was part of an exciting attacking team with Giuseppe Signori and Pierluigi Casiraghi. They helped Lazio finish second in the league, its best result in many years. Bokšić scored nine goals that season.
Winning Trophies at Juventus
In 1996, Bokšić joined another top Italian club, Juventus. In just one season, he won three major trophies: the 1996–97 Serie A title, the 1996 Intercontinental Cup, and the 1996 UEFA Super Cup.
Juventus also reached the final of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League. Even though they lost to Borussia Dortmund, Bokšić played well and assisted on his team's only goal. He was the team's top scorer in the Champions League that year with four goals.
Return to Lazio
Bokšić returned to Lazio in 1997. In his first season back, he scored ten goals. The team won the Coppa Italia, which is Italy's main cup competition.
The 1999–2000 season was his best with Lazio. The team won the UEFA Super Cup, the 1999–2000 Serie A title, and another Coppa Italia. After this amazing season, he decided to leave Italy for a new challenge.
Final Stop in England
In 2000, Bokšić surprised many by joining Middlesbrough in the English Premier League. In his very first game, he scored two goals and had an assist.
Despite some injuries, he scored 12 goals in his first season and was named the team's Player of the Year. After a few more seasons, he decided to retire from football in 2003 because of continuing injuries. His last goal was in a famous 3–1 victory against Manchester United.
International Career
When he was 20, Bokšić was chosen for the Yugoslavia squad for the 1990 World Cup, but he didn't get to play.
For the Croatia national team, Bokšić played 40 times and scored 10 goals. He was a very important player for his country. He played at Euro 96. A serious injury just before the 1998 FIFA World Cup meant he had to miss the tournament, where Croatia had a historic third-place finish. He finally got to play in a World Cup in 2002 when he was 32 years old.
Style of Play
Bokšić was a strong and complete forward. He was known for his excellent technique, speed, and power. His clever movements on the field created scoring chances for himself and his teammates. He was a fast runner with the ball, which made him very difficult for defenders to stop. Although he scored many goals, he was sometimes known for being injury-prone during his career.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hajduk Split | 1987–88 | Yugoslav First League | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 2 | |||
| 1988–89 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 27 | 7 | |||||
| 1989–90 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 1 | – | – | – | 34 | 13 | |||||
| 1990–91 | 29 | 6 | 7 | 2 | – | – | – | 36 | 8 | |||||
| Total | 95 | 27 | 15 | 3 | – | – | – | 110 | 30 | |||||
| Cannes | 1991–92 | Division 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Marseille | 1992–93 | Division 1 | 37 | 23 | 1 | 0 | – | 8 | 6 | – | 46 | 29 | ||
| 1993–94 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 49 | 26 | 1 | 0 | – | 8 | 6 | – | 58 | 32 | ||||
| Lazio | 1993–94 | Serie A | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 21 | 4 | ||
| 1994–95 | 23 | 9 | 3 | 0 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 32 | 11 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 25 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 17 | 4 | 0 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 78 | 19 | ||||
| Juventus | 1996–97 | Serie A | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 7 | |
| Lazio | 1997–98 | Serie A | 26 | 10 | 6 | 5 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 38 | 15 | ||
| 1998–99 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 3 | – | 11 | 1 | – | 34 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 48 | 14 | 10 | 8 | – | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 24 | |||
| Middlesbrough | 2000–01 | Premier League | 28 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 12 | ||
| 2001–02 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 8 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 68 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 73 | 22 | ||||
| Career total | 350 | 109 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 429 | 133 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 7 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 10 | |
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bokšić goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 1995 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia |  Estonia |
3–1 | 7–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2 | 8 October 1996 | Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
3–1 | 4–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 4–1 | |||||
| 4 | 11 October 1997 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Slovenia |
3–0 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 15 November 1997 | Olympic Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine |  Ukraine |
1–1 | 1–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 22 April 1998 | Gradski Vrt Stadium, Osijek, Croatia |  Poland |
4–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 9 October 1999 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia |  Yugoslavia |
1–0 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 8 | 26 April 2000 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Austria |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | 11 October 2000 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia |  Scotland |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 6 October 2001 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia |  Belgium |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Player
Hajduk Split
- Yugoslav Cup: 1990–91
Marseille
- UEFA Champions League: 1992–93
Juventus
- Serie A: 1996–97
- Intercontinental Cup: 1996
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1996–97
Lazio
- Serie A: 1999–2000
- Coppa Italia: 1997–98, 1999–2000
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998–99
Individual
- French Division 1 top scorer: 1992–93
- French Division 1 Foreign Player of the Year: 1993
- Onze d'Argent: 1993
- 1993 Ballon d'Or: 4th place
- Croatian Footballer of the Year: 1993
- Middlesbrough Supporters' club player of the year: 2000–01
Orders
Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar: 1995
Order of the Croatian Trefoil: 1998
See also
In Spanish: Alen Bokšić para niños
