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 | |||||||||
| Playing position | 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) | ||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||
| 1988–1991 | Yugoslavia U21 | 11 | (3) | |||||||
| 1993–2002 | Croatia | 40 | (10) | |||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Croatia (assistant) | |||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Alen Bokšić was a famous Croatian professional footballer. He was born on January 21, 1970. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal-scorer.
Alen Bokšić spent most of his career playing for top clubs in France and Italy. He was known for his amazing skills and powerful play. Many people think he is one of the best players in the history of the Croatia national football team.
With the French club Marseille, Bokšić won the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League. This is one of the biggest football trophies in Europe! In 1993, he was also voted fourth best player in Europe. He was named the Croatian Footballer of the Year in the same year.
He also won two Serie A titles, which is the top league in Italy. He won with Juventus in 1997 and with Lazio in 2000. He is seen as one of the best foreign players ever in Italy's Serie A league since 1980.
Alen Bokšić was part of the Yugoslavia squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play in any matches. After Croatia became independent, he became a key player for the Croatia national football team. He played for Croatia at the 1996 European Championship. He missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup due to an injury. Bokšić finally played in a World Cup at age 32, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He retired from football in 2003.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Hajduk Split
Alen Bokšić started his football journey in his hometown of Makarska. He then joined Hajduk Split as a young player. He played for their first team from 1987 to 1991.
With Hajduk, he won the Yugoslav Cup twice, in 1987 and 1991. He scored 60 goals in 174 games for the club. His goal in the 1991 Yugoslavian Cup final was the winning goal. It was also the very last goal scored in that competition before Yugoslavia split up.
Olympique Marseille
In 1991, Bokšić moved to France to play for Cannes. Sadly, he had many injuries that season and only played one game.
In 1992, he joined Marseille. In his first full season (1992–93), he was the top goal scorer in the French league, with 23 goals. He helped Marseille win the French league title that year.
His biggest achievement with Marseille was winning the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final. Marseille beat A.C. Milan in the final. Bokšić was one of the top scorers for his team in that competition. He scored six goals. He left the club in 1993.
Lazio
Bokšić joined Lazio in Italy in 1993. In his first half-season, he played 21 matches and scored four goals. Lazio finished fourth in the league that year.
In the 1994–95 season, Lazio finished second in Serie A. This was their best result since 1974. Bokšić was part of a strong attacking team with Giuseppe Signori and Pierluigi Casiraghi. He scored nine goals that season.
Juventus
In 1996, Bokšić moved to Juventus. He had a very successful year there. Juventus won the 1996–97 Serie A title, the 1996 Intercontinental Cup, and the 1996 UEFA Super Cup.
The team also reached the final of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League. They lost to Borussia Dortmund. Bokšić played as a forward in that final. He was the top scorer for Juventus in the Champions League with four goals. He also scored three goals in 22 league games.
Return to Lazio
Bokšić returned to Lazio in 1997. In his first season back, he scored ten goals in Serie A. Lazio also reached the final of the 1998 UEFA Cup and won the Coppa Italia that year.
In the 1998–99 season, Lazio won the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana and the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. However, Bokšić played only a few games due to injuries.
The 1999–2000 season was his most successful with Lazio. The club won the 1999 UEFA Super Cup, the 1999–2000 Serie A title, and another 1999–2000 Coppa Italia. Bokšić scored four goals during their league-winning season. After six years in Italy, he decided to leave.
Middlesbrough
After his time at Lazio, Bokšić joined the English club Middlesbrough in 2000. On his first game for Middlesbrough, he scored two goals.
Even with some injuries, he scored twelve goals in his first season. He was named Middlesbrough's Player of the Year. In the 2001–02 season, he scored eight goals.
Bokšić played for Croatia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup while with Middlesbrough. He announced his retirement from football on February 1, 2003. This was due to many injuries. His last game for Middlesbrough was in January 2003. His final goal for the club was in a 3–1 win against Manchester United.
International Career
Alen Bokšić was part of the Yugoslavia national squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He was 20 years old at the time. However, the coach chose more experienced players, so Bokšić did not play.
After Croatia became an independent country, Bokšić played for the Croatia national football team. He played 40 games for Croatia and scored ten goals. His first game for Croatia was in June 1993 against Ukraine. His last game was in October 2002 against Bulgaria.
He played for Croatia at Euro 96. He missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup because of an injury. This was a big loss for the Croatian team. He finally made his World Cup debut in the 2002 FIFA World Cup when he was 32 years old.
How He Played
Bokšić was a strong and dynamic forward. He was known for his great technique, skill, and speed. He could create chances for his teammates and make powerful runs. He was a consistent goal scorer throughout his career. However, he sometimes faced criticism for not being accurate enough in front of goal. He also had many injuries during his career.
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
- Italian Cup: 1998, 2000
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998–99
Individual Awards
- French Ligue 1 Top Scorer: 1992–93
- French Ligue 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
Personal Life
Alen Bokšić married Ajda in 1990. They had three children: a daughter named Stella and two sons named Toni and Alen. They divorced in 2000. In 2004, Bokšić had another daughter named Laura with his girlfriend Jadranka.
Images for kids
-
Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar
-
Order of the Croatian Trefoil
See also
In Spanish: Alen Bokšić para niños
