Davor Šuker facts for kids

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Davor Šuker

Šuker in 2008

President of the Croatian Football Federation

In office
5 July 2012 – 29 July 2021

Preceded by

Vlatko Marković

Succeeded by

Marijan Kustić

Personal details

Born

1 January 1968 (age 57)
Osijek, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia

Height

1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)

Parent

Tomislav Šuker (father)

Occupation

Footballer
Football administrator

Davor Šuker

Personal information

Playing position

Striker

Youth career

1984

Osijek

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1984–1989

Osijek

(40)

1989–1991

Dinamo Zagreb

(34)

1991–1996

Sevilla

153

(76)

1996–1999

Real Madrid

(38)

1999–2000

Arsenal

(8)

2000–2001

West Ham United

(2)

2001–2003

1860 Munich

(5)

Total

448

(203)

National team

1987

Yugoslavia U20

(6)

1988–1990

Yugoslavia U21

(7)

1988

Yugoslavia U23

(0)

1990–1991

Yugoslavia

(1)

1990–2002

Croatia

(45)

Honours

Men's football

Representing Yugoslavia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner	1987
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up	1990
Representing Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Third	1998

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Davor Šuker (born 1 January 1968) is a famous Croatian football player and administrator. He played as a striker, which means he was a goal scorer. From 2012 to 2021, he was the president of the Croatian Football Federation.

Šuker is known as Croatia's top goal scorer ever, with 45 goals. Many people think he is the best Croatian striker of all time. He is also considered one of the greatest strikers in football history.

Šuker started his football journey at age 16 in his hometown with NK Osijek. He later moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1989. The Croatian War of Independence led him to join the Spanish club Sevilla in 1991. In Spain, Šuker was a top scorer. Five years later, he signed with Real Madrid. There, he helped Madrid win the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League.

He later played for Arsenal and reached the UEFA Cup final in 2000. After a short time with West Ham United, he finished his career playing for 1860 Munich in Germany.

The most amazing part of Šuker's career was the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He won the World Cup Golden Boot for scoring six goals. He also won the Silver Ball as the second-best player in the tournament. His goals helped Croatia win the bronze medal in their first ever FIFA World Cup. Croatia did not lose any match where Šuker scored, until their semi-final loss to France.

In 2003, Šuker was named Croatia's Golden Player at the UEFA Jubilee Awards. He also finished third for the 1998 FIFA World Player of the Year award. He was second for the 1998 Ballon d'Or. Šuker is the only Croatian player on the FIFA 100 list, which was created by Pelé.

As president of the Croatian Football Federation, Šuker saw Croatia become runner-up at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was the country's best achievement since their third-place finish in 1998.

Playing for Clubs: Davor Šuker's Journey
International Career: Representing His Country
- Youth Teams: Yugoslavia's Rising Star
- Senior Team: Yugoslavia and Croatia
Life After Football: Davor Šuker's Academy
Honours and Awards
See also

Playing for Clubs: Davor Šuker's Journey

Starting Out: Early Career in Croatia

Šuker began his football career in his hometown of Osijek with the club NK Osijek in 1984. In 1989, he moved to Dinamo Zagreb. Over the next two seasons, he scored 34 goals in 60 matches in the Yugoslav First League. His great performance led to his first call-up to the Yugoslavia national team. Many clubs noticed him, including the Spanish club Sevilla, which he joined in 1991.

Playing in Spain: Sevilla and Real Madrid

Šuker made his debut in Spain's top league, Primera División, for Sevilla on 17 November 1991. He scored two goals in his first start at home against Real Sociedad. He ended his first season with 6 goals in 22 games. In his second season, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Albacete. He scored 13 goals in 33 matches that season.

In the 1993–94 season, Šuker was the second-highest scorer in the league with 24 goals. He played with the famous Argentine legend Diego Maradona during the 1992–93 season. In total, he scored 33 goals in 64 games during his last two seasons with Sevilla.

Before the 1996–97 season, Šuker moved to Real Madrid. He continued to score many goals, netting 24 goals in 38 games. He was the third-best scorer in the league that season. He scored three hat-tricks and helped Madrid win the league title. With Raúl and Predrag Mijatović, he formed a strong attacking team.

In the next season, Šuker helped Real Madrid win the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League. He scored 10 goals in 29 league games. In the 1998–99 season, he played less, scoring 4 goals in 19 games. He decided to leave Real Madrid at the end of that season. He had spent eight seasons in the Spanish league, scoring 114 goals in 239 games.

Playing in England: Arsenal and West Ham United

Šuker joined the FA Premier League club Arsenal for the 1999–2000 season. He made his league debut on 22 August 1999. He scored his first two Premier League goals against Aston Villa. With Arsenal, he played in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final. Arsenal lost to Galatasaray in a penalty shootout, and Šuker missed his penalty.

He scored 8 league goals in 22 games for Arsenal. He also scored in the League Cup and UEFA Champions League.

After Arsenal, Šuker moved to West Ham United. He struggled to find a regular spot in the team. He played only 11 league games and scored two goals. He also scored once in the League Cup. His time in England ended after that season.

Playing in Germany: 1860 Munich

In the 2001–02 season, Šuker joined the German team 1860 Munich. He made his Bundesliga debut on 1 December 2001. His first goal for 1860 Munich came in a 3–0 win over 1. FC Köln. He scored two goals in his final league match of the season. He finished his first season in Germany with 4 goals in 14 games.

In the 2002–03 season, Šuker scored in a 3–1 win over Arminia Bielefeld. He scored 5 goals in 25 games while playing for 1860 Munich in the Bundesliga. He also scored three goals in five games in the DFB-Pokal cup competition.

International Career: Representing His Country

Youth Teams: Yugoslavia's Rising Star

Šuker was a great goal scorer even at a young age. He scored six goals at the 1987 World Youth Championships in Chile. The Yugoslavian team scored 22 goals in total, setting a championship record. Yugoslavia won the title with many future stars, including Robert Prosinečki, Zvonimir Boban, and Igor Štimac, who later played for Croatia.

Šuker also played for Yugoslavia in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic games. He played in group matches against Brazil and Nigeria. Two years later, he played in the UEFA Under-21 Championship. He scored four goals in five games as Yugoslavia won their group. He scored seven goals in total during the championship, winning the Golden Boot. Yugoslavia finished as runners-up, and Šuker was named the Golden Player of the Tournament.

Senior Team: Yugoslavia and Croatia

In 1990, Šuker was part of the Yugoslavia national team squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. However, he did not play in any matches.

On 22 December 1990, Šuker played his first game for the new Croatia national team in a friendly match. In 1991, he played two games for Yugoslavia's senior team. In one of these games, against the Faroe Islands, he scored his first international goal. This was before Croatia was officially recognized by FIFA or UEFA.

Šuker's second and first official match for Croatia was a friendly against Mexico in 1992, where he scored two goals in a 3–0 win. He then helped Croatia qualify for their first major international tournament, UEFA Euro 1996. He scored a record 12 goals in 10 games during the qualifying rounds. At Euro 1996 in England, he scored three goals in four matches. This included two goals in a 3–0 win over defending champions Denmark. In that game, he scored a memorable looping shot over Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, which is still considered one of the best goals in UEFA European Championship history. Šuker's performance earned him a spot in the Team of the Tournament.

Šuker then helped Croatia qualify for their first FIFA World Cup in 1998. He scored five goals in nine games during the qualifying rounds for the 1998 finals in France. In the tournament, he scored six goals in seven matches, scoring in every game Croatia scored. This included goals in 1–0 wins over Japan and Romania. In the quarter-finals against Germany, Šuker scored the final goal in a 3–0 victory. He also scored the first goal in the semi-final against France. France won 2–1 and went on to the final.

In the third-place play-off, Šuker scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against the Netherlands. This led Croatia to a fantastic third-place finish in their first World Cup as an independent nation. Šuker won the World Cup Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. He also won the Silver Ball as the second-best player, behind Ronaldo of Brazil.

After the 1998 World Cup, Šuker played for Croatia in their attempt to qualify for UEFA Euro 2000. He scored a winning goal in the 94th minute against the Republic of Ireland. This win gave Croatia a good chance to qualify. However, Croatia missed out after a 2–2 draw at home to Yugoslavia in their final qualifier. Šuker scored a goal that was disallowed, which would have secured Croatia's qualification. He finished with four goals in seven games during that campaign.

Šuker was also part of the Croatian team at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He only played 63 minutes in the tournament, in a 1–0 loss to Mexico. After Croatia was eliminated, Šuker announced he was retiring from international football.

Šuker played a total of 70 official international games in his senior career. He played 2 for Yugoslavia and 68 for Croatia. He scored 46 international goals in total. With 45 goals, he is Croatia's all-time leading goal-scorer. His 12 goals during the Euro 1996 qualifying campaign was a record for over 10 years.

Life After Football: Davor Šuker's Academy

Šuker during a charity match against poverty in March 2014

After retiring from playing, Šuker started his own football school called the Davor Šuker Soccer Academy. It has training camps in Zagreb and other Croatian cities. He thought of this idea near the end of his playing career.