Ivica Olić facts for kids
Olić coaching CSKA Moscow in 2021
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ivica Olić | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 September 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Davor, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker, winger | ||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Croatia U21 (manager) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Posavac Davor | |||||||||||||||||||
| Marsonia | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Marsonia | 42 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Hertha BSC II | 30 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Hertha BSC | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Marsonia | 42 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | NK Zagreb (loan) | 28 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Dinamo Zagreb | 27 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | CSKA Moscow | 78 | (35) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Hamburger SV | 78 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Bayern Munich | 55 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | VfL Wolfsburg | 78 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Hamburger SV | 25 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | 1860 Munich | 30 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 515 | (197) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Croatia U17 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Croatia U18 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Croatia U19 | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Croatia U20 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Croatia U21 | 6 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2015 | Croatia | 104 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | Croatia (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | CSKA Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Croatia (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2024- | Croatia U21 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Ivica Olić (born 14 September 1979) is a famous Croatian football player and manager. He used to play as a striker or winger. People knew him for chasing the ball nonstop and for his speed and strength.
Olić played for big clubs like Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg, and Bayern Munich in Germany. He also played for CSKA Moscow in Russia, where he helped them win the 2004–05 UEFA Cup. He was named the best Croatian footballer in 2009 and 2010.
He played for the Croatian national team in three FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006, and 2014) and two UEFA European Championships (2004 and 2008). He played his 100th game for Croatia in 2014 before he stopped playing for his country in 2015.
After he stopped playing, Olić became a coach. He joined the Croatian national team as an assistant coach in 2017. He helped them reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. He also briefly coached his old club, CSKA Moscow.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Croatia
Ivica Olić grew up in a village called Davor in Croatia. He began playing football for a local club, NK Marsonia, in 1996. After two good seasons, he moved to the German club Hertha BSC in 1998.
He didn't play much there, so he went back to Marsonia the next year. He helped his team get promoted to the top league. In the 2000–01 season, he scored 17 goals in 29 games.
In 2001, he joined NK Zagreb on loan and scored 21 goals in 28 games, helping them win the league! The next season, he moved to Dinamo Zagreb. He scored 16 goals in 27 games and became the best striker in the Croatian First League.
Success with CSKA Moscow
In 2003, Olić moved to CSKA Moscow in Russia. He slowly became a key player. In 2005, he scored ten goals in 20 games.
With CSKA Moscow, he won many trophies:
- The UEFA Cup in 2005.
- The Russian Premier League three times (2003, 2005, and 2006).
- The Russian Cup twice (2005 and 2006).
- The Russian Super Cup twice (2004 and 2006).
After winning the UEFA Cup, Olić even received a special award called the Order of Friendship from Russia.
Time at Hamburger SV
In January 2007, Olić joined Hamburger SV in Germany. The team was struggling, but Olić helped them improve a lot. They finished seventh in the league and even won a spot in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which they also won.
In October 2007, Olić scored three goals in one game against VfB Stuttgart, which Hamburg won 4–1. He was the first player in the club's history to score three goals in a row in one half. Fans loved him for his hard work and dedication. When he left, he wore a T-shirt saying "Thank you, fans."
Playing for Bayern Munich
On 1 July 2009, Olić joined Bayern Munich, one of Germany's biggest clubs. He was supposed to be a backup player, but he quickly became a first-choice striker because of his great form.
He scored in his first game for Bayern. In the 2010 UEFA Champions League quarter-final, he scored a very important goal against Manchester United. He also scored three goals in one game against Lyon in the Champions League semi-final, helping Bayern reach the final. They lost the final to Internazionale.
Olić played his last game for Bayern in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Chelsea. Bayern lost the game after a penalty shootout, and Olić unfortunately missed his penalty.
Later Career in Germany
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Olić signed with VfL Wolfsburg at the start of the 2012–13 season. He scored his first goal for them against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. He also scored three goals in a cup game against Schönberg 95. He was a top striker for Wolfsburg, scoring 15 goals and making 6 assists that season.
In January 2015, Olić returned to Hamburger SV. He played for them for another season and a half.
His last club was 1860 Munich in the second German league, where he played in the 2016–17 season. He announced his retirement in 2017, but later said he might still play if a good offer came along.
International Career for Croatia
Olić played for the Croatian national team in many big tournaments.
He was part of the team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played in two games and scored an important goal against Italy, helping Croatia win 2–1. After scoring, he famously showed a picture of his newborn child under his jersey!
He also played in UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2006, he was briefly dropped from the team for a Euro 2008 qualifying match due to a late-night outing.
In 2007, he scored a goal in a famous game where Croatia beat England 3–2 at Wembley Stadium. At UEFA Euro 2008, he scored against Germany, helping Croatia win 2–1.
Olić played in the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals. He missed UEFA Euro 2012 due to an injury.
At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, his cross led to the first goal of the tournament, an own goal by Brazil's Marcelo. In the second group game against Cameroon, Olić scored the first goal in a 4–0 win. This goal made him Croatia's oldest World Cup goal-scorer!
On 16 November 2014, Olić played his 100th game for Croatia in a Euro 2016 qualifying match against Italy. He officially retired from international football on 2 March 2016. He scored 20 goals in 104 games for his country.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Ivica Olić started coaching. On 23 October 2017, he became an assistant coach for the Croatian national team under head coach Zlatko Dalić.
He helped the team reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, where they finished as runners-up. He also helped them qualify for UEFA Euro 2020.
In March 2021, Olić briefly left his role with Croatia to become the head coach of his former club, CSKA Moscow. This was a big step for him, but some people were unsure because he didn't have much experience as a head coach. He coached CSKA Moscow for a few months, but they finished sixth in the league and missed out on European competitions. He was then replaced and returned to be an assistant coach for Croatia.
In 2024, he became the manager of the Croatia U21 team.
Personal Life
Ivica Olić is married to Natalie, and they have two sons, Luka and Antonio, and a daughter, Lara. He likes to keep his private life quiet and out of the media spotlight.
Honours and Awards
Player Achievements
Hertha BSC II
- NOFV-Oberliga: 1998–99
Marsonia
- Croatian Second League: 1999–2000
NK Zagreb
- Croatian First League: 2001–02
Dinamo Zagreb
- Croatian First League: 2002–03
- Croatian Super Cup: 2003
CSKA Moscow
- Russian Premier League: 2003, 2005, 2006
- Russian Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Russian Super Cup: 2004, 2006
- UEFA Cup: 2004–05
Hamburger SV
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2009–10
- DFB-Pokal: 2009–10
- DFL-Supercup: 2010
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2009–10, 2011–12
Individual Awards
- Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2001
- Prva HNL Player of the Year: 2002
- Croatian First League top scorer: 2002, 2003
- Croatian Footballer of the Year: 2009, 2010
Assistant Manager Achievements
Croatia
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018; third place: 2022
Special Awards
- Order of Friendship by Russia: 2005
- Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar: 2018
- Order of the Croatian Trefoil: 2018
- Order of the Croatian Interlace: 2018
Images for kids
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Olić coaching CSKA Moscow in 2021
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Olić training with Hamburger SV in 2008
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Olić playing for Bayern Munich in 2010
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Krasnod-Wolfsburg (3).jpg
Olić playing for VfL Wolfsburg in 2014
See also
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
