Mario Gavranović facts for kids
Gavranović with Schalke 04 in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Gavranović | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lugano, Switzerland | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | AS Vezia | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2006 | Team Ticino | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Lugano | 21 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Yverdon-Sport | 20 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Neuchâtel Xamax (loan) | 17 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Schalke 04 | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Schalke 04 II | 5 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Mainz 05 (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Zürich | 90 | (26) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Rijeka | 59 | (25) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Dinamo Zagreb | 88 | (39) | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Kayserispor | 48 | (15) | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | FC Mendrisio | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Switzerland U17 | 1 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Switzerland U19 | 8 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Switzerland U21 | 14 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2022 | Switzerland | 41 | (16) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Mario Gavranović (born 24 November 1989) is a Swiss former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually one of the main attackers on the team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Mario Gavranović started his football journey at a young age. He played for several clubs throughout his career, scoring many goals.
Early Football Days
Mario began playing football with AS Vezia. Later, he joined Team Ticino U18, a youth academy linked to FC Lugano. In the 2006–07 season, he played his first professional games for FC Lugano in the Swiss Challenge League. He scored eight goals in 21 games during his second season there. In 2008, he moved to Yverdon-Sport and scored another eight goals in 20 games. He then joined Neuchâtel Xamax for the 2008–09 season.
Playing for Schalke
After a great start at Neuchâtel Xamax, Mario Gavranović signed with Schalke 04 in Germany on 1 February 2010. He scored a very important goal for Schalke 04 in the Champions League. This goal helped his team win 4–2 against Valencia and reach the quarter-finals. On 31 August 2011, he went on loan to another German club, Mainz.
Time at FC Zürich
After his loan spell, Gavranović returned to Schalke. In May 2012, he left Schalke and joined FC Zürich for free. He played his first game for Zürich on 15 July 2012. In that same match, he scored his first goal from a penalty kick, which resulted in a 1–1 draw with FC Luzern.
Mario scored the winning goal for Zürich against FC Basel on 11 August 2013. This was a big win against the reigning champions. He also scored twice in a game against FC Sion on 24 November, helping Zürich win 4–1. On 1 March 2014, he scored two goals in the "Zürich Derby" against Grasshoppers, leading Zürich to a 3-1 victory.
A special moment came on 21 April 2014. Mario scored two goals in extra-time during the Swiss Cup final. These goals helped Zürich beat Basel 2–0 and win the cup! Unfortunately, he got a knee injury during training at the World Cup, which kept him from playing for the rest of 2014.
Moving to Rijeka
On 18 January 2016, Mario Gavranović moved to HNK Rijeka in Croatia. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. He scored in his very first official game for Rijeka on 12 February 2016. In his two years with the club, Mario scored an impressive 40 goals in 80 games.
Playing for Dinamo Zagreb
On 5 January 2018, Gavranović joined Dinamo Zagreb, another big club in Croatia. He signed a three-year contract. Mario shared that his family members were all Dinamo supporters, and he was encouraged to support the club from a young age.
He scored his first goal for Dinamo in a 1–0 win against Slaven Belupo on 4 March. He also scored against his old club, Rijeka, on 7 March. Mario scored twice in a 2–1 win against rivals Hajduk Split. This win brought Dinamo closer to winning their 19th league title. On 17 October, he scored his first "hat-trick" (three goals in one game) for Dinamo, helping them win 3–2 against Gorica.
International Career with Switzerland
Mario Gavranović also played for the Swiss national football team.
Youth and Senior Team Debut
He played for the Switzerland U-21 team in 14 games, scoring three goals. On 26 March 2011, he made his debut for the senior team. This was in a 0–0 draw against Bulgaria. His first goals for the senior team came on 15 August 2012. He scored two goals in a friendly game against Croatia, which Switzerland won 4–2.
World Cup Appearances
Mario was chosen for the Swiss squad for the World Cup in Brazil on 13 May 2014. Sadly, he got a serious knee injury during training on 29 June. This meant he couldn't play for the rest of the World Cup and was out until early 2015.
He was also part of the 23-man Swiss squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played his first World Cup match against Serbia. He came on in the second half and helped set up a goal for Xherdan Shaqiri. This goal led to a 2–1 comeback win for Switzerland.
UEFA Euro 2020 Heroics
Gavranović was selected for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. On 28 June 2021, he came into the game against France in the Round of 16. He scored Switzerland's third goal, making the score 3–3. After extra time, the game went to a penalty shootout. Mario successfully scored his penalty, and Switzerland won 5–4! This was a huge moment for Switzerland. It was the first time since the 1938 FIFA World Cup that they had won a knockout game in a major tournament. It was also the first time since the 1954 FIFA World Cup that they reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament.
On 15 September 2022, Mario Gavranović announced he was retiring from the Swiss national team. He had played for the senior team for eleven years and made 41 appearances. His last game was on 5 June 2022.
Personal Life
Mario Gavranović was born in Lugano, Switzerland. His parents are from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mario is married to Anita. They have a daughter named Leonie, who was born in May 2019.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lugano | 2006–07 | Swiss Challenge League | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 23 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 8 | ||||
| Yverdon Sport | 2008–09 | Swiss Challenge League | 20 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 8 | ||
| Neuchâtel Xamax | 2009–10 | Swiss Super League | 17 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 20 | 10 | ||
| Schalke 04 | 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| 2011–12 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 14 | 4 | |||
| Mainz 05 | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Zürich | 2012–13 | Swiss Super League | 32 | 9 | 4 | 6 | — | — | 36 | 15 | ||
| 2013–14 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 39 | 17 | |||
| 2014–15 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 4 | |||
| Total | 90 | 26 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 0 | — | 110 | 37 | |||
| Rijeka | 2015–16 | Prva HNL | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 7 | ||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 18 | |||
| 2017–18 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | — | 29 | 15 | |||
| Total | 59 | 25 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 6 | — | 80 | 40 | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2017–18 | Prva HNL | 15 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 9 | ||
| 2018–19 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 2 | — | 40 | 12 | |||
| 2019–20 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 7 | ||
| 2020–21 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1 | — | 40 | 19 | |||
| 2021–22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Total | 88 | 39 | 11 | 6 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 133 | 48 | ||
| Kayserispor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 26 | 10 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 12 | ||
| 2022–23 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 5 | ||||
| Career total | 350 | 129 | 52 | 33 | 51 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 461 | 172 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2011 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 41 | 16 | |
- Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gavranović goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 August 2012 | Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia | 3 |  Croatia |
3–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 4–2 | ||||||
| 3 | 12 October 2012 | Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | 4 |  Norway |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 16 October 2012 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | 5 |  Iceland |
2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 5 | 27 March 2018 | Swissporarena, Luzern, Switzerland | 13 |  Panama |
5–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 12 October 2018 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 18 |  Belgium |
1–1 | 1–2 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
| 7 | 8 September 2019 | Stade Tourbillon, Sion, Switzerland | 22 |  Gibraltar |
4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
| 8 | 7 October 2020 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 23 | Croatia |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 9 | 13 October 2020 | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany | 25 |  Germany |
1–0 | 3–3 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
| 10 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 11 | 31 March 2021 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 29 |  Finland |
1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 12 | 3 June 2021 | 30 |  Liechtenstein |
1–0 | 7–0 | ||
| 13 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 14 | 6–0 | ||||||
| 15 | 28 June 2021 | Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania | 34 |  France |
3–3 | 3–3 (aet) | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 16 | 12 October 2021 | LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania | 36 |  Lithuania |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Awards
Mario Gavranović won many trophies and awards during his football career:
With Schalke 04
- DFB-Pokal: 2010–11 (German Cup)
With FC Zürich
- Swiss Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16
With HNK Rijeka
- Prva HNL: 2016–17 (Croatian League)
- Croatian Cup: 2016–17
With Dinamo Zagreb
- Prva HNL: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 (Croatian League)
- Croatian Cup: 2017–18, 2020–21
- Croatian Super Cup: 2019
With Switzerland U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2011 (finished second place)
Individual Awards
- Croatian Cup top scorer: 2016–17
- Football Oscar – Prva HNL Team of the Year: 2017, 2018 (chosen as one of the best players in the league)
See also
In Spanish: Mario Gavranović para niños
