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Mario Gavranović
Mario Gavranovic 2011-08-03.jpg
Gavranović with Schalke 04 in 2011
Personal information
Full name Mario Gavranović
Date of birth (1989-11-24) 24 November 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth Lugano, Switzerland
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) 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)
International career
2005 Switzerland U17 1 (2)
2007–2008 Switzerland U19 8 (6)
2008–2011 Switzerland U21 14 (3)
2011–2022 Switzerland 41 (16)
Medal record
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 August 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 June 2022

Mario Gavranović is a former professional footballer from Switzerland. He was born on November 24, 1989. Mario played as a forward, which means he was usually in charge of scoring goals for his team.

Mario's Club Journey

Starting Out in Football

Mario Gavranović began his football journey at a club called AS Vezia. Later, he joined Team Ticino U18, which is a youth academy for young players. His first professional games were with FC Lugano in the 2006–07 season. He quickly showed his talent, scoring eight goals in 21 games during his second season.

In 2008, he moved to Yverdon-Sport and continued to score goals, netting eight in just 20 games. After that, he joined Neuchâtel Xamax for the 2008–09 season.

Playing for Schalke

Mario's good performance at Neuchâtel Xamax, where he scored eight goals in 17 games, caught the eye of bigger clubs. On February 1, 2010, he signed with Schalke 04, a well-known team in Germany.

One of his most important goals for Schalke 04 came in the Champions League. He scored a crucial goal against Valencia, helping his team win 4–2 and move on to the quarter-finals of the competition. Later, in 2011, he played for Mainz for a season on loan.

Time with FC Zürich

After his loan spell, Mario returned to Schalke but then decided to join FC Zürich in Switzerland in the summer of 2012. He made his first appearance for Zürich on July 15, 2012, and even scored his first goal for them in the same match from a penalty kick.

He scored many important goals for Zürich. For example, in August 2013, he scored the winning goal against the champions, FC Basel. He also scored twice in the Swiss Cup final in April 2014, leading Zürich to a 2–0 victory over Basel and winning the cup!

Unfortunately, Mario suffered a knee injury during training at the World Cup, which kept him from playing for the rest of 2014.

Moving to Rijeka

On January 18, 2016, Mario moved to HNK Rijeka in Croatia. He quickly made an impact, scoring in his very first official game for the club on February 12, 2016. During his two years with Rijeka, Mario was a strong scorer, finding the net 40 times in 80 games.

Joining Dinamo Zagreb

In January 2018, Mario joined Dinamo Zagreb, another big club in Croatia. He shared that his family members were big fans of Dinamo, and he was encouraged to support the club from a young age.

He scored his first goal for Dinamo in March 2018. He also scored twice in a big away game against rivals Hajduk Split, which helped Dinamo get closer to winning their 19th league title. In October 2020, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Dinamo, helping them win 3–2 against Gorica.

Playing for Switzerland

Mario Gavranović also played for the Swiss national team. He played for the Switzerland U-21 team in 14 games, scoring three goals.

He made his debut for the senior national team on March 26, 2011. His first goals for Switzerland came in August 2012, when he scored two goals in a friendly match against Croatia.

Mario was part of the Swiss squad for the World Cup in Brazil. However, he got a serious knee injury during training, which meant he couldn't play for the rest of the tournament.

He also played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In a match against Serbia, he came on as a substitute and helped set up a goal for Xherdan Shaqiri, leading to a 2–1 comeback win for Switzerland.

One of his most memorable moments for the national team was at UEFA Euro 2020. In the Round of 16 match against France, he scored Switzerland's third goal, making the score 3–3. Switzerland then won the game in a penalty shootout, with Mario successfully scoring his penalty! This was a huge achievement for Switzerland, as it was the first time they reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament since the 1954 FIFA World Cup.

Mario announced his retirement from the Swiss national team on September 15, 2022, after playing for them for eleven years.

About Mario's Life

Mario Gavranović was born in Lugano, Switzerland. His parents are from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is married to Anita, and they have a daughter named Leonie, who was born in May 2019.

Awards and Achievements

Mario Gavranović won many trophies and awards during his career:

Schalke 04

Zürich

  • Swiss Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16

Rijeka

  • Prva HNL: 2016–17 (Croatian League)
  • Croatian Cup: 2016–17

Dinamo Zagreb

  • Prva HNL: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
  • Croatian Cup: 2017–18, 2020–21
  • Croatian Super Cup: 2019

Switzerland U21

Individual Awards

  • Croatian Cup top scorer: 2016–17
  • Football Oscar – Prva HNL Team of the Year: 2017, 2018

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mario Gavranović para niños

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