Vedad Ibišević facts for kids
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Ibišević with Hertha BSC in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vedad Ibišević | ||
| Date of birth | 6 August 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Vlasenica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
New York Red Bulls (assistant) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1999 | FK Zmaj od Bosne | ||
| 2000–2001 | FC Baden | ||
| 2001–2002 | Roosevelt High School | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003 | Saint Louis Billikens | 22 | (18) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2004 | St. Louis Strikers | 10 | (9) |
| 2004 | Chicago Fire Premier | 3 | (3) |
| 2004–2006 | Paris Saint-Germain | 4 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Dijon (loan) | 33 | (10) |
| 2006–2007 | Alemannia Aachen | 24 | (6) |
| 2007–2012 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 123 | (48) |
| 2012–2016 | VfB Stuttgart | 86 | (33) |
| 2015–2016 | → Hertha BSC (loan) | 26 | (10) |
| 2016–2020 | Hertha BSC | 112 | (35) |
| 2020 | Schalke 04 | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 425 | (154) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 2007–2018 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 83 | (28) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Hertha BSC (assistant) | ||
| 2024– | New York Red Bulls (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Vedad Ibišević (born August 6, 1984) is a former professional footballer from Bosnia. He played as a forward, scoring many goals. Today, he is an assistant coach for the New York Red Bulls football team.
Vedad started his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain in France. He then moved to Germany, playing for teams like Alemannia Aachen, 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart, Hertha BSC, and Schalke 04. In 2008, he was named the Bosnian Footballer of the Year.
He played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team from 2007 to 2018. He played 83 games and scored 28 goals. Vedad scored the goal that helped Bosnia and Herzegovina reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was their first big tournament ever! He also scored their very first goal at that World Cup.
Contents
Vedad's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Vedad Ibišević was born in Vlasenica, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. When he was young, his family moved to Switzerland, and then to St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. In St. Louis, Vedad became a very promising football player. Soccer America even named him one of the top young players in the country in 2002. He played high school football at Roosevelt High School.
He then played college soccer for Saint Louis University. In his first year, he scored 18 goals in 22 games for the Billikens. He was named the NCAA Freshman of the Year. While in college, he also played for local teams like the St. Louis Strikers and Chicago Fire Premier.
During a training session, a Bosnian coach from Paris Saint-Germain noticed Vedad and signed him. He didn't play much for Paris Saint-Germain at first and was loaned to Dijon, a team in the French second division.
Becoming a Star at Hoffenheim
In 2006, Vedad joined Alemannia Aachen in Germany. A year later, in 2007, he moved to 1899 Hoffenheim. At that time, Hoffenheim was in the second division of German football. In Vedad's first season, the team got promoted to the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league, for the first time ever!
Vedad had an amazing start to the 2008–09 season. He scored two goals in Hoffenheim's first Bundesliga game, helping them win 3–0. He kept scoring, getting 18 goals and seven assists in just 17 games before the winter break. This made him the top scorer in the league! He was even named the Bundesliga Player of the Month for October 2008.
Sadly, in January 2009, Vedad got a serious knee injury during training. This meant he couldn't play for the rest of that season.
He came back for the 2009–10 season. In one game against Hertha BSC, he scored three goals very quickly, which is called a hat-trick. It was one of the fastest hat-tricks in Bundesliga history! He stayed with Hoffenheim until 2012.
Time with VfB Stuttgart
On January 25, 2012, Vedad moved to VfB Stuttgart. He quickly started scoring goals for his new team. In February 2012, he scored his first goal for Stuttgart in a big 5–0 win. He continued to score important goals, helping Stuttgart try to qualify for European competitions.
In the 2012–13 season, Vedad scored another hat-trick for Stuttgart against Schalke 04. On September 1, 2013, he scored yet another hat-trick against his former club, Hoffenheim, in a huge 6–2 victory. He later got a suspension for an action during a game and apologized for it. In October 2014, he broke his foot, which kept him out of action for a while.
Leading Hertha BSC
Vedad joined Hertha BSC on loan in August 2015, and then permanently in July 2016. He scored two goals in his second game for Hertha, ending a long period without scoring. He continued to score important goals for the team.
In August 2016, Vedad was named the team's captain by coach Pál Dárdai. On November 27, he scored his 100th goal in the Bundesliga, becoming only the sixth foreign player to do so! He signed a new contract with Hertha the next day. He played his 250th Bundesliga game in March 2017.
He continued to play for Hertha BSC until 2020. In his 300th Bundesliga game in December 2018, he scored a goal against Hannover 96.
Short Spell at Schalke 04
On September 3, 2020, Vedad signed a one-year contract with Schalke 04. However, his time there was short, and his contract ended in December 2020.
Playing for His Country
Vedad Ibišević also played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina under-21 team before joining the senior national team.
He made his first appearance for the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina team on March 24, 2007, in a game against Norway. He scored his first international goal in October 2007 against Greece.
On September 7, 2012, Vedad scored his first international hat-trick against Liechtenstein. He also helped his teammate Edin Džeko score a goal in that game.
The most famous goal of his international career came on October 15, 2013. He scored the only goal in the match against Lithuania. This goal meant that Bosnia and Herzegovina would go to the 2014 FIFA World Cup for the very first time in their history!
In June 2014, Vedad was part of Bosnia's team for the World Cup. He played in their first game against Argentina and scored Bosnia's first-ever goal at a World Cup finals tournament!
Vedad retired from international football after Bosnia's qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup. In May 2018, he played in a special friendly game against Montenegro. This game was held to celebrate his achievements with the national team, and the fans gave him a standing ovation as he left the field.
About Vedad's Life
Vedad Ibišević comes from a Bosniak family. When he was young, his family had to move from Bosnia due to a war. They first went to Switzerland and then to St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. Vedad has mentioned that his family was "lucky" during that difficult time.
Vedad is married to Zerina (née Medić). They have three children: a son named Ismail (born 2012), a daughter named Zejna (born 2016), and another son named Idris (born 2019). Vedad is a Muslim. During the 2014 World Cup, he visited a mosque in Brazil with some of his teammates.
Vedad's cousin, Elvir, is also a football player who has played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
Awards and Recognition
Vedad Ibišević has received several awards for his football skills:
- Conference USA Men's Soccer Freshman of the Year: 2003
- Bosnian Footballer of the Year: 2008
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2008–09
- ESM Team of the Year: 2008–09
Images for kids
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Ibišević with 1899 Hoffenheim in 2008
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Ibišević playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Vedad Ibišević para niños
