Zeljko Kalac facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Zeljko Kalac

Kalac in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1972-12-16) 16 December 1972 (age 52)
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	2.02 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1988	Sydney United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1989–1995	Sydney United	92	(0)
1995–1996	Leicester City	2	(0)
1996–1998	Sydney United	30	(0)
1998–2002	Roda JC	115	(0)
2002–2005	Perugia	79	(0)
2005–2009	AC Milan	38	(0)
2009–2010	Kavala	9	(0)
2010–2011	Sydney United
2013	Hobart Zebras	1	(0)
Total		366	(0)
National team
1992–2006	Australia	54	(0)
Teams managed
2020	Sydney United
2021–2023	NK Urania Baška Voda
2023	Bulls FC Academy
2024	Sydney United
2025-	Inter Lions
Honours Representing  Australia Men's Association football FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 1997 Saudi Arabia OFC Nations Cup Winner 1996 Oceania Winner 2000 Tahiti Winner 2004 Australia
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Zeljko Kalac (born December 16, 1972) is an Australian former soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Inter Lions in Australia. Standing at 2.02 meters (about 6 feet 7 inches) tall, Kalac is the tallest player ever to play for the Australian national football team.

Even though he was a goalkeeper, Kalac often chose to wear jersey number 18. This was his preferred number when he wasn't wearing the usual number 1 for goalkeepers. However, when he joined the Italian club A.C. Milan in 2005, number 18 was already taken. So, he chose number 16 instead. Later, when he moved to Kavala, number 18 was also unavailable, and he ended up wearing number 60.

Zeljko Kalac's Club Career

Starting Out in Australia

Zeljko Kalac grew up in Sydney, Australia. He began his professional soccer journey at Sydney United. This team played in Australia's top league at the time, the National Soccer League.

When he was just 16, Kalac joined the first team. He played in the first 11 games of the 1989–90 season. This was because the main goalkeeper, Tony Franken, was not available. After that, Kalac became a substitute player. He stayed on the bench for the entire 1990–91 season as Franken played every game.

After Franken left, Kalac competed for a spot with a young player named Mark Bosnich. Kalac played in 21 out of 26 games in the 1991–92 season. He became the main goalkeeper when Bosnich moved to another team.

Later, Tony Franken returned to Sydney United. Kalac and Franken shared the goalkeeping duties for a season. But Kalac became the first-choice goalkeeper for the 1993–94 season. He helped Sydney United reach third place in the league. He remained the main goalkeeper in the 1994–95 season, again helping the team reach the semi-finals.

Moving to England

In 1995, Kalac moved to Europe, joining Leicester City in England. He played only three games for them. In his last game, a play-off final, he came on as a substitute. The manager hoped Kalac's height would help him save penalties. But Leicester scored a winning goal just after Kalac entered the game, so a penalty shootout wasn't needed.

Kalac then tried to move to Wolves. However, he could not get a work permit for the UK. This meant the deal fell through, and he returned to Sydney United.

Back in Australia, he played every game for Sydney United. He helped them have a very successful season. They won the league but lost in the grand final. In 1997, he tried to move to England again, this time to Portsmouth. But he was again denied a work permit.

Playing in the Netherlands

In 1998, Kalac signed with Roda JC, a team in the Dutch league called Eredivisie. He quickly became their number one goalkeeper and held this position for four years.

His arrival helped Roda JC improve. They finished fifth in the 1998–99 season, which earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup. In the 1999–2000 season, he helped Roda win the KNVB Cup. Kalac considers this one of his greatest achievements.

In the 2001–02 season, Roda JC played against A.C. Milan in the UEFA Cup. Kalac made many saves during the game. In the penalty shootout, he saved two penalties. However, Milan still won the shootout 3-2.

Time in Italy with Perugia

In July 2002, Kalac joined A.C. Perugia in Italy's top league, Serie A. He quickly became their main goalkeeper. He helped them win the Intertoto Cup, where he did not let in any goals.

However, the 2003–04 season ended with Perugia being moved down to a lower league. Kalac stayed with Perugia in Serie B for the 2004–05 season. He played 29 games. Perugia finished third, but they were moved down again due to money problems.

Joining AC Milan

In 2005, Kalac joined AC Milan, a very famous Italian club. He made his debut for Milan in February 2006. This happened when the main goalkeeper, Dida, got injured during a Champions League game. Kalac then played his first Serie A matches since 2004, keeping clean sheets (not letting in any goals) in two games.

In November 2006, Dida got another injury, which gave Kalac more chances to play. Kalac's first full game of the 2006–07 season was a 1–0 win for Milan.

Kalac signed a new contract with Milan in March 2007, keeping him there until at least 2009. In the 2007–08 season, he played in the Champions League again. He also played many Serie A games when Dida was injured or not playing well. Kalac famously kept a clean sheet against Fiorentina in February 2008. He also had a great game against Arsenal in the Champions League, where he was named Man of the Match. However, Milan was later knocked out of the competition by Arsenal.

In August 2008, another goalkeeper, Christian Abbiati, returned to Milan. This meant Kalac became the third-choice goalkeeper. He played only one more Serie A game for Milan. He left the club in August 2009.

Final Club Years

On September 1, 2009, Kalac signed a two-year deal with Kavala, a team in Greece. He played his first game for them in October 2009. After the 2009–10 season with Kavala, Kalac announced he was retiring from club football.

Zeljko Kalac's International Career

Kalac played for the Australian national team for over 14 years. For much of that time, he was a backup goalkeeper to players like Mark Bosnich and Mark Schwarzer. He was part of Australia's team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

He was a squad member for the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship and the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship. His first full international game was against Malaysia in August 1992.

In Australia's final group match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Croatia, coach Guus Hiddink surprisingly chose Kalac to start. Kalac made a mistake that led to a goal for Croatia. Luckily for Australia, Harry Kewell scored later, and Australia moved on to the next round. After the game, Kalac said he was very relieved by the result.

Kalac announced his retirement from international football on October 4, 2006. He played his last game for Australia on October 7 against Paraguay. He came off as a substitute in the last minute, with Mark Schwarzer replacing him.

Coaching Career

On August 9, 2011, Zeljko Kalac became the goalkeeping coach for A-League club Sydney FC. He stayed with the club even when the manager changed. In 2015, he left Sydney FC.

On May 22, 2015, Kalac joined Western Sydney Wanderers, another Sydney team. He worked there with his former coach, Tony Popovic. In October 2017, Kalac left the Wanderers to follow Tony Popovic to a club in Turkey.

In July 2018, Kalac became the goalkeeping coach for Melbourne City. For the 2020–21 season, Kalac became the manager of Sydney United 58. This was his first time as a full manager.

Personal Life

Zeljko Kalac has a daughter named Abby and a son named Oliver. Oliver is also a goalkeeper and plays for Sydney United 58.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Updated September 1, 2009

¹Include one match at Playoffs
²Include 2 matches at 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup
³Include 6 matches at 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup
⁴Include two matches at Relegation Playoffs

International Appearances

Honours and Awards

Leicester City

• First Division play-offs: 1996 (promoted to Premier League)

Sydney United

• National Soccer League Premiership: 1996-97 (finished first in the league)

Roda JC

• KNVB Cup: 2000 (Dutch Cup winners)

Perugia

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003 (European club competition winners)

A.C. Milan

• UEFA Champions League: 2006–07 (Europe's top club competition winners)
• UEFA Super Cup: 2007 (winners of match between Champions League and Europa League winners)
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2007 (world club champions)

Australia National Team

• FIFA Confederations Cup: runner-up, 1997
• OFC Nations Cup: 1996, 2000, 2004 (champions of Oceania)