Zlatko Zahovič facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 February 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Maribor, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1979–1981 | Maribor | ||
| 1981–1989 | Kovinar Maribor | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1989–1993 | Partizan | 37 | (5) |
| 1989–1990 | → Mladost Petrinja (loan) | ||
| 1990–1991 | → Proleter Zrenjanin (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 1993–1996 | Vitória Guimarães | 79 | (13) |
| 1996–1999 | Porto | 87 | (27) |
| 1999–2000 | Olympiacos | 14 | (7) |
| 2000–2001 | Valencia | 20 | (3) |
| 2001–2005 | Benfica | 80 | (14) |
| 2008–2009 | Limbuš-Pekre | 11 | (12) |
| Total | 353 | (81) | |
| National team | |||
| Yugoslavia U21 | |||
| 1992–2004 | Slovenia | 80 | (35) |
| 2003 | Slovenia B | 2 | (1) |
|
|||
Zlatko Zahovič (born 1 February 1971) is a Slovenian former professional footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder.
Zahovič became well-known in Portugal. He played for famous clubs like Porto and Benfica. Over ten years, he played 246 matches and scored 54 goals in the Primeira Liga. He also played for short times in Spain and Greece.
He was great at dribbling and scoring goals. Even though he was a midfielder, he scored 11 goals in 32 Champions League games. For the Slovenian national team, he scored 35 goals in 80 matches.
Zahovič holds the record for most goals for Slovenia. He was a key player when Slovenia first qualified for a European Championship and a World Cup in the early 2000s.
Contents
Zlatko Zahovič's Club Career
Early Football Days at Partizan
Zlatko Zahovič was born in Maribor, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. In 1989, when he was 18, a player from Partizan noticed him. This led to Zahovič joining the Partizan club.
He played for the Belgrade team for three seasons. During this time, he also played on loan for two other clubs: Mladost Petrinja and Proleter Zrenjanin. In the 1992–93 league season, he helped Partizan win the national championship. He played 15 games and scored three goals for them that season.
Playing in Portugal
In the summer of 1993, Zahovič, then 22, moved to Portugal. He joined Vitória de Guimarães. In the 1995–96 season, he scored a winning goal against FC Porto. This goal helped Porto decide to sign him that summer. He helped his team qualify for the UEFA Cup twice during his three years there.
Zahovič was also a very important player at Porto. He worked well with other attackers like Capucho and Mário Jardel. He helped Porto win three league titles in a row. He almost always played in matches. In his last year at Porto, he scored his highest number of goals in a season, with 22 goals across all games. He also scored seven goals in the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League.
Time in Greece with Olympiacos
In 1999, Zahovič joined Olympiacos F.C. in Greece. This transfer cost €13.5 million, which was the most ever paid for a Slovenian footballer at that time. However, his time in Greece was difficult. He faced some challenges and did not stay long.
Playing for Valencia in Spain
After just one season in Greece, Zahovič moved to Spain. He joined Valencia CF for £5.5 million. His new team reached the final of the 2000–01 Champions League. They lost the final to FC Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout. Zahovič took a penalty kick, but the opposing goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, saved it.
Again, Zahovič faced some difficulties with his coach, Héctor Cúper. He felt he was not getting enough chances to play.
Return to Portugal with Benfica
In June 2001, Zahovič went back to Portugal. He joined S.L. Benfica. He was a key player for his first three seasons there. However, when manager Giovanni Trapattoni arrived, Zahovič played less. In January 2005, his contract ended early.
Zlatko Zahovič's International Career
Zahovič's first game for Slovenia was on 7 November 1992. It was a friendly match against Cyprus. The national team later qualified for UEFA Euro 2000. Zahovič scored nine goals in 15 games during the qualification matches. In the main tournament, he scored three of Slovenia's four goals. His great playing earned him comparisons to famous players like David Beckham.
Slovenia also managed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This was another first for the country. However, during the first group game against Spain, Zahovič had a disagreement with the coach, Srečko Katanec. Because of this, he was sent home from the tournament.
Zahovič stopped playing for the national team in December 2003. But he changed his mind two months later. His last game for Slovenia was on 28 April 2004 against Switzerland. He played a total of 80 games and scored 35 goals. At that time, these were both records for Slovenia. He was considered the most successful Slovenian footballer since the country became independent in 1991. His record for international appearances was later broken by Boštjan Cesar in 2014.
Zlatko Zahovič's Administrative Career
After he stopped playing professional football in June 2005, Zahovič returned to Slovenia. In 2007, he became the director of football at NK Maribor. He stayed in this role until March 2020. Under his leadership, the club won eight Slovenian PrvaLiga titles. They also reached the UEFA Champions League group stages twice. In the 2013–14 season, they reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League.
Personal Life and Family
Zlatko Zahovič's son, Luka, is also a footballer. He plays as a striker and has also played for the Slovenian national team. In a Champions League group stage match in 2014, Luka scored a late goal for Maribor. This made Zlatko and Luka the second father and son pair to both score in the Champions League since it started in its current form in 1992. They were the first European father and son to do so.
When he was younger, Zahovič enjoyed playing chess and practicing ski jumping.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Partizan | 1989–90 | Yugoslav First League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Mladost Petrinja (loan) | 1989–90 | Yugoslav Inter-Republic League | — | — | ||||||||
| Proleter Zrenjanin (loan) | 1990–91 | Yugoslav First League | 25 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Partizan | 1991–92 | Yugoslav First League | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 3 | |
| 1992–93 | First League of FR Yugoslavia | 15 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 4 | |||
| Total | 37 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 46 | 7 | |||
| Vitória Guimarães | 1993–94 | Primeira Divisão | 27 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 4 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 29 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 8 | |||
| Total | 79 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 86 | 14 | |||
| Porto | 1996–97 | Primeira Divisão | 27 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 9 |
| 1997–98 | 29 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 11 | ||
| 1998–99 | 31 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 22 | ||
| Total | 87 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 118 | 42 | ||
| Olympiacos | 1999–2000 | Alpha Ethniki | 14 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | 24 | 9 | |
| Valencia | 2000–01 | La Liga | 20 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1 | — | 31 | 6 | |
| Benfica | 2001–02 | Primeira Liga | 21 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 7 | ||
| 2002–03 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 6 | ||||
| 2003–04 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 31 | 3 | |||
| 2004–05 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 4 | ||
| Total | 80 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 101 | 20 | ||
| Limbuš-Pekre | 2008–09 | 1. MNZ Maribor | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | 8 | 6 | |||
| 2009–10 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 11 | 12 | — | — | — | 11 | 12 | |||||
| Career total | 353 | 81 | 33 | 12 | 51 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 442 | 110 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1996 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 9 | 6 | |
| 1999 | 11 | 8 | |
| 2000 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2001 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2002 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 80 | 35 | |
- Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zahovič goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 November 1994 | Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia |  Lithuania |
1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2 | 29 March 1995 | Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia |  Estonia |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 3 | 11 June 1995 | Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia | Estonia |
3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4 | 11 October 1995 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Ukraine |
2–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 5 | 10 November 1996 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–2 | 1–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 11 October 1997 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Croatia |
1–3 | 1–3 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 5 February 1998 | Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus |  Iceland |
1–0 | 3–2 | Cyprus International Football Tournament |
| 8 | 2–1 | |||||
| 9 | 6 February 1998 | Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus |  Slovakia |
1–0 | 1–1 | Cyprus International Football Tournament |
| 10 | 6 September 1998 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece |  Greece |
1–0 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 11 | 2–2 | |||||
| 12 | 10 October 1998 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Norway |
1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 13 | 8 February 1999 | Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman |  Oman |
5–0 | 7–0 | Oman International Tournament |
| 14 | 28 April 1999 | Ljubljana Sports Park, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Finland |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 5 June 1999 | Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia |  Latvia |
1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 16 | 2–1 | |||||
| 17 | 9 June 1999 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Albania |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 18 | 18 August 1999 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Albania |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 19 | 4 September 1999 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Georgia |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 20 | 13 November 1999 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Ukraine |
1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 21 | 23 February 2000 | Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman | Oman |
2–0 | 4–0 | Oman International Tournament |
| 22 | 3 June 2000 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Saudi Arabia |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 23 | 13 June 2000 | Stade du Pays de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium |  Yugoslavia |
1–0 | 3–3 | UEFA Euro 2000 |
| 24 | 3–0 | |||||
| 25 | 18 June 2000 | Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands |  Spain |
1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 |
| 26 | 7 October 2000 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 27 | 28 March 2001 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Yugoslavia |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 28 | 2 June 2001 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Luxembourg |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 29 | 2–0 | |||||
| 30 | 15 August 2001 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Romania |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 31 | 12 February 2002 | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong |  Honduras |
1–1 | 1–5 | 2002 Lunar New Year Cup |
| 32 | 17 May 2002 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Ghana |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 33 | 2 April 2003 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Cyprus |
3–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 34 | 30 April 2003 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta |  Malta |
1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 35 | 28 April 2004 | Stade de Genève, Lancy, Switzerland |  Switzerland |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
Football Achievements and Honours
Partizan
- First League of FR Yugoslavia: 1992–93
- Yugoslav Cup: 1991–92
Porto
- Primeira Divisão: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99
- Taça de Portugal: 1997–98
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1996, 1998, 1999
Olympiacos
- Alpha Ethniki: 1999–2000
Valencia
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2000–01
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2004–05
- Taça de Portugal: 2003–04
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2004
Limbuš-Pekre
- 1. MNZ Maribor: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Zlatko Zahovič para niños
