Zvonimir Boban facts for kids
Boban in 2008
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 8 October 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Imotski, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1981 | Mračaj Runović | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1982 | Hajduk Split | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1985 | Dinamo Zagreb | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1991 | Dinamo Zagreb | 109 | (45) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–2001 | AC Milan | 178 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | → Bari (loan) | 17 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | → Celta Vigo (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 308 | (68) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Yugoslavia U20 | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1991 | Yugoslavia | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1999 | Croatia | 49 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Zvonimir Boban (born 8 October 1968) is a famous Croatian former footballer. He played as a midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defense. Boban spent most of his career with the Italian club AC Milan. With Milan, he won four Serie A titles (Italy's top league) and one UEFA Champions League title (Europe's biggest club competition).
He also led the Croatian national team as their captain. They won third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Before Croatia became an independent country, Boban played for the Yugoslavia under-20 team. They won the 1987 World Youth Championship. Boban scored three goals in that tournament. He even scored in the final and made the winning penalty kick in the shootout.
Boban played seven games for the senior Yugoslavia team. After Croatia became independent, he played for their national team from 1992 to 1999. He played 49 games for Croatia and scored 12 goals. After he stopped playing football in 2002, Boban studied history at the University of Zagreb. He also became a football expert on TV in Croatia and Italy. Today, he works for UEFA as the Chief of Football.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Dinamo Zagreb
Zvonimir Boban was born in Imotski, Croatia. He started his football journey with Dinamo Zagreb. He played his first game for the team in the 1985–86 season when he was just 16 years old. He played 109 games for Dinamo Zagreb over six seasons. He scored 45 goals and became the team captain at 19.
A Famous Incident: Dinamo Zagreb vs. Red Star Belgrade
On 13 May 1990, during a game against Red Star Belgrade, a big riot broke out in the stadium. Boban famously kicked a police officer. This happened because the officer was hurting a Dinamo fan. This moment made Boban a symbol of resistance in Croatia.
Many people saw this as a sign of Croatian unhappiness with the government at the time. Because of this, Boban was not allowed to play for the Yugoslav national team. This meant he missed the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Years later, in 2011, CNN called this match one of "five football games that changed the world."
Success in Serie A with AC Milan
AC Milan, a top Italian club, signed Boban in 1991. The deal was worth about £8 million. Milan first loaned him to Bari so he could get used to playing in Italy. After one season, he returned to AC Milan.
Boban played for Milan for nine seasons and had great success. He helped the team win the 1994 Champions League title. They also reached the final in 1995. Boban played 251 games for Milan and scored 30 goals. He won four Serie A titles and three Italian Supercups. In 2001, he was loaned to La Liga team Celta Vigo in Spain. He only played four games there and decided to retire in October 2001.
International Football Journey
Playing for Yugoslavia
Boban was a key player for Yugoslavia when they won the 1987 World Youth Championship. He scored three goals in this tournament. He also scored a very important penalty kick in the final shootout.
For the senior national team, he played seven games for Yugoslavia between 1988 and 1991. He scored his only goal for Yugoslavia in his last game for them on 16 May 1991.
Playing for Croatia
When Croatia became an independent country, Boban chose to play for the Croatian national team. His first game for Croatia was against Romania on 22 December 1990. This was only the second game Croatia had played as an independent nation since 1956.
Boban played his last game for Croatia in November 1999. He said back pain made him decide to stop playing international football. In total, Boban played 49 games for the Croatian national team and scored 12 goals.
The 1998 World Cup
Boban was the captain of the Croatian team that finished third at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He also led the team at the 1996 European Championship. During the 1998 World Cup, he had a unique haircut with his jersey number, 10, shaved into the back of his head and colored red.
In the semi-final match, Boban made a mistake that allowed France to score right after Croatia had taken the lead. He was also injured during this game but stayed on the field until the 65th minute. France won the match 2-1 and went on to win the tournament. Croatia then played against the Netherlands for third place. Boban made a great pass to Davor Šuker who scored the winning goal. This helped Croatia win the bronze medal.
How Boban Played
Boban was nicknamed Zorro because of his clever and tricky style of play. He was a very talented and creative player. He was also known for being tough and hard-working. He often used feints (fake moves) to get past opponents.
He had excellent vision, which means he could see the whole field and make great passes. He was also good at dribbling the ball and had strong technical skills. Boban could play in many different positions in the midfield and attack. He was best as a playmaker, helping to create goals from behind the main strikers. He could also play on the wing or as a central midfielder. He was known for his powerful and accurate shots from far away. Boban was also a strong leader on the field.
Life After Playing Football
Boban officially retired from football in 2002. On 7 October 2002, he had a special farewell match. His 1998 World Cup teammates played against a team of international stars.
After retiring, Boban, who was always interested in books, finished his history degree. He graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb in 2004. His final paper was about "Christianity in the Roman Empire."
He also started a career in sports journalism. He worked as a co-commentator for football matches and wrote columns for sports newspapers. Boban is known for being honest and direct in his comments. He also owns a restaurant in Zagreb called "Boban." Boban has always said he would never become a coach. He once said, "My nerves are not up to it!"
Working for FIFA
On 30 May 2016, Boban was chosen to be FIFA's Deputy Secretary-General. His job was to help develop the game and organize competitions. He strongly supported using technology in football, like the video assistant referee (VAR). He played a big part in making VAR happen.
During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the first World Cup with VAR, he worked closely with the top referee officials. He resigned from FIFA on 14 June 2019. The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, thanked Boban for his hard work and passion.
Returning to AC Milan
In June 2019, Boban left FIFA to go back to his old club, AC Milan. He was hired as the Chief Football Officer. He worked closely with the club's technical director, Paolo Maldini. However, he was fired on 7 March 2020. This happened after he publicly criticized the club's CEO for talking to another manager without telling Boban or Maldini.
Working for UEFA
In April 2021, Boban started a new job at UEFA. He became the Chief of Football, which was a new position at the time.
Personal Life
Boban married Leonarda Lončar, a fashion designer, in 1994. They have five children. Four of their children are adopted: Marija, Gabrijel, Marta, and Rafael. They also have a biological daughter named Ruža (Rose). In 2021, the couple separated.
Boban also loves playing tennis. He is good friends with the famous tennis player Goran Ivanišević. They often play tennis together on Boban's private indoor clay court. Boban also has some Romani family background.
Honours and Awards
AC Milan
- Serie A: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1992, 1993, 1994
- UEFA Champions League: 1993–94
- UEFA Super Cup: 1994
Yugoslavia
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1987
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1990
Croatia
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1998
Individual Awards
- FIFA World Youth Championship Silver Ball: 1987 (This award is for the second-best player in the tournament.)
- Croatian Footballer of the Year: 1991, 1999
- Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport: 1998, 2002 (This is a high sports award in Croatia.)
- AC Milan Hall of Fame
Special Orders
- Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar: 1995
- Order of the Croatian Trefoil: 1998
Images for kids
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Boban in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Zvonimir Boban para niños
