Zvonimir Boban (photo below) is a Yugoslav (Croatian) professional ex-soccer player who played as an attacking midfielder in European clubs such as Dynamo Zagreb (Yugoslavia, now Croatia), Milan and Bari (Italy), Celta (Spain).
Twice he became the best football player in Croatia. He currently holds the position of Deputy Secretary General of FIFA. Zvonimir Boban spent most of his professional career in the Italian Milan, with which he won four Series A titles and one Champions League title.
Between 1990 and 2000 played for the national team of Croatia, where he was a captain for a long time. Boban previously played in the national team of the youth team of Yugoslavia (1987), and from 1988 to 1991. - in the main team.
It is worth noting that in 1987 the youth team of Yugoslavia (a team that includes players no older than 20 years old) won the world championship. Zvonimir Boban then distinguished himself with three goals scored in the tournament, including the goal against West Germany in the final of the championship also belongs to him.
After completing a football career (in 2002), Zvonimir Boban graduated with a degree in History from the University of Zagreb. For a long time he worked as a football expert on Croatian and Italian television. Among sports experts and experts, Zvonimir has authority in terms of sports (in particular, in football) analytics, he is considered very successful in this matter.
Biography
Zvonimir Boban was born on October 8, 1968 in the city of Imotski (Yugoslavia, now it is Croatia). From childhood, he showed interest in football. Parents gave him to the sports section, where the guy began to improve his skills and fall in love with the game even more. His first youth club was Mrakash Runovich, in which he played until 1981. From 1981 to 1982 He played in the youth Hajduk Split, after which he transferred to Dynamo Zagreb.
Zvonimir Boban - football career
Boban began his professional career in 1985 at Dynamo Zagreb at the age of 17. Two seasons later, he was in the youth team of Yugoslavia, where in 1987 he won the world championship. This success led to the fact that upon returning to Dynamo Zagreb Zvonimir was appointed team captain, at that time he was only 18 years old. Thus, the midfielder left a mark in history, setting an absolute record. However, in 2001, this achievement was surpassed by football player Niko Kranjčar.
National Hero of Croatia
Zvonimir Boban is considered the national hero of Croatia after one scandalous episode that occurred in May 1990 in a duel against the teams Dynamo Zagreb and Crvena Zvezda. At a certain point, the football match turned into a real battle between the fans. All this was explained by the acute political situation that preceded the split of the country into separate states. The police intervened in the conflict. Boban hit one of the law enforcement officers after he raised his hand to the Dynamo Zagreb fan. This story has become very resonant among the public. She is still remembered, as this episode entailed many political disputes, which turned into a series of radical measures. The player received a six-year suspension and was unable to take part in the 1990 World Cup. In the 1990/91 season, Croatian clubs last played in the Yugoslav championship, where Dynamo Zagreb won silver medals and Zvonimir Boban scored fifteen goals in 26 matches.
Going to the Italian Milan, renting at Bari
In the summer of 1991, the Croat signed a contract with the club from Serie A - Milan. The total cost of the player amounted to about eight million euros. In the Italian top division, there was a restriction on legionnaires, which stated that they could be declared in their composition only in the maximum number of three players. The management of Rossoneri decided to lease the Croatian midfielder to the Bari club so that it could adapt to Italian football.
At the end of the season, “Bari” was placed on the 15th line of the championship and flew to the lower division, but the quality of the game by Zvonimir Boban satisfied the mentors of “Milan”. The next season, the Croat continued in a red-black shirt. Over time, Boban became a key and main player in Milan. Here he played for nine seasons and achieved incredible victories with the club. Between 1991 and 2001 “Devils” 4 times became champions of Series A, and also became owners of the Champions League Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
