Branimir Poljac
Branimir Poljac (born 17 May 1984) is a former Norwegian football striker who was playing for Konyaspor in Turkey before he had a car accident which ended his career. He has Croatian parents.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Branimir Poljac | ||
| Date of birth | 17 May 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Oslo, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker, Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Klemetsrud | |||
| – | KFUM Oslo | ||
| – | Stabæk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2007 | Stabæk | 42 | (11) |
| 2004 | → Start (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2008 | Moss | 20 | (3) |
| 2009–2010 | Konyaspor | 40 | (11) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2000 | Norway U16 | 4 | (1) |
| 2002 | Norway U18 | 9 | (4) |
| 2003 | Norway U19 | 9 | (1) |
| 2001–2004 | Norway U21 | 6 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 May 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21 January 2009 | |||
Career
Poljac started his career in Klemetsrud and KFUM Oslo and then as a junior player he signed for Stabæk. He played for Stabæk in the Norwegian Tippeliga, but limited playing time saw him moving to Moss ahead of the 2008 season. In January 2009, Poljac signed with the Turkish club Konyaspor.[2]
On 2 April 2010, Poljac was seriously injured in a car accident. Poljac lost control of his car in a curve, and went off the road, landing on its roof. According to news reports, Poljac suffered serious neck injuries in the crash, and might be permananently paralyzed.[3]
His accident shocked Turkey, since the fans and the city liked him, and saw him as great gentleman and a good player, with potential. Many fan groups, likewise ordinary Turks, are praying for him, since he was popular in the city. On the 6 April, it was first reported that he was still in a serious condition and could potentially die and that the risk for him, becoming paralyzed was as high as 90%.[4]
Later the same day, doctors said, that he would survive the accident, whereas Branimir Poljac stated:
I survived a huge accident. For now I feel lucky I am live. I want to get well as soon as possible and return to football. From the accident until today, I want to thank everyone who has supported me. Everyone who loves me, keep on praying for me.
In order to give him moral support, a website has been created for his honour, called "Legend Poljac" where people wrote messages to him.[5]
Poljac is currently in Norway in Sunnaas Hospital and fighting back after his accident. He is slowly regaining use of his limbs. At first he could only move his shoulders, but now he is beginning to feel his arms, and his situation has moved very fast forward. In an interview he stated that he will be back somehow, as fit as before the accident.
Konyaspor's involvement with Poljac after the accident
Konyaspor is constantly in touch with Poljac. The team bus now displays the pictures of Poljac, and the Turkish Football Federation has reimbursed the player with 100,000 Turkish liras for the accident.[6]
References
- Club bio Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine at Moss FK
- "Konyaspor'da Poljac imzaladı" (in Turkish). Sporx.com. 2009-01-20. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
- Tidligere Stabæk-spiller risikerer å bli lam, VG Nett (3 April 2010). Retrieved on 3 April 2010. (Norwegian)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2010-04-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-04-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.objektifhaber.com/Spor/59840-Konya-Poljaci-unutmadi.html