Ivica Olić

Ivica Olić (pronounced [îʋitsa ǒːlitɕ];[3] born 14 September 1979) is a Croatian former professional footballer who is currently working as an assistant manager of the Croatia national team.[4][5] During his career, he played for German Bundesliga clubs such as Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich as well as CSKA Moscow, winning the 2004-05 UEFA Cup for the latter, and also for the Croatia national team. Olić primarily played as a striker but could also operate as a winger. He has been described as a relentless pursuer of the ball and possessing "power and a decent bit of pace with him". Former Croatia manager Slaven Bilić described him as a typical "match-winner" and "king of important matches" due to his ability to score in important matches against big opponents.[6]

Ivica Olić
Olić as Croatia assistant manager at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Ivica Olić[1]
Date of birth (1979-09-14) 14 September 1979
Place of birth Davor, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Croatia (assistant manager)
Youth career
Posavac Davor
Marsonia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Marsonia 42 (17)
1998–2000 Hertha BSC II 30 (10)
1998–2000 Hertha BSC 2 (0)
2000–2001 Marsonia 42 (21)
2001–2002 NK Zagreb 28 (21)
2002–2003 Dinamo Zagreb 27 (16)
2003–2007 CSKA Moscow 78 (35)
2007–2009 Hamburger SV 78 (29)
2009–2012 Bayern Munich 55 (13)
2012–2015 VfL Wolfsburg 78 (28)
2015–2016 Hamburger SV 25 (2)
2016–2017 1860 Munich 30 (5)
Total 515 (197)
National team
1996 Croatia U17 3 (0)
1997 Croatia U18 1 (0)
1997–1998 Croatia U19 9 (1)
1998 Croatia U20 1 (0)
2000–2001 Croatia U21 6 (2)
2002–2015 Croatia 104 (20)
Teams managed
2017– Croatia (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Named the Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2009 and 2010, Olić appeared with Bayern Munich in two UEFA Champions League finals in 2010 and 2012. He represented his country in three FIFA World Cups – in 2002, 2006 and 2014 – and two UEFA European Championships – in 2004 and 2008; earning his 100th cap on 16 November 2014, before retiring from international football in 2015.

Club career

Early career

Olić was born and raised in the village of Davor near Slavonski Brod, Croatia. He started playing football for the local club NK Marsonia in 1996, and spent two good seasons there, before he was acquired by German club Hertha BSC in 1998. He did not see much play there and returned to Marsonia the following year, where he earned promotion to the top flight after winning the Croatian Second League with his team.

After another successful season at Marsonia, in the 2000–01 season, he scored 17 goals in 29 games – in 2001, he moved to NK Zagreb, where he scored 21 goals in 28 appearances and helped his team win the league. The following season, he moved to Dinamo Zagreb, where he scored 16 goals in 27 games, and became the best striker in the Croatian First League.

CSKA Moscow

In 2003, Olić was acquired by CSKA Moscow. His form rose gradually, and in the 2005 season, he contributed with ten goals in twice as many games. With CSKA Moscow, he won the UEFA Cup in 2005, the Russian Premier League three times (in 2003, 2005 and 2006), the Russian Cup twice (in 2005 and 2006), and twice the Russian Super Cup (2004 and 2006).

After winning the UEFA Cup, Olić was awarded with the Order of Friendship by the Russian Federation.[7]

Hamburger SV
Olić with HSV

In January 2007, Olić moved to Hamburger SV, playing his first Bundesliga match with them against Energie Cottbus on 31 January.[8] He was signed because Hamburg were in deep trouble, finishing in the relegation zone before the winter break. It worked out in the end, and Hamburg finished seventh, which even acquired them a UEFA Intertoto Cup place, which they eventually won. He scored two goals in the last match in the 2006–07 Bundesliga season against Alemannia Aachen in a 4–0 win. In October 2007, Olić scored a hat-trick in the Bundesliga match against VfB Stuttgart, which Hamburg won 4–1.[9] He was the first player in the club's history to score three successive goals in one half.

Olić effectively won the 2008 Emirates Cup for Hamburg, with two injury time goals against Juventus, increasing the team's points tally to an unassailable level (due to the points-for-goals system).[10] He endeared himself to Hamburg fans for his commitment and consistent work rate on the pitch. In his last game for the north German club, he sported a T-shirt with the words, "Danke fans" ("Thank you, fans") written on it, as he bid farewell to the fans.

Bayern Munich
Olić with Bayern in 2010

On 3 January 2009, Olić signed a three-year contract with Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. He joined the club on a free transfer on 1 July 2009.[11] Initially, he was supposed to be back-up to the likes of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gómez, but due to injury and fitness issues, he began to be preferred as the club's first choice. On 8 August, his Bayern debut, he scored the opening goal against 1899 Hoffenheim in a 1–1 draw and soon became a favourite with the Bayern fans. He reached new heights upon scoring a crucial goal in the 2010 Champions League quarter-final (first leg) against Manchester United in injury time, to give Bayern a slender 2–1 lead.[12] He also scored the first goal in the second leg for his team, but they trailed 3–1. The game ended 3–2. Bayern, however, won on away goals.[13] He scored his first hat-trick for the Bavarians against Lyon, scoring with his left foot, right foot, and his head, in the Champions League semi-final second leg on 27 April 2010.[14] The victory against Lyon secured his team a place in the final against Internazionale, which they eventually lost 2–0.[15] On 3 April 2012, he scored a brace in a 2–0 win against Marseille in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.[16] Olić played his final game for Bayern in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Chelsea, in which he came on as a 97th-minute substitute for the injured Franck Ribéry. Bayern eventually lost the game in a penalty shootout when the game ended 1–1 after extra time. Olić missed the team's fourth penalty, as they lost the shootout 4–3.[17]

VfL Wolfsburg
Olić playing for Wolfsburg in 2014

Olić signed for VfL Wolfsburg at the start of the 2012–13 season.[18] He scored his first Bundesliga goal for Wolfsburg against Greuther Fürth, and he netted another one against Fortuna Düsseldorf. He started the season with a hat-trick against Schönberg 95 in the 2012–13 DFB-Pokal. He scored another goal in the quarter-final match of the DFB-Pokal against Kickers Offenbach on 26 February 2013, as Wolfsburg secured a spot in the semi-finals. He produced an "acrobatic overhead kick" to score the first of his two goals in a 5–2 win against SC Freiburg in March 2013.[19] He finished the season as first-choice striker for the club, with 15 goals and 6 assists. On 24 April 2014, Olić signed a new two-year deal with the German side.[20] In the opening match of the 2014–15 Bundesliga season, he scored a spectacular goal against his former club Bayern Munich.[21]

Return to Hamburger SV

Olić returned to Hamburger SV on 30 January 2015 after signing an 18-month contract for an undisclosed fee.[22] He was given kit number 8, but at the end of the 2014–15 season, Ivo Iličević changed his kit number from 11 to 7, prompting Olić to reclaim number 11, which he had worn previously at both Bayern and Wolfsburg, and also in his first spell at Hamburg.[23]

1860 Munich

On 26 July 2016, Olić signed a one-year deal with 2. Bundesliga side 1860 Munich.[4] On 25 June 2017, Olić announced his retirement.[24] Later, he revoked that comment saying "I know Bild published I am retiring, but that is not true," he told Sportske novosti. "Maybe I have played my last game and maybe not. It is the same as last summer – if I receive an offer that is good for me, I will continue."[25]

International career

Olić was part of the Croatia national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where he played in two games and scored one important goal against Italy in a 2–1 Croatia victory.[26] Shortly after scoring, Olić revealed a picture of his newly born child at the time under his jersey. He was remembered as being unable to put his jersey back on, as the material became tangled in the excitement during his celebration. Olić also played three games for Croatia at UEFA Euro 2004 and two games at the 2006 World Cup.

In September 2006, Olić was dropped from the Croatian squad for a Euro 2008 qualifying match for one game, due to a late-night partying binge together with Darijo Srna and Boško Balaban.[27] He was named man of the match in the very last qualifier of their group, in which Croatia defeated England 3–2 at Wembley Stadium.[28] He was named in Croatia's 23-man squad for the final tournament, and scored in their second Group B match against Germany to give the Croats a 2–1 shock win over the pre-tournament favourites.[29]

Olić was recalled to the side for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. He contributed with three goals in eight games, but Croatia missed out on a play-off spot by a point. Olić was injured in a friendly match against Norway, which was the cause of his last-moment absence in Euro 2012. On 22 March 2013, Olić scored his first goal since November 2011 and assisted Mario Mandžukić in a qualifier for the 2014 World Cup against Serbia. In the opening game of the finals, on 12 June, his left-wing cross led to the first goal of the tournament, deflected into his own net by Marcelo of Brazil.[30] In the second group game against Cameroon on 18 June, Olić opened the scoring in the 11th minute for an eventual 4–0 win.[31] It was his first goal after 12 years in the World Cup, a difference only previously matched by Denmark's Michael Laudrup, and with this goal he became his country's oldest World Cup goal-scorer.[32]

On 16 November 2014, in a Euro 2016 qualifying match against Italy at the San Siro, Olić earned his 100th cap in a 1–1 draw.[33] On 2 March 2016, Olić retired from international football in an open letter to the public.[34] He scored 20 goals in 104 caps for his country.

Personal life

Olić and his wife Natalia have two sons and a daughter, named Luka, Antonio and Lara, respectively.[35] Unlike many of his counterparts, he prefers to keep a low media profile and generally lives a quiet private life.[36]

Career statistics

Club
ClubSeasonLeagueCup1Continental2Other3TotalRef.
LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Marsonia1996–97Prva HNL9000—90[37]
1997–98Druga HNL24910259[38]
1998–99Treća HNL9810108[38]
Total421720—4417—
Hertha BSC1998–99Bundesliga2010—30[39]
Hertha BSC II1998–99NOFV-Oberliga159—159
1999–2000Regionalliga - Süd151151
Total301000—3010—
Marsonia1999–2000Druga HNL13400—134[38]
2000–01Prva HNL2917002917[38]
Total422100—4321—
NK Zagreb2001–02Prva HNL282120—3023[38]
Dinamo Zagreb2002–0327162143103420[38]
CSKA Moscow2003Premier League1072100—128[40]
200424931150104310[40]
200520105100—2511[40]
20062495283103814[40]
Total78351552332011843—
Hamburger SV2006–07Bundesliga1550000—155[40]
2007–083214421425018[40]
2008–093110561495025[41]
Total7829982811—11548—
Bayern Munich2009–10Bundesliga291121107—4119[42]
2010–1160102010100[40]
2011–122024052—294[43]
Total551371179108023—
VfL Wolfsburg2012–13Bundesliga32954——3713[44]
2013–143214513715[45]
2014–151451050205[40]
Total782811550—9433—
Hamburger SV2014–15Bundesliga16200—20182[40]
2015–169011—101[46]
Total25211—20283—
1860 Munich2016–172. Bundesliga30510—20335[40]
Career totals5151975121772680651244—

International
Source:[47]
Croatia
YearAppsGoals
200292
200392
2004102
200540
2006100
200783
2008122
200962
201051
201131
201240
201391
2014113
201541
Total10420
Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first.[48]
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 17 April 2002 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia 3  Bosnia and Herzegovina
1–0
2–0
 Friendly
2 8 June 2002 Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan 5  Italy
1–1
2–1
 2002 FIFA World Cup
3 30 April 2003 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden 12  Sweden
1–0
2–1
 Friendly
4 11 October 2003 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia 17  Bulgaria
1–0
1–0
 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
5 29 May 2004 Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia 22  Slovakia
1–0
1–0
 Friendly
6 5 June 2004 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 23  Denmark
2–0
2–1
7 16 October 2007 Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia 48  Slovakia
1–0
3–0
8
3–0
9 21 November 2007 Wembley Stadium, London, England 50  England
2–0
3–2
 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
10 12 June 2008 Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria 56  Germany
2–0
2–1
 UEFA Euro 2008
11 15 October 2008 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia 62  Andorra
2–0
4–0
 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
12 12 August 2009 Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus 65  Belarus
1–0
3–1
13
3–1
14 3 September 2010 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia 71  Latvia
2–0
3–0
 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
15 11 November 2011 Türk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, Turkey 75  Turkey
1–0
3–0
 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
16 22 March 2013 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia 82  Serbia
2–0
2–0
 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 5 March 2014 AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland 90   Switzerland
1–1
2–2
 Friendly
18
2–2
19 18 June 2014 Arena da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil 94  Cameroon
1–0
4–0
 2014 FIFA World Cup
20 28 March 2015 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia 101  Norway
3–0
5–1
 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Honours

Player

Hertha BSC II

Marsonia[49]

NK Zagreb[49]

Dinamo Zagreb[49]

CSKA Moscow[50][49]

Hamburger SV

Bayern Munich[50][51][49]

Individual

Assistant manager

Croatia

Orders

See also

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 12. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  2. "Ivica Olić". VfL Wolfsburg. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  3. "Ìvan". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Ȉvica
  4. "Prominente Verstärkung: Olic wird ein Löwe". kicker.de (in German). 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. "Former International Ivica Olic Joins Croatia Coaching Staff". croatiaweek.com. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  6. "Bilić šokiran zbog Olića: Ovo je užas i horor!" (in Croatian). tportal.hr. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  7. "Putin dodijelio Ivici Oliću visoko rusko odličje". index.hr (in Croatian).
  8. "Tactical Formation". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 6 February 2007.
  9. "Olic-Hattrick beschert dem VfB ein Debakel" (in German). kicker. 20 October 2007.
  10. Saaid, Hamdan (14 August 2008). "Emirates Cup 2008". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. "Olić set for summer switch to Bayern". UEFA. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  12. "Ivica Olic winner for Bayern Munich sinks Manchester United". The Guardian. 31 March 2010.
  13. "Man Utd 3–2 Bayern Munich (agg 4–4)". BBC Sport. 7 April 2010.
  14. "Olić treble takes brilliant Bayern to Madrid". UEFA. 27 April 2010.
  15. "Bayern 0–2 Internazionale". UEFA. 22 May 2010.
  16. "Bayern 2–0 Marseille". UEFA. 3 April 2012.
  17. "Bayern 1–1 Chelsea". UEFA. 19 May 2012.
  18. "Die "Wölfe" holen Olic und buhlen um Giovinco". kicker (in German). 26 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  19. "Five-star Wolves sink Freiburg". Sky Sports. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  20. "Olic staying on board". VfL Wolfsburg. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  21. "Bayern Munich 2-1 VfL Wolfsburg". BBC Sport. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  22. "Ivica Olic: Hamburg sign Wolfsburg striker". BBC Sport. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  23. "Olic nach Abschied: "Ihr seid die besten Fans der Welt"" [Olic after farewell: "You're the best Fans in the world"] (in German). Hamburger Abendblatt. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  24. "Ivica Olic announces retirement". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  25. "Ex-Bayern Munich star Ivica Olic in retirement U-turn". Goal.com. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  26. "Croatia punish Italy". BBC Sport. 8 June 2002.
  27. "Croatian trio expelled from squad". CNN. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  28. "Croats punish poor England". FIFA. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  29. "Classy Croats stun Germany". FIFA. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  30. "Brazil 3–1 Croatia". BBC Sport. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  31. "Croatia boost hopes, Cameroon bow out". FIFA. 19 June 2014.
  32. "Olic: Twelve years and still going strong". FIFA. 19 June 2014.
  33. "Italy cling on to hold Croatia". UEFA. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  34. "Ivica Olić više neće igrati za Hrvatsku: Pročitajte oproštajno pismo!". index.hr/sport (in Croatian). 2 March 2016.
  35. "Olic: Nothing's decided yet". FIFA. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  36. "Breitner lobt Olic: Ein Hochgenuss" (in German). Abendzeitung. 10 December 2009.
  37. "Ivica Olic". hrnogomet (in Croatian). hrnogomet. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  38. "Ivica Olic". hrnogomet (in Croatian). hrnogomet. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  39. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  40. "Ivica Olić » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  41. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  42. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  43. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  44. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  45. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  46. "Ivica Olic". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  47. "Olić, Ivica". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  48. "Ivica Olić – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  49. "Ivica Olić". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  50. "Former Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic announces retirement". ESPN. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  51. "Croatian forward Ivica Olic announces retirement". Sports Mole. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  52. "Olics lang ersehntes Fallrückzieher-Tor". ARD (in German). 9 March 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  53. "Ivica Olić Has Decided To End His Career". Total Croatia News. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  54. "Putin dodijelio Ivici Oliću visoko rusko odličje". index.hr (in Croatian). 18 December 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  55. "Vijesti: Predsjednica odlikovala igrače i stručni stožer nogometne reprezentacije". predsjednica.hr (in Croatian). 13 November 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
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