Zvonimir Soldo

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Zvonimir Soldo
Personal information
Full name	Zvonimir Soldo
Date of birth	November 2, 1967 (1967-11-02) (age 40)
Place of birth	Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Height	1.89m
Playing position	Midfielder (retired)
Youth clubs
	NK Inter Zaprešic
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1987-1990 1990-1991 1991-1994 1994-1996 1996-2006	NK Dinamo Zagreb NK Zadar NK Inter Zaprešić NK Croatia Zagreb VfB Stuttgart	036 0(0) 0 026 0(2) 055 0(2) 348 (18)
National team2
1994-2002	Croatia	061 0(3)
Teams managed
2008	Dinamo Zagreb
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 2006. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of June 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Zvonimir Soldo (born November 2, 1967) is a retired Croatian football player and former manager of Dinamo Zagreb.

[edit] Early career

After studying law for six semesters at the University of Zagreb, Soldo's parents convinced him to pursue a career as professional football player.

Soldo's professional career began with NK Dinamo Zagreb which he left for NK Zadar after two years. 1991 through 1994, he played for NK Inker Zaprešić before returning to his former club – now called NK Croatia Zagreb.

Runner-up in both Croatian league and cup in his first season back at Zagreb, the next campaign saw Soldo's side complete a domestic double in 1995/96. After achieving all he could in domestic football, Soldo headed for German side VfB Stuttgart.

[edit] Stuttgart years

Soldo made his Bundesliga debut on August 17, 1996 against FC Schalke 04. This was the beginning of his time in Stuttgart which would last for ten years and during which he would lead the VfB Stuttgart on the pitch as captain nearly 200 times.

During this period, Zvonimir Soldo played another 300 times in the Bundesliga and 47 times in European competitions, won the German cup in 1997 and reached the European Cup Winners Cup final in 1998, as well as finished as runner-up in the 2002/03 campaign.

After being an exemplary sportsman and role model for younger players all these years, Soldo played his last Bundesliga match for Stuttgart on May 6, 2006.

In recognition of his merits, Soldo received the Staufer medal, a decoration awarded by the state of Baden-Württemberg.

[edit] International career

Soldo was also a long-time member of the Croatian national team, with notable appearances in the Euro 96, 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was capped a total of 61 times, scoring three goals, and was an important member of the squad that finished third in the 1998 World Cup.

After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Soldo retired from international football.

[edit] Coaching career

On January 14, 2008 Zvonimir was appointed as a new manager of Dinamo Zagreb after Branko Ivanković's resignation. Prior to that he was managing Dinamo's youth team. He became Prva HNL Champion and Croatian Cup Winner. He retired in the night after the cup final.

[edit] External links

• Profile on JadranSport.org (English)

v • d • e Croatia squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1 Ladić • 2 Krpan • 3 Šerić • 4 Štimac • 5 Jurić • 6 Bilić • 7 Asanović • 8 Prosinečki • 9 Šuker • 10 Boban • 11 Marić • 12 Mrmić • 13 Stanić • 14 Soldo • 15 Tudor • 16 Kozniku • 17 Jarni • 18 Mamić • 19 Vlaović • 20 Šimić • 21 Jurčić • 22 Vasilj • Coach: Blažević

v • d • e Croatia squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Pletikosa • 2 Šerić • 3 Šimunić • 4 Tomas • 5 Rapaić • 6 Živković • 7 Vugrinec • 8 Prosinečki • 9 Šuker • 10 N. Kovač • 11 Bokšić • 12 Butina • 13 Stanić • 14 Soldo • 15 Šarić • 16 Vranješ • 17 Jarni • 18 Olić • 19 Vlaović • 20 Šimić • 21 R. Kovač • 22 Balaban • 23 Vasilj • Coach: Jozić