Zvonimir Boban (born October 8, 1968, in Imotski, Croatia) was a
football midfielder who gained most of his fame playing for AC
Milan.
His professional career began with Dinamo Zagreb. In a now-famous
incident, he defended a young fan from being beaten by the
police during a riot that broke out in a match against Red Star
Belgrade. He played a big part in Yugoslavia's win in the 1987
World Youth Championship, foreshadowing his future with Croatia.
In 1991, Boban moved to AS Bari, but stayed there for only a
season, because he was picked up by AC Milan. He stayed in Milan
for 9 seasons, and enjoyed great successes with the club. He
helped the team win the 1994 Champions League title and become
runners-up in 1995. He won 4 Serie A titles with Milan as well.
In 2001, with his role at Milan diminished, he was loaned to
Celta Vigo, and played there for one year until his retirement
in 2002.
Boban played a great part in Croatia's third-place finish at the
1998 World Cup, and was captain of the team at both that
tournament and the 1996 European Football Championship. In all,
he was capped 51 times for Croatia between 1990 and 1999, and
scored 12 goals.
Since retiring from football, Boban has worked as a sports
commentator on Croatian RTL television station and has also
completed his history degree at the University of Zagreb. |
