Ivica Olic
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(1 users) Complete
60%Born
1979 (44 years old)
Birth Place
Davor, CroatiaPosition
Centre-Forward
Status
Ethnicity
Team Number
Height
182 cm
Weight
81 kg
Outfitter
Kit
Side
Agent
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Signed
Wage Year
Player Manager ID
3601970
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Sport
SoccerTeam
_Retired Soccer
2nd Team
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_No League Soccer
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Ivica Olić (Croatian pronunciation: ; born 14 September 1979) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is an assistant coach of the Croatia national team.
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. 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.
Olić represented Croatia at 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.
He started his coaching career in 2017, joining the coaching staff upon appointment of Zlatko Dalić as Croatia national team head coach. He helped the team reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final and qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, interrupting his tenure with the team to briefly coach his former club CSKA Moscow.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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. In the second group game against Cameroon on 18 June, Olić opened the scoring in the 11th minute for an eventual 4–0 win. 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.
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. On 2 March 2016, Olić retired from international football in an open letter to the public. His final international was an October 2015 European Championship qualification match away against Malta. He scored 20 goals in 104 caps for his country.
On 23 October 2017, Olić was presented as an assistant coach of newly appointed Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Greece.
In late March 2021, Sport-Express and Sportske novosti published a story about Olić succeeding Viktor Goncharenko at his former club CSKA Moscow. The rumours were confirmed by Croatia head coach Dalić to Sportske novosti. His assistant coaches were rumoured to be Miloš Krasić and Elvir Rahimić. The appointment was made official on 23 March 2021. The move was met with skepticism due to Olić's inexperience in the head coach job. Despite earlier rumours, Krasić and Rahimić were not hired as assistant coaches, instead Ilija Aračić was hired as an assistant coach, with previously hired Aleksei Berezutski and Dmitry Kramarenko rounding up the coaching staff. He made his debut on 4 April, in the 2–1 league victory over Tambov. After two more victories, Olić suffered his first defeat in his fourth match, 2–1 loss to Sochi on 18 April. On 25 April, he suffered his third defeat in a row after losing 1–0 to Spartak Moscow in his first Main Moscow derby, with CSKA's Ilzat Akhmetov getting sent off in the 37th minute. After losing 3–2 to Dynamo Moscow on 16 May, Olić finished the season in sixth place, with CSKA missing out on European competitions for the first time in 20 years. He was unexpectedly sacked on 15 June and succeeded by Berezutski, returning to Zlatko Dalić's team for the UEFA Euro 2020.
Olić and his Croatian-German wife Natalie have two sons and a daughter, named Luka, Antonio and Lara, respectively. Unlike many of his counterparts, he prefers to keep a low media profile and generally lives a quiet private life.
Career Honours
Career Milestones
Former Youth Teams
Former Senior Teams
1998-2000 |
2001-2002 |
2002-2015 |
2002-2003 |
2003-2007 |
2007-2009 |
2009-2012 |
2012-2015 |
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2015-2016 |
2016-2017 |
Former Club Staff
2021-2021 Manager |
Contracts
Fanart
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| Bayern Munich | Appearances | German Bundesliga | 2010-2011 | 6 |
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| CSKA Moscow | Appearances | Russian Football Premier League | 2005-2006 | 24 |
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| CSKA Moscow | Goals | Russian Football Premier League | 2005-2006 | 9 |
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