Davor Šuker

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Davor Šuker
Šuker in 2008
President of the Croatian Football Federation
In office
5 July 2012 – 29 July 2021
Preceded byVlatko Marković
Succeeded byMarijan Kustić
Personal details
Born (1968-01-01) 1 January 1968 (age 56)
Osijek, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Parent
OccupationFootballer
Football administrator
Association football career
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1984 Osijek
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1989 Osijek 91 (40)
1989–1991 Dinamo Zagreb 60 (34)
1991–1996 Sevilla 153 (76)
1996–1999 Real Madrid 86 (38)
1999–2000 Arsenal 22 (8)
2000–2001 West Ham United 11 (2)
2001–2003 1860 Munich 25 (5)
Total 448 (203)
International career
1987 Yugoslavia U20 6 (6)
1988–1990 Yugoslavia U21 10 (7)
1988 Yugoslavia U23 2 (0)
1990–1991 Yugoslavia 2 (1)
1990–2002 Croatia 68[a] (45)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Yugoslavia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 1987
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 1990
Representing  Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Third place 1998
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Davor Šuker (Croatian pronunciation:

striker. He served as the president of the Croatian Football Federation from 2012 to 2021.[2][3] As Croatia's all-time top scorer with 45 goals, Šuker is generally regarded as the greatest Croatian striker of all time,[4] and as one of the greatest strikers of all time.[5]

Šuker began his footballing career in his hometown for local first division team

2000. He then had a spell with West Ham United, then closed his career playing for German side 1860 Munich
.

The crowning moment of Šuker's career was the

eventual champions France. Eventually named as Croatia's Golden Player at the UEFA Jubilee Awards in 2003, Šuker finished third in the 1998 FIFA World Player of the Year award and second in the 1998 Ballon d'Or. He is also the only Croatian on the FIFA 100 list created by Pelé
.

Under his highly controversial leadership as the president of Croatian Football Federation,[6] Croatia reached runner-up at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the nation's highest achievement since their third-place finish.

Club career

Early career

Šuker began playing football in his home town of

Sevilla
, which he joined in 1991.

Sevilla

Šuker made his Primera División debut for Sevilla on 17 November 1991, coming off the substitutes' bench as a last-minute substitute in Sevilla's 1–1 away draw at Espanyol. In the following match, at home against Real Sociedad, he made his first start and went on to score two goals in a 2–2 draw. He finished his first season at the club with 6 goals in 22 appearances. During Sevilla's first match of the next season away at Albacete, Šuker scored his first Primera hat-trick, which led a 4–3 victory. He improved his tally from the prior season with 13 goals in 33 matches.

In the 1993–94 season, Šuker was the second-highest scorer in the league with 24 goals to Barcelona's Romário. He made a total of 34 Primera appearances that season and also scored five braces and one hat-trick. Šuker played with Argentine legend Diego Maradona at the club within the 1992–93 season. During this and the next season with Sevilla, he scored a total of 33 goals in 64 appearances in the Spanish Primera.

Real Madrid

Šuker went on to move to

1996–97 season. With Los Galacticos, his goalscoring potency continued as he scored 24 goals in 38 appearances. Šuker ended up as the third-best scorer within the league, behind Barcelona's Ronaldo and Real Betis's Alfonso. During that season, he scored three hat-tricks in the Primera seeing Madrid to lift the league title. Along with Raúl and Predrag Mijatović, he formed a dangerous trio that struck fear in the opposing defenses to assure eventual acclaim for the club.[7]

Šuker was again successful with Real Madrid in the

1998–99 season, his presence at Real Madrid was reduced despite the fact he performed well at that summer's World Cup. This was seen as he made only 19 Primera appearances, scoring 4 goals as a whole. By that season's end, he opted to leave the club.[7] His decision to leave also marked the close of his eight-season-long spell in the Spanish Primera, where he scored 114 goals in 239 total appearances.[8]

Arsenal

Šuker joined

penalties.[9]

Šuker also scored once in the League Cup against Middlesbrough[10] and twice in the UEFA Champions League against AIK (once at home[11] and once away).[12] He scored 8 league goals (including 3 braces) in 22 Premiership appearances with Arsenal.[9]

West Ham United

At West Ham United, Šuker never managed to find his place in the first team for a long period and only made 11 Premiership appearances for the club throughout the season, scoring twice against Manchester United[13] and Sunderland.[14] He also scored once in the League Cup against Blackburn Rovers.[15] His career in England ended with the end of that season, where he joined German side 1860 Munich for the 2001–02 season.

1860 Munich

At 1860 Munich, Šuker made his Bundesliga debut, playing all 90 minutes in the club's 1–0 home victory over Energie Cottbus on 1 December 2001. His first goal for 1860 came in their first match after the winter break, a headed effort which completed a 3–0 home victory over 1. FC Köln. His highlight of the season came during the final league match in a 4–2 away victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he scored a brace. He finished his first season in the Bundesliga with 4 goals in 14 appearances.

In the 2002–03 season, Šuker scored in 1860 Munich's 3–1 home victory over Arminia Bielefeld on 2 November 2002. While playing with 1860 in the Bundesliga, he scored 5 goals in 25 appearances.[16] He also made five appearances in the DFB-Pokal, scoring three goals.

International career

Šuker's eye for goals was duly illustrated in his feats at youth level. He finished as the second highest scorer as he netted six goals at the 1987 World Youth Championships in Chile. The Yugoslavians also set a Championship record with 22 goals scored altogether. Yugoslavia went on to win the title with a generation of future talents. Some of these players went on to represent Croatia such as Robert Prosinečki, Zvonimir Boban and Igor Štimac.[4]

Šuker again played for Yugoslavia in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic games. Those appearances came in group stage matches against Brazil and Nigeria.[17] In two years time, he featured in the UEFA Under-21 Championship. He scored four goals in five matches as Yugoslavia won their group stage. Šuker also struck the only goal in the second leg of his side's 3–0 quarter-final victory on aggregate against Bulgaria. He scored once again against Italy. In the final against Soviet Union he scored one goal in the first leg. In all he tallied a sum of seven goals throughout the Championships winning the Golden Boot. Yugoslavia went on to finish as runners up with Šuker also being named as the Golden Player of the Tournament.

Senior team

In 1990, Šuker was named to the Yugoslavia national team's 22-man squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals in Italy. However, he did not make an appearance at the tournament.[18]

On 22 December 1990, Šuker made his debut for the newly established Croatia national team in a friendly against Romania. In 1991, he won his only two caps for Yugoslavia at senior level: on 27 February 1991 against Turkey, and on 16 May 1991 against the Faroe Islands. In the latter match, Šuker scored his first senior international goal. This feat was noted given Croatia was not registered with FIFA nor UEFA at that point.

Šuker's second and the first official match for Croatia came in a friendly against

defending champions Denmark. It was in this match he set up the final score with an unforgettable looping shot over Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, still remembered as one of the greatest goals in UEFA European Championship history.[19] Šuker's feats during the tournament saw him named to the Team of the Tournament.[20]

Šuker then went on to see Croatia qualify for their first

the final by scoring the opener in the semi-final against France. Lilian Thuram
took the match back for the hosts with his only two international goals to give France a 2–1 victory and a place in the final.

In the third-place play-off, Šuker scored the match-winner in a 2–1 victory against the

Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, as well as the Silver Ball as the World Cup's second-best player, behind Ronaldo of Brazil.[21][4]

After the 1998 World Cup, Šuker featured for Croatia in their unfruitful run to qualify for the

Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. The win ensured Croatia would have a strong chance of still qualifying for the tournament. The Croatians would miss out on such in their final qualifier, a 2–2 draw at home to Yugoslavia
. Šuker did score a late disallowed goal which, if stood, would have assured Croatia's qualification. He finished with four goals in seven matches during the campaign.

Šuker was also part of the Croatian team at the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. However, he only played 63 minutes in the tournament, in a 1–0 defeat to Mexico in Croatia's opening match. After Croatia's elimination, Šuker announced his retirement from international football.

Šuker won a total of 70 international FIFA-recognised caps during his senior career, 2 for Yugoslavia and 68[a] for Croatia.[22] The forward scored 46 international goals in total. With 45 goals, he is Croatia's all-time leading goal-scorer. His 12 goals during the campaign for Euro 1996 was a record that stood for over 10 years—Northern Ireland's David Healy broke his record in 2007 after scoring 13 goals during Euro 2008 qualifying.[23]

Post-retirement

Šuker during a charity match against poverty in March 2014

Šuker established his own school of football entitled the Davor Šuker Soccer Academy, with training camps located in Zagreb and several other Croatian cities. The concept for this academy originated near the end of his playing days.[9]

Controversies

In 1996, in the company of two well-known criminals, Šuker posed for a picture at the grave of Croatian fascist dictator and genocide perpetrator, Poglavnik Ante Pavelić.[24][25][26][27][28]

In 2011, Šuker was fined for stealing antique coins left over by another passenger on an airplane. Instead of reporting his findings and handing the coins in, he decided to give them to his girlfriend, who tried to sell them.[29][30][31]

In 2015, Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) accused Šuker of preventing freedom of information and for physically blocking journalists from reporting and doing their work.[32]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[8]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Osijek 1985–86 Yugoslav First League 10 3 — — — — 10 3
1986–87 Yugoslav First League 26 9 — — — — 26 9
1987–88 Yugoslav First League 29 10 — — — — 29 10
1988–89 Yugoslav First League 26 18 — — — — 26 18
Total 91 40 — — — — 91 40
Dinamo Zagreb 1989–90 Yugoslav First League 28 12 3 4 — 2 1 — 33 17
1990–91 Yugoslav First League 32 22 — — 2 0 — 34 22
1991–92 Yugoslav First League — — — 1 0 — 1 0
Total 60 34 3 4 — 5 1 — 68 39
Sevilla 1991–92 La Liga 22 6 4 3 — — — 26 9
1992–93 La Liga 33 13 2 0 — — — 35 13
1993–94 La Liga 34 24 7 3 — — — 41 27
1994–95 La Liga 32 17 2 3 — — — 34 20
1995–96 La Liga 32 16 3 1 — 6 4 — 41 21
Total 153 76 18 10 — 6 4 — 177 90
Real Madrid 1996–97 La Liga 38 24 5 5 — — — 43 29
1997–98 La Liga 29 10 1 1 — 7 4 2 0 39 15
1998–99 La Liga 19 4 2 0 — 6 1 — 27 5
Total 86 38 8 6 — 13 5 2 0 109 49
Arsenal 1999–2000 Premier League 22 8 3 0 1 1 13 2 — 39 11
West Ham United 2000–01 Premier League 11 2 0 0 2 1 — — 13 3
1860 Munich 2001–02 Bundesliga 14 4 3 2 — — — 17 6
2002–03 Bundesliga 11 1 2 1 — — — 13 2
Total 25 5 5 3 — — — 30 8
Career total 448 203 37 23 3 2 37 12 2 0 527 240

International

Main article: List of international goals scored by Davor Šuker
Appearances and goals by national team and year[33]
National team Year Competitive Friendly Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Yugoslavia 1991 1[b] 1 1 0 2 1
Croatia 1992 — 1 2 1 2
1993 — 1 1 1 1
1994 3[b] 4 2 1 5 5
1995 7[b] 8 — 7 8
1996 6[c] 4 4 2 10 6
1997 7[d] 4 0 0 7 4
1998 9[e] 8 4 4 13 12
1999 5[b] 2 4 2 9 4
2000 1[d] 0 3 0 4 0
2001 5[d] 1 3 1 8 2
2002 1[f] 0 2 1 3 1
Total 44 31 24 14 68 45
Career total 45 32 25 14 70[a] 46
  1. ^ a b c Does not include the match for Croatia against Romania B on 22 December 1990 as it was not a full 'A' international therefore is not recognised as official by FIFA. He did not score in the match.
  2. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in UEFA European Championship qualification
  3. ^ Four appearances and 3 goals in UEFA European Championship, two appearances and one goal in FIFA World Cup qualification
  4. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in FIFA World Cup qualification
  5. ^ Seven appearances and six goals in FIFA World Cup, two appearances and two goals in UEFA European Championship qualification
  6. ^ Appearance in FIFA World Cup

Honours

Real Madrid[34]

Arsenal

Yugoslavia

Croatia

Individual

Orders

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dȁvor1". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Dȁvor
  2. ^ "Dobro došo´ predsjedniče: Šuker od Markovića preuzeo hrvatski nogomet - "Moja misija je pobjeda"". Index.hr (in Croatian). 5 July 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  3. ^ Index Sport (29 July 2021). "Smijenjen je Davor Šuker. Marijan Kustić novi predsjednik HNS-a". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Suker: 'The small teams can win too'". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Ranking the Top 60 Strikers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  6. ^ Alač, Zvonko (29 July 2021). "Lutak iskrivljenog lica ostao je bez podrške HDZ-a i mafije. Morao je otići" [Crooked-Faced Marionette Lost the Support of HDZ and Mafia. He Had to Leave]. Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Davor Suker: Bio". Real Madrid.com.
  8. ^ a b "Davor Šuker". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d "Davor Suker". Arsenal.com.
  10. ^ Walker, Michael (1 December 1999). "Schwarzer the hero sees Middlesbrough through". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  11. ^ "Arsenal break Wembley hoodoo". BBC. 22 September 1999. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  12. ^ Pierce, Bill (2 November 1999). "Champions League – Overmars double as Gunners sign off". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  13. ^ Lawrence, Amy (26 August 2000). "Hammers earn late reward". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  14. ^ Fifield, Dominic (5 September 2000). "Suker outshines exotic imports". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  15. ^ "West Ham 2–0 Blackburn". BBC. 31 October 2000. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  16. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (12 February 2020). "Davor Suker - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Davor Šuker Bio, Stats, and Results". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  18. ^ "Suker, Croatia's golden player". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015.
  19. ^ "Davor Šuker's chip at EURO 96: Croatia v Denmark". YouTube.com.[dead YouTube link]
  20. ^ "EURO '96 team of the tournament". UEFA.com.
  21. ^ "Davor Suker: "As a kid I dreamt of winning the Golden Boot - France 98 was the realisation"". Four Four Two.com. 6 June 2014.
  22. ^ Mamrud, Roberto (12 February 2020). "Davor Suker - Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  23. ^ Ornstein, David (20 November 2007). "Suker salutes Healy scoring feat". BBC. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  24. ^ Holiga, Aleksandar. "Davor Suker: is he doing more for himself than for Croatian football?". The Guardian.
  25. ^ Holiga, Aleksandar (26 June 2012). "Euro 2012: The problem with Croatia's nationalistic fans starts at the top". The Guardian.
  26. ^ Schächter, Tobias. "Kroatien fürchtet harte Sanktionen". Süddeutsche Zeitung.
  27. ^ "Davor Šuker se slikao na grobu Ante Pavelića". Kurir. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  28. ^ Redžić, Dea. "Šuker pozirao na Pavelićevom grobu, a danas mora kazniti Šimunića". Index.
  29. ^ "Arsenal hero fined over coin theft". Daily Mirror.
  30. ^ Matanović, Ilija. "Šuker: Žao mi je, nisam znao da zlatnici toliko vrijede... Sudac: Još se sjećam što ste napravili Nijemcima 1998". Jutarnji List.
  31. ^ Živko, Ivana. "Davor Šuker pronašao antičke novčiće u avionu i nije ih vratio". 24 Sata.
  32. ^ "Spanjolski mediji Suker optuzen zbog nasilja nad novinarima". HINA. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  33. ^ "Davor Šuker, international footballer". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Davor Šuker". Eurosport.com.
  35. ^ "Sukerman likes it hot". The Guardian.com. 7 November 1999.
  36. ^ "Suker, Croatia's golden player". Fifa.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015.
  37. ^ a b c d e f "INDIVIDUAL AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS". HNS-CFF.hr.
  38. ^ "Yugoslavia - List of Final Tables". RSSSF.
  39. ^ ""Vecernji list" Player of the Year". RSSSF.
  40. ^ ""Vecernji list" Player of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  41. ^ "Kohorta i dalje misli da Šuker nije trebao postati počasni građanin". Vecernji.hr (in Hungarian).
  42. ^ "Davor Šuker: Ne stidim se Osijeka!". Gol.Dnevnik.hr (in Hungarian).
  43. ^ "Vecernji Player of the Century". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  44. ^ "ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BUČARA" (in Croatian). hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.
  45. ^ "PREDSJEDNIK TUDJMAN ODLIKOVAO HRVATSKU NOGOMETNU REPREZENTACIJU" (in Croatian). hrt.hr.
  46. ^ "News: President Decorates Croatian National Football Team Players and Coaching Staff". Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2018. Mr. Davor Šuker was awarded the Order of Prince Trpimir with Ribbon and Star...

Further reading

External links

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