Elvir Baljić
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Elvir Baljić (born July 8, 1974 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Bosnian football player.
His career began in FK Željezničar, but in 1993, during the war in Bosnia, he left with FK Sarajevo on tour. Later, he was transferred to Turkey where he played for Bursaspor. He was the best player at the club for several seasons, which made him an interesting target for best Turkish clubs. Fenerbahçe SK signed him in 1998. and he spent two seasons there. Once again, he has prooved his worth and in 2000. he was a surpise summer signing for big Real Madrid. At the time, it was the second biggest football transfer in history. Unfortunately, numerous injuries caused his career to go in wrong way. He did not secure a place in the first team so he was loaned out to Rayo Vallecano. Finally, he was transferred back to Turkey to Galatasaray. However, his interest in football was decreasing day by day. He said that he will retire on several occasions, but every time he would come back.
After spending some time away from the game and rumors of transfers to Dinamo Zagreb and a club in Qatar, Baljić finally came back to the sport in January 2006, when he signed for Turkish side Ankaragücü. In 2006/2007 season, he is playing for Istanbulspor.
Baljić had been a prolific part of the Bosnian national team since its inception, scoring 14 goals in 38 caps. He will be remembered as the only player who scored four goals in single match for Bosnia-Herzegovina. It was a couple of weeks after he signed a contract with Real Madrid, in a game between Estonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Final result 1-4, and he scored all Bosnian goals. He hasn't played for the Bosnian national team since mid-World Cup qualifying.
Music is his second love. In 2005, he recorded his first CD.
[edit] Career
- FK Željezničar
- FK Sarajevo
- Bursaspor
- Fenerbahçe SK
- Real Madrid
- Rayo Vallecano
- Galatasaray
- Ankaragücü
- Istanbulspor
[edit] External links
- Profile on JadranSport.org (English)