Zvonimir Soldo

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Zvonimir Soldo
Personal information
Full name	Zvonimir Soldo
Date of birth	November 2, 1967
Place of birth	Zagreb, Croatia
Height	1.89m
Nickname	"Zvonni"
Position	Midfield
Club information
Current club	Retired
Youth clubs
	NK Inker Zaprešic
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1988-1990 1990-1991 1991-1994 1994-1996 1996-2006	NK Dinamo Zagreb NK Zadar NK Inker Zaprešic NK Croatia Zagreb VfB Stuttgart	55(2) 51 (3) 301 (15)
National team**
1994-2002	Croatia	61 (3)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 2006. ** National team caps and goals correct as of June 2006.

Zvonimir Soldo (born November 2, 1967) is a Croatian football player, who commonly plays as a defensive midfielder or as a sweeper.

Contents 1 Early career 2 Stuttgart years 3 International career 4 External links

[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 Zaprešic 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 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] External links

• Profile on JadranSport.org (English)

	Croatia squad - 1996 European Championship
1 Ladić | 2 Jurčević | 3 Jarni | 4 Štimac | 5 Jerkan | 6 Bilić | 7 Asanović | 8 Prosinečki | 9 Šuker | 10 Boban | 11 Bokšić | 12 Mrmić | 13 Stanić | 14 Soldo | 15 Pavličić | 16 Mladenović | 17 Pamić | 18 Brajković | 19 Vlaović | 20 Šimić | 21 Cvitanović | 22 Gabrić | Coach: Blažević

	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

	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