Gordon Schildenfeld

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Gordon Schildenfeld
Personal information
Full name Gordon Schildenfeld
Date of birth 18 March 1985 (1985-03-18) (age 23)
Place of birth    Šibenik, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 198 cm
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club free
Number 24
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2001-2007
2007-2008
2008
Šibenik
Dinamo Zagreb
Beşiktaş
94 (2)
32 (2)
7 (0)   
National team
2006 Croatia U-21 1 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Gordon Schildenfeld (born 18 March 1985 in Šibenik) is a Croatian football defender who is currently playing for Beşiktaş in the Turkish Super League. He is of Volksdeutsche heritage.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Šibenik

Schildenfeld began playing football at his hometown club HNK Šibenik. The club's then manager Stanko Mršić gave him his senior debut at the age of 16, against NK Kamen Ingrad. In the 2005-06 season, Schildenfeld helped Šibenik winning promotion to the top flight.

[edit] Dinamo Zagreb

Midway through his first season in the Croatian first division, the country's top clubs Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb became interested in signing Schildenfeld and his Šibenik teammate Ante Rukavina. It first seemed likely that Schildenfeld and Rukavina would move to Hajduk together, but then Dinamo entered the race for the two players. In the end, on 2 January 2007, Schildenfeld moved to Dinamo while Rukavina joined archrivals Hajduk. Despite only having five months of top-flight experience at the time, Schildenfeld quickly managed to establish himself as a regular at Dinamo and helped the club winning both Croatian league and cup titles, also netting the crucial away goal against NK Slaven Belupo in the second leg of the cup final.

In the first part of the 2007-08 season, Schildenfeld was also one of the regulars in Dinamo Zagreb's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup campaign, appearing in 5 Champions League qualifying matches and 4 UEFA Cup matches before the club was knocked out of the latter competition in the group stage. Schildenfeld became an unlucky figure in Dinamo's 2-1 defeat at Norwegian side SK Brann in their second match in the UEFA Cup group stage, causing a penalty and being sent off for a professional foul in the final moments of the first half. He missed the last two group matches, against Hamburger SV and Stade Rennais, because of the red card.

[edit] Beşiktaş

Although he was initially set to stay at Dinamo Zagreb, Schildenfeld was signed by Turkish top club Beşiktaş in unexpected circumstances on 1 February 2008. Beşiktaş were actually ready to sign Schildenfeld's teammate Dino Drpić, but the deal fell through due to Drpić's behaviour after a Croatian league match between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split almost two years earlier (see Drpić's article for details).

Schildenfeld made his Super League debut on 9 February 2008, coming on as a late substitute in Beşiktaş's 2-0 defeat at Kayserispor. [1] He played his first full Super League match a week later as Beşiktaş beat Ankaraspor 3-2 at home. [2] On May 25, 2008 Schildenfeld mutually terminated his contract with Beşiktaş.[1]

[edit] International career

On 1 March 2006, Schildenfeld won his only international cap for the Croatian national under-21 team, coming on as a substitute in a friendly match against Denmark. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ NTVSpor.net