Dado Pršo

Dado Pršo
Personal information
Full nameMiladin Pršo
Date of birth5 November 1974
Place of birthZadar, SFR Yugoslavia
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
1981–1983Bagat
1983–1986Zadar
1986-1991Hajduk Split
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1992–1993Pazinka26(2)
1993–1995Rouen10(1)
1995–1996Stade Raphaëlois18(7)
1996–2004Monaco101(28)
1997–1999→ Ajaccio (loan)53(21)
2004–2007Rangers94(31)
Total302(90)
National team
2003–2006Croatia32(9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Miladin "Dado" Pršo[1][2][3] (Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [milǎdin dǎːdo pr̩̂ʃo]; born 5 November 1974) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Pršo played for seven different teams and made over 300 league appearances as a professional. He was part of the Monaco team that reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2004, and part of the Rangers team that won the League and cup double in 2005.

Pršo received 32 caps for Croatia and was part of the squad at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006. He retired in June 2009 from the Scottish Premier League club Rangers.[4]

Career

Early career

Born in Zadar, Pršo started training with the local clubs NK Bagat and NK Zadar before moving to HNK Hajduk Split, aged 12. He went through the ranks of Hajduk until, in 1991, a medical check allegedly revealed that he had an irregular heartbeat, prompting the team to release him, thinking he was therefore unfit for professional football. Pršo showed no traces of such a defect ever since though. When the Croatian league was formed he joined NK Pazinka, playing his only season at the top level of Croatian football at 18 years of age.[5] In 1993 he moved to France to play for FC Rouen, and then moved to Saint Raphaël in 1995, where he worked as a car mechanic while he continued playing football.[6]

Monaco

In 1996, then-AS Monaco manager Jean Tigana noticed Pršo and bought the striker, although he would spend that season in the reserve side (alongside David Trezeguet), he was sent on loan to AC Ajaccio. In 1999-2000, he helped AS Monaco win the national championship. Pršo also helped them to the UEFA Champions League final in 2004. He is perhaps best remembered for his four goals in the 8-3 win over Deportivo La Coruña (a game which was played on his birthday), which was the highest scoring Champions League scoreline.[7] That night, he also equaled the competition record, joining Marco van Basten and Simone Inzaghi as the competition's top scorer in a single match; this has since been surpassed by Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano.

Rangers

In May 2004, Pršo signed for Scottish side Rangers on a free transfer. In his first season at Rangers he played 34 league matches, scoring 18 league goals. In the process he helped the club win the League and League Cup. Departing Rangers manager Alex McLeish hailed Pršo as his "best Rangers signing,"[8] at the end of the 2005-06 season.

Pršo remained a member of the 2006-07 Rangers team, despite announcing his retirement from international football. He suggested he would retire from club football on the expiration of his contract in 2007.[9] Despite this, Pršo's agent stated early in 2007 that he would like to continue playing for Rangers if his fitness allowed it,[10] only to announce in February 2007 that his retirement was potentially imminent. Shortly afterwards, it was confirmed that Pršo could play on for a minimum of one season.[11] But this comment proved to be premature as Pršo announced he would part company with Rangers at the end of the 2007 season due to his recurring knee problems.[12] Pršo's agent also stated that he would seek a transfer to a league where physical fitness was not as much of a requirement, rather than end his footballing career completely, and suggested North America and Asia as possible destinations.

At Pršo's last game at Ibrox Stadium, he walked out after the final whistle wearing a brace on his leg due to damage to his ankle. He waved at the 50,000 fans who waited, and was then given the "Guard of Honour" by his teammates, led by Barry Ferguson before going back up the tunnel with tears in his eyes.[13]

It was announced on 8 June 2007 that Rangers would release a DVD featuring highlights of Pršo's three seasons at Ibrox, with a large amount of proceeds donated to the Rangers Charity Foundation.[14]

International career

Pršo received 32 international caps for Croatia, scoring nine times.[15] Pršo was part of the Croatian team at UEFA Euro 2004 where he played in three games. Pršo is remembered in this tournament for the one goal he scored against France in Leiria on 17 June 2004.[16] After scoring four goals during qualifying he was selected to represent his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But he scored no goals during the tournament itself (where the team, as in 2004, was eliminated after the first round).

Career statistics

[17]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
1997–98AjaccioChampionnat National238
1998–99Division 23013
1999–2000AS MonacoDivision 1202
2000–0121450
2001–02112
2002–03Ligue 12012
2003–04298117
Scotland League Scottish Cup League Cup Europe Total
2004–05RangersPremier League34181032814621
2005–063291010734112
2006–072841070364
Total France 18257167
Scotland 9431205222412337
Career total 27688

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 29 March 2003 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia  Belgium 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
2 15 November 2003 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia  Slovenia 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
3 19 November 2003 Stadion Bežigrad, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Slovenia 0–1 0–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
4 17 June 2004 Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal  France 2–1 2–2 UEFA Euro 2004
5 4 September 2004 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia  Hungary 1–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
6 26 March 2005 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia  Iceland 4–0 4–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
7 30 March 2005 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia  Malta 1–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
8 30 March 2005 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia  Malta 2–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
9 28 May 2006 Gradski vrt, Osijek, Croatia  Iran 1–1 2–2 Friendly

Honours

Club

AC Ajaccio
AS Monaco
Rangers

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Prso takes long path to the top". Agence France-Presse. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Šišić, S. (27 March 2007). "Milan Pršo: Želim nadmašiti Dadine uspjehe". Nezavisne novine (Banja Luka). Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Dado Pršo se povlači iz reprezentacije". mondo.rs. 16 July 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Prso to part company with Rangers". BBC Sport website. 29 March 2007.
  5. ↑ Football: HE'S DONE IT ALL IN RISE TO THE TOP: Dado Prso.
  6. ↑ Croatia's Prso - mechanic who turned into first-class attacker
  7. ↑ Edgar, Bill (28 September 2004). "Game of the week: AS Monaco v Deportivo La Coruña". London: The Times. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "The Dado Of 'Em All". Sunday Mail. 7 May 2006.
  9. ↑ "Prso fears he is in final season". BBC News. 24 May 2006.
  10. ↑ "Rangers striker shelves retirement plans". ESPN Soccernet. 18 January 2007.
  11. ↑ "Prso given all-clear to play on". BBC Sport website. 7 February 2007.
  12. ↑ "Prso to part company with Rangers". BBC News. 29 March 2007.
  13. ↑ "TEARIO DADO; Prso breaks down as Gers stars give him an emotional send-off.". The Daily Record. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  14. ↑ "Dado Prso DVD". Rangers FC website. 8 June 2007.
  15. ↑ "Statistics - Caps: Dado Pršo". Croatian Football Federation. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Battling Croatia rattle holders France". UEFA. 18 June 2004.
  17. ↑ ダド・プルソ

External links