Ivica Vastić

Ivica Vastić
Personal information
Date of birth29 September 1969
Place of birthSplit, SFR Yugoslavia
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionMidfielder / Striker
Youth career
GOŠK Adriachem
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1989–1991RNK Split22(5)
1991–1992First Vienna23(8)
1992–1993VSE St. Pölten34(18)
1993Admira Wacker Mödling18(7)
1994MSV Duisburg10(0)
1994–2002Sturm Graz250(124)
2002–2003Nagoya Grampus Eight27(13)
2003–2005Austria Wien67(14)
2005–2009LASK Linz123(59)
–Total561 (246)
National team‡
1996–2008Austria50(14)
Teams managed
2009–2010FC Waidhofen/Ybbs
2010–2011FK Austria Wien Amateure
2011–2012FK Austria
2012–2013SV Gaflenz (assistant manager)
2013SV Gaflenz
2013–SV Mattersburg
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 December 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 December 2013

Ivica Vastić (Croatian pronunciation: [iʋit͡sa ʋastit͡ɕ]; born in Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia, 29 September 1969) is a retired Croatian-born Austrian football international midfielder, formerly a striker and current coach. He played, amongst others for FK Austria Wien, SK Sturm Graz and LASK Linz and the Austria national football team.

Club career

Born in Split, SR Croatia, then still part of Yugoslavia, Vastić started to play for local club Jugovinil (today GOŠK Adriachem), before joining RNK Split at time playing in Yugoslav third level. In 1991 he moved to Austria and signed with First Vienna FC. He subsequently also played for other Austrian clubs as VSE St. Pölten and Admira Wacker Mödling, and also had a half-season spell with German Bundesliga side MSV Duisburg, where he made 10 league appearances without scoring a goal.

Sturm Graz

His most notable spell was with Sturm Graz between 1994 and 2002, during which he helped the club winning the Austrian Bundesliga two consecutive times in 1998 and 1999, as well as winning the Austrian Cup in 1996, 1997 and 1999. With the club, he also played in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in the 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 seasons of the competition.

Japan and return to Austria

He left Sturm for a one-season spell with Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight, after which he returned to Austria to spend two seasons with Austria Vienna before joining LASK Linz in the summer of 2005. He performed well for LASK in the Erste Liga, the Austrian second division, and was the top goalscorer of the league in two consecutive seasons, scoring a total of 42 goals in 62 league appearances between 2005 and 2007. After helping LASK winning promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga in 2007, he went on to help the club finish sixth in the 2007/2008 Austrian Bundesliga season and himself finished the season as the club's top goalscorer in the league, having netted 13 goals in 32 appearances. Vastić announced his retirement on 18 May 2009, quitting professional football by 30 June 2009.

International career

Vastić became an Austrian national in 1996 and subsequently started to play for the Austrian national team. By 2005, Vastić had won a total of 46 caps and scored 12 goals as an Austrian international.[1] He then disappeared from the team for a period before making a spectacular comeback in 2008, being a surprise selection in the Euro 2008 squad and scoring Austria's first ever goal in the European Championship, also becoming the oldest goalscorer in the history of the tournament.

1998 World Cup

Vastić's first appearance at a major tournament with Austria was at the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals in France,[2] where he appeared in all of the team's three group matches and scored a last-minute equaliser in their second match at the tournament, a 1–1 draw against Chile. The Austrians were, however, eliminated from the tournament in the first round after recording two draws and one defeat.

Euro 2008

On 24 April 2008, Vastić was surprisingly added to Austria's preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland in June. His last appearance for the national team prior to the call-up had more than two and a half years before, on 17 August 2005 in their 2–2 draw in a friendly match against Scotland.[3] He then made his international comeback, winning his 47th cap, as a substitute in Austria's friendly match against Nigeria on 27 May 2008 and was eventually added to their final 23-man squad for the Euro 2008 finals, where he was the oldest player.[4] In Austria's next friendly match three days later, he scored the team's fourth goal in their 5–1 victory over Malta.

On 8 June, Vastić made his Euro 2008 bow in the 1–0 defeat to his native Croatia, replacing Jürgen Säumel in the 61st minute.[5]

On 12 June, Vastić appeared in Austria's second match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw with Poland, winning his 50th international cap as he replaced captain Andreas Ivanschitz in the 64th minute. In the match, he scored Austria's first goal in the final tournaments of the UEFA European Championship by netting an injury-time penalty to equalise, also becoming the oldest goalscorer of the European Championship finals at age 38 years, 257 days, over four years older than Nené who held the record since 1984.[6] Vastic is also the only Austrian player to score at a European Championship and World Cup.

Coaching career

FC Waidhofen/Ybbs

On 16 June 2009 was named as Head Coach of FC Waidhofen/Ybbs of the Regionalliga Ost[7] coincident went the club an cooperation with the former Vastic club LASK Linz.[8] He started his coaching career very well, winning the Regionalliga Ost 2009/10.

Austria Wien

He changed to Austria Wien Amateurs in summer 2010 and was promoted to manager of the first team of Austria Wien in December 2011. He was sacked on 21 May 2012 and his contract won't be renewed when it finishes at the end of May.[9]

SV Mattersburg

Vastić became head coach on 20 December 2013.[10] He is signed to the end of the season with an option for two more years.[10] He subsequently had his option picked up.[11]

Personal life

Vastić is for more than 20 years married to his wife Anni. Together they have three children. His oldest son Toni also became professional footballer and is currently signed to Austrian Bundesliga side SV Ried.[12]

Career statistics

Club career statistics

[13]

Club performance League
Season Club League Apps Goals
Yugoslavia League
1990/91SplitThird League225
Austria League
1991/92First ViennaBundesliga238
1992/93St. PöltenBundesliga3418
1993/94Admira WackerBundesliga187
Germany League
1993/94DuisburgBundesliga100
Austria League
1994/95Sturm GrazBundesliga357
1995/963120
1996/973313
1997/983014
1998/993014
1999/003531
2000/01248
2001/023217
Japan League
2002Nagoya Grampus EightJ. League 11810
200393
Austria League
2003/04Austria WienBundesliga354
2004/053210
2005/06LASK LinzFirst League3119
2006/073123
2007/08Bundesliga3213
2008/09294
Country Yugoslavia 225
Austria 515230
Germany 100
Japan 2713
Total 574248

International career statistics

Austria national team
YearAppsGoals
199630
199761
1998114
199954
200032
200190
200230
200300
200420
200541
200600
200700
200842
Total5014

Coaching record

As of 22 March 2015
Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Waidhofen/Ybbs 16 June 2009 30 June 2010 30 17 7 6 57 31 +26 56.67
Austria Wien II 1 July 2010 21 December 2011 49 24 11 14 89 57 +32 48.98
Austria Wien 21 December 2011 31 May 2012[9] 19 8 5 6 20 17 +3 42.11
Gaflenz 27 May 2013 20 December 2013[10] 18 10 3 5 34 21 +13 55.56
Mattersburg 20 December 2013[10] Present 43 20 14 9 75 57 +18 46.51
Total 159 79 40 40 275 183 +92 49.69

Honours

Player

Sturm Graz
LASK Linz

Individual

Manager

FC Waidhofen/Ybbs

References

  1. ↑ Appearances for Austrian National Team – RSSSF
  2. ↑ Record at FIFA Tournaments – FIFA
  3. ↑ Österreichs EM-Kader mit drei Bundesliga-Spielern, Eurosport, 24 April 2008 (German)
  4. ↑ Lehmann zweitältester Spieler — Italien älteste Elf, Eurosport, 30 May 2008 (German)
  5. ↑ Croatia labour to win over Austria, BBC Sport Online, 8 June 2008
  6. ↑ Poland draw with Austria, BBC Sport Online, 12 June 2008
  7. ↑ Vastic wird Trainer in der Regionalliga
  8. ↑ Ivica Vastic Cheftrainer bei FC Harreither Waidhofen
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Austria trennt sich von Vastic". Österreich (in German). 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Vastic neuer Mattersburg-Trainer". Österreich (in German). 20 December 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Vastic bleibt Mattersburg-Trainer". Österreich (in German). 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Toni Vastic: Hab sicher ein paar Sachen vom Papa" (in German). kurier.at. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Ivica Vastić at National-Football-Teams.com

External links