Zlatko ZahoviÄ
Zlatko Zahovič 1999 jersey Olympiakos Piraeus
Zlatko Zahovič ( born 1 February 1971 in Maribor ) is a former Slovenian football player.
Career
Zahovič started his career in the youth team of KOVINAR Maribor. He was discovered by the famous Yugoslav football player Milko Djurovski (then completed his army service in Maribor) 1989. From 1989 to 1991 and from 1992 to 1993, he played for FK Partizan Belgrade, in the 1991/92 season he was loaned to FK Proleter Zrenjanin. In 1993 Zahovič to Vitória Guimarães, he was obliged from FC Porto in 1996. There he played until 1999. Following season was Zlatko Zahovič at Olympiakos Piraeus under contract for the next FC Valencia and from 2001 to 2005, he was active for Benfica.
His best performances he could in his time at FC Porto retrieve. In 2001 he reached with Valencia CF the Champions League final, where his team lost on penalties against Bayern Munich. Zahovič was one of the unlucky shooters who failed to Oliver Kahn.
Zlatko is notorious for its innumerable verbal battles and quarrels, of which the dispute with the Slovenian national team during the 2002 World Cup was made public. Olympiakos he left because of a quarrel with the management during the current season.
Even with the coach of his next club FC Valencia, Héctor Cúper, he disagreed because he believed it to offer him few prospects. However, he played the season for the Spanish club yet over and changed it to Benfica. There he ended his active career.
Since the 2007/ 08 season, he is sporting director at the Slovenian first division side NK Maribor.
In 2002 Zlatko UNICEF ambassador for Slovenia.
National
His debut for the Slovenian national team graduated Zahovič November 7, 1992 in a friendly match against Cyprus.
The Slovenian national team qualified for the EURO 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium, where Zlatko Zahovič proved his skill and scored three of the four gates of Slovenia.
Slovenia also qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Zahovič but was sent home after the first game against Spain again, since he had a dispute with the then Slovenian coach Srečko Katanec. Katanec quit his job as a coach immediately after the World Cup, for this reason Zahovič celebrated his return to the national team. His last game for the Slovenian team, he played on 28 April 2004 against Switzerland.
Overall, Zlatko Zahovič completed 80 caps for Slovenia, where 35 goals, so he is the most successful Slovenian football player after Slovenia's independence.
Achievements
Club teams
- Yugoslavian champion: 1992/93
- Portuguese champions (4 times ): 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2004/ 05
- Portuguese Cup winner ( 2 times): 1997/ 98, 2003/ 04
- Portuguese Supercup football ( 2 times): 1997/ 98, 1998/99
- Greek champions: 1999/2000
- UEFA Champions League Runners-up: 2000/ 01
National
- Participation in the European Championships 2000 (3 Inserts / 3 goals )
- Participation in the 2002 World Cup ( 1 Application )