Dario Šimic
Encyclopedia
Dario Šimić (ˈdaːriɔ ˈʃiːmitɕ; born 12 November 1975 in Zagreb
) is a retired Croatia
n football player. Šimić was a versatile defender
who played as full-back, sweeper or centre back. A product of Dinamo Zagreb Academy, he later played for Serie A
sides Inter Milan
and AC Milan
and Ligue 1
side Monaco
, before returning to Dinamo Zagreb in 2010, where he retired from the game during the same year.
Šimić also played for Croatia national football team
and is the team's most capped player, having won a total of 100 international caps between 1996 and 2008. He was member of Croatia's squad in all six major tournaments they qualified for during the 1990s and 2000s, which includes three FIFA World Cup
s (11 appearances in 1998
, 2002
and 2006
) and three UEFA European Championship
s (5 appearances in 1996, 2004 and 2008).
in the first match of the season, a Prva HNL away game against Varteks on 23 August 1992, which made him the youngest ever player to debut for the club as Šimić was only three months shy from his 17th birthday. He continued to make five more appearances in his first top-flight season and although was widely regarded as a promising player, he struggled to make a bigger impact in his first season with the squad which eventually won the Croatian title that year.
However, right from the beginning of the 1993–94 season he established himself as a first team regular and was one of the key players of the squad in one of the most successful periods in club's history. In the next six seasons Šimić helped the club win another four titles as well as four Croatian Cup
s. In this period Šimić also experienced his first taste of European football when Dinamo (known as Croatia Zagreb from 1992 to 2000) played Auxerre
in a 1994–95 Cup Winners' Cup first round tie as he appeared a 3–1 home win at Maksimir on 29 September 1994. He regularly appeared in all of the club's European campaigns over the following four seasons and took part in some of the club's biggest achievements in recent times, such as reaching the 1997–98 UEFA Cup round of 16 (where they were knocked out by Atlético Madrid 2–1 on aggregate) and group stage of the 1998–99 Champions League (after knocking out Celtic
3–1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round).
Other notable Dinamo players and Šimić's teammates from that era were Silvio Marić
, Dražen Ladić
, Igor Cvitanović
, Mark Viduka
and Robert Prosinečki
, as well as Krunoslav Jurčić
and Goran Jurić
with whom he formed a solid defensive partnership. In his six and a half years with the club, Šimić earned a total of 140 league appearances and scored 14 goals.
In the meantime Šimić's former coach at Dinamo, Miroslav Blažević, was appointed Croatia
manager in 1994. In 1996, impressed by his string of good performances, Blažević called him up and, after playing 16 games for Croatia's youth teams, Šimić earned his first full international cap on 13 March 1996 in a friendly against South Korea, coming on as a substitute for Igor Štimac
. Šimić quickly became a first team regular in the national team under Blažević, and went on to play in six 1998 FIFA World Cup
qualifiers, as well as six matches at the final tournament itself in France
, where Croatia eventually won third place.
in January 1999 for a fee of 11 million euros, which was at the time Dinamo's all-time transfer record (and to this day surpassed only by outgoing transfers of Vedran Ćorluka
and Eduardo
in 2007 and Luka Modrić
in 2008).
Under coach Marcello Lippi
, Šimić had his Serie A
debut in a 2–0 win against Venezia
at San Siro
on 10 January 1999. By the end of his first season in Italy, Šimić earned a total of 17 appearances and scored 2 goals for Internazionale. In the following couple of seasons Šimić's services were regularly used, until the 2001–02 season, when he had only 12 league and 8 European appearances. After Héctor Cúper
was appointed for coach in 2001, Šimić fell out of favour with the new manager and in July 2002 Internazionale and their cross-city rivals AC Milan
agreed a player swap with Ümit Davala
going in the opposite direction. In his three and a half years with Internazionale he earned a total of 66 league appearances and scored 3 goals. The club failed to win any silverware in this period, and their highest finish was fourth place in the 1999–2000 season, even though this was the time when some of football's biggest stars played there with Šimić, such as Roberto Baggio
, Ronaldo
, Ivan Zamorano
, Diego Simeone and Christian Vieri
.
, Šimić was immediately made a member of the first-team squad under Carlo Ancelotti
, who changed Šimić's playing position from centre back to right back in a four-men defensive line. His debut for AC Milan came in a 2002–03 Champions League third qualifying round away game against Slovan Liberec
on 28 August 2002. Šimić went on to make 12 appearances for AC Milan in their run to the UEFA Champions League title in 2003, though he was omitted from both semi-final legs against Inter and the final match
against Serie A rivals Juventus
at Old Trafford
. He made 29 Serie A appearances for AC Milan in his first season with the club, but in the following three seasons he never regained his place as a first-team regular, making only 27 league appearances over the three seasons. In May 2006, he signed a contract extension until 2009 with AC Milan, just weeks after openly criticising coach Carlo Ancelotti over lack of playing time.
He was more or less able to regain his place as a regular with AC Milan in the Serie A in 2006–07, making 22 league appearances that season. However, his opportunities in the UEFA Champions League, won again by AC Milan that season, were limited as he only made six appearances (including two in the qualifying rounds) until the round of 16. The 2007–08 season saw him making only four Serie A appearances for the club. In his only UEFA Champions League appearance that season, against Celtic
, he was member of the starting eleven but was forced to leave the pitch due to an injury after spending less than 30 minutes in the game.
. He made his Ligue 1
debut on 23 August 2008 in Monaco's 1–1 draw at home to SM Caen
, playing the entire match and assisting Frédéric Nimani
for the opening goal. He went on to establish himself as a regular at the club, making a total of 26 league appearances before being sent off against Le Havre
in April 2009. He lost his place as a regular in the team after that, making no appearances since Monaco's final league match of the 2008–09 season, a goalless draw at Paris Saint-Germain.
after having spent 11 years playing abroad. However, Šimić went on to announce his retirement from active football only three months later on 10 August 2010. During the short spell Šimić appeared in 3 competitive matches for the Blues, including the 2010 Croatian Supercup
, and two European away matches against Koper
and Sheriff Tiraspol
, without ever appearing in the 2010–11 Prva HNL
. In his announcement, Šimić said that he enrolled at the coaching academy and confirmed that his future plans involved staying in football, possibly as a manager.
|1992/93||rowspan="7"|Croatia Zagreb||rowspan="7"|Prva HNL||6||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|1993/94||19||2||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||19||2
|-
|1994/95||22||1||||||colspan="2"|-||1||0||23||1
|-
|1995/96||26||2||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||26||2
|-
|1996/97||25||6||||||colspan="2"|-||4||1||29||7
|-
|1997/98||29||2||||||colspan="2"|-||9||1||38||3
|-
|1998/99||13||1||||||colspan="2"|-||8||0||21||1
|-
|1998/99||rowspan="4"|Internazionale Milano||rowspan="4"|Serie A
||15||2||6||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0||27||2
|-
|1999/00||19||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||22||1
|-
|2000/01||18||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||4||1||24||1
|-
|2001/02||12||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||8||0||21||0
|-
|2002/03||rowspan="6"|Milan||rowspan="6"|Serie A
||29||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||13||0||45||1
|-
|2003/04||10||0||6||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||18||0
|-
|2004/05||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2005/06||15||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||21||0
|-
|2006/07||22||0||6||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0||34||0
|-
|2007/08||4||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||7||0
|-
|2008/09||rowspan="2"|Monaco
||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1
||27||0||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||30||0
|-
|2009/10||0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
|2009/10||Dinamo Zagreb||Prva HNL||0||0||||||colspan="2"|-||2||0||2||0
140||14||||||colspan="2"|-||24||2||164||16
146||4||34||0||colspan="2"|-||42||1||222||5
27||0||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||30||0
313||18||37||0||||||66||3||416||21
|}
|-
|1996||5||0
|-
|1997||8||0
|-
|1998||13||1
|-
|1999||7||0
|-
|2000||5||0
|-
|2001||8||0
|-
|2002||6||0
|-
|2003||10||1
|-
|2004||8||0
|-
|2005||5||0
|-
|2006||11||1
|-
|2007||9||0
|-
|2008||5||0
|-
!Total||100||3
|}
national teams, scoring one goal for the under-21 team. He made his senior international debut on 13 March 1996 in a friendly match against the Korea Republic
, coming on as a substitute for Igor Štimac
in the final 20 minutes.
Šimić only made one appearance for Croatia
at the UEFA Euro 1996 finals in England
. However, he established himself as a regular at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
finals in France
, where he appeared in six of Croatia's seven matches in their run to a third-place finish, only missing the third-place match with a yellow-card suspension.
He made two appearances for Croatia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
finals and also featured in all of their three group matches at the UEFA Euro 2004 finals. Both these tournaments saw Croatia being eliminated in the group stage, just like the 2006 FIFA World Cup
finals, where he appeared in all of Croatia's three matches. Winning his 82nd international cap in the team's second match at the latter tournament, against Japan
on 18 June 2006 in Nuremberg
, he dislodged Robert Jarni
(81 caps) as the Croatian national team's all-time cap leader. In the final group match, a 2–2 draw against Australia, he was sent off five minutes from time after receiving his second yellow card.
Šimić also scored three goals for Croatia, with his final international goal coming in a friendly match against Argentina
on 1 March 2006 in Basel
, where he netted a last-minute goal to give Croatia a 3–2 victory. Alongside experienced Robert Kovač
and Igor Tudor
, he is considered one of the best Croatian defenders in recent history.
, Robert Kovač
or Josip Šimunić
from their berths in the first team. With a place in the quarter-finals secured after the first two games, Croatia coach Slaven Bilić
gave many of his second-string players a chance to play in the final group match against Poland
, with Šimić starting the match and captaining the side on the occasion of his 99th cap. Croatia went on to win the match 1–0, finishing the group stage with 3 wins in 3 matches. However, he was once again left an unused substitute in the quarter-finals against Turkey
, which Croatia lost in penalty shootout.
On 20 August 2008, Šimić finally won his 100th international cap in a friendly match against Slovenia
in Maribor
, becoming the first Croatian player to win 100 international caps. He started the match and captained the team in the first half, before being replaced by debutant Ivica Križanac
at half-time. Croatia won the match 3–2.
Šimić was subsequently also called up for Croatia's opening two qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in early September 2008, at home to Kazakhstan
and England
, being an unused substitute in the former and completely left out of the latter. Following the 4–1 defeat to England, Croatia's first competitive defeat at home, rumours about Šimić being set to retire from international football appeared in the Croatian media. On 16 September 2008, it was eventually confirmed that Šimić has announced his retirement from international football after being a Croatian international for 12 and a half years.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
) is a retired Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n football player. Šimić was a versatile defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
who played as full-back, sweeper or centre back. A product of Dinamo Zagreb Academy, he later played for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
sides Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
and AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
, before returning to Dinamo Zagreb in 2010, where he retired from the game during the same year.
Šimić also played for Croatia national football team
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
and is the team's most capped player, having won a total of 100 international caps between 1996 and 2008. He was member of Croatia's squad in all six major tournaments they qualified for during the 1990s and 2000s, which includes three FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s (11 appearances in 1998
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
and 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
) and three UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
s (5 appearances in 1996, 2004 and 2008).
Dinamo Zagreb
Šimić joined Dinamo Zagreb in 1987 at the age of twelve and rose through the ranks of their youth academy before being promoted to the senior squad for the 1992–93 season. His debut for the Blues came under manager Miroslav BlaževićMiroslav Blaževic
Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević is a Bosnian Croat football manager. He is the current head coach of Mes Kerman in Iran Pro League....
in the first match of the season, a Prva HNL away game against Varteks on 23 August 1992, which made him the youngest ever player to debut for the club as Šimić was only three months shy from his 17th birthday. He continued to make five more appearances in his first top-flight season and although was widely regarded as a promising player, he struggled to make a bigger impact in his first season with the squad which eventually won the Croatian title that year.
However, right from the beginning of the 1993–94 season he established himself as a first team regular and was one of the key players of the squad in one of the most successful periods in club's history. In the next six seasons Šimić helped the club win another four titles as well as four Croatian Cup
Croatian Cup
The Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...
s. In this period Šimić also experienced his first taste of European football when Dinamo (known as Croatia Zagreb from 1992 to 2000) played Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
in a 1994–95 Cup Winners' Cup first round tie as he appeared a 3–1 home win at Maksimir on 29 September 1994. He regularly appeared in all of the club's European campaigns over the following four seasons and took part in some of the club's biggest achievements in recent times, such as reaching the 1997–98 UEFA Cup round of 16 (where they were knocked out by Atlético Madrid 2–1 on aggregate) and group stage of the 1998–99 Champions League (after knocking out Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
3–1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round).
Other notable Dinamo players and Šimić's teammates from that era were Silvio Marić
Silvio Marić
Silvio Marić is a retired Croatian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.- Club career :Born in Zagreb, Marić began his professional career at Dinamo Zagreb in 1992. In the autumn of 1998, he appeared for Dinamo Zagreb in all of their six group matches in the UEFA Champions League and...
, Dražen Ladić
Dražen Ladic
Dražen Ladić is a former Croatian football goalkeeper. Between 2006 and 2011 he was the head coach of the Croatian national under-21 team.-Club:...
, Igor Cvitanović
Igor Cvitanovic
Igor Cvitanović is a retired Croatian football striker.He is currently the all-time top goalscorer of the Croatian First League with a total of 126 goals, and also scored 122 domestic league goals for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, 117 of which were in the Croatian First League...
, Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
and Robert Prosinečki
Robert Prosinecki
Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...
, as well as Krunoslav Jurčić
Krunoslav Jurcic
Krunoslav "Kruno" Jurčić is a retired Croatian professional footballer who is now a coach.-Club career:He started his professional career at Dinamo Zagreb in 1988, before moving to Inker Zaprešić in 1991 and Uljanik Pula in 1993. He went on join Belgian side Beveren in 1995, but returned to Dinamo...
and Goran Jurić
Goran Juric
Goran Jurić is a former Croatian football player.During his career, he played for Velež Mostar, Red Star Belgrade, Celta de Vigo, Croatia Zagreb, Yokohama F. Marinos, and NK Zagreb. He earned 4 caps for the Yugoslavia national football team in 1988, and 16 caps for the Croatia national football team...
with whom he formed a solid defensive partnership. In his six and a half years with the club, Šimić earned a total of 140 league appearances and scored 14 goals.
In the meantime Šimić's former coach at Dinamo, Miroslav Blažević, was appointed Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
manager in 1994. In 1996, impressed by his string of good performances, Blažević called him up and, after playing 16 games for Croatia's youth teams, Šimić earned his first full international cap on 13 March 1996 in a friendly against South Korea, coming on as a substitute for Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager...
. Šimić quickly became a first team regular in the national team under Blažević, and went on to play in six 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
qualifiers, as well as six matches at the final tournament itself in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where Croatia eventually won third place.
Internazionale
His good performances at the 1998 World Cup and in the 1998–99 Champions League attracted attention from some of Europe's biggest clubs and he went on to join InternazionaleF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in January 1999 for a fee of 11 million euros, which was at the time Dinamo's all-time transfer record (and to this day surpassed only by outgoing transfers of Vedran Ćorluka
Vedran Corluka
Vedran Ćorluka is a Croatian footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team...
and Eduardo
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...
in 2007 and Luka Modrić
Luka Modric
Luka Modrić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national football team.Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His...
in 2008).
Under coach Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is a former Italian World Cup-winning football manager and former player. He served as Italian national team head coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008...
, Šimić had his Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut in a 2–0 win against Venezia
F.B.C. Unione Venezia
Football Club Unione Venezia , commonly referred to as simply Venezia, is an Italian football club from Venice, Veneto....
at San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
on 10 January 1999. By the end of his first season in Italy, Šimić earned a total of 17 appearances and scored 2 goals for Internazionale. In the following couple of seasons Šimić's services were regularly used, until the 2001–02 season, when he had only 12 league and 8 European appearances. After Héctor Cúper
Héctor Cúper
Héctor Raúl Cúper is an Argentinean former football defender and a current manager.-Coach:...
was appointed for coach in 2001, Šimić fell out of favour with the new manager and in July 2002 Internazionale and their cross-city rivals AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
agreed a player swap with Ümit Davala
Ümit Davala
Ümit Davala is a Turkish former international footballer who is currently an assistant manager of Galatasaray.-Club career:...
going in the opposite direction. In his three and a half years with Internazionale he earned a total of 66 league appearances and scored 3 goals. The club failed to win any silverware in this period, and their highest finish was fourth place in the 1999–2000 season, even though this was the time when some of football's biggest stars played there with Šimić, such as Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio is a retired Italian footballer. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He is also one of the top 5 all-time...
, Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
, Ivan Zamorano
Iván Zamorano
Iván Luis Zamorano Zamora is a retired Chilean football striker. Along with former world-class forward Marcelo Salas and former world player of the year Elias Figueroa he is regarded as one of Chile's most recognized footballers.He was a member of the Chilean national team and played in the 1998...
, Diego Simeone and Christian Vieri
Christian Vieri
Christian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
.
AC Milan
At A.C. MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, Šimić was immediately made a member of the first-team squad under Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
, who changed Šimić's playing position from centre back to right back in a four-men defensive line. His debut for AC Milan came in a 2002–03 Champions League third qualifying round away game against Slovan Liberec
FC Slovan Liberec
FC Slovan Liberec is a Czech football club founded in the city of Liberec. The club is one of the most successful in the Czech Republic, having won two league titles and the domestic cup since 1993. Slovan Liberec is also one of the richest clubs in the Czech league...
on 28 August 2002. Šimić went on to make 12 appearances for AC Milan in their run to the UEFA Champions League title in 2003, though he was omitted from both semi-final legs against Inter and the final match
2003 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2003 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on 28 May 2003 to decide the winner of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. The match was contested by two Italian teams in the shape of Juventus and Milan. The match made history as the...
against Serie A rivals Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
. He made 29 Serie A appearances for AC Milan in his first season with the club, but in the following three seasons he never regained his place as a first-team regular, making only 27 league appearances over the three seasons. In May 2006, he signed a contract extension until 2009 with AC Milan, just weeks after openly criticising coach Carlo Ancelotti over lack of playing time.
He was more or less able to regain his place as a regular with AC Milan in the Serie A in 2006–07, making 22 league appearances that season. However, his opportunities in the UEFA Champions League, won again by AC Milan that season, were limited as he only made six appearances (including two in the qualifying rounds) until the round of 16. The 2007–08 season saw him making only four Serie A appearances for the club. In his only UEFA Champions League appearance that season, against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, he was member of the starting eleven but was forced to leave the pitch due to an injury after spending less than 30 minutes in the game.
Monaco
In August 2008, Šimić moved to AS MonacoAS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
. He made his Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
debut on 23 August 2008 in Monaco's 1–1 draw at home to SM Caen
SM Caen
Stade Malherbe Caen is a professional French football team, playing in the city of Caen, Normandy. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 following the merger of Club Malherbe Caennais and Club Sportif Caennais...
, playing the entire match and assisting Frédéric Nimani
Frédéric Nimani
Frédéric K. Nimani N'Galou is a French footballer who plays for AS Monaco FC as a striker.-Monaco:Born in Marseille, Nimani's spell at AS Monaco began well when he scored on his debut against Auxerre on 9 September 2006. Despite bursting onto the scene at the Stade Louis II in spectacular fashion,...
for the opening goal. He went on to establish himself as a regular at the club, making a total of 26 league appearances before being sent off against Le Havre
Le Havre AC
Le Havre Athletic Club Football Association is a French association football club based in Le Havre. The club was founded originally as an athletics and rugby club in 1872, thus making it the oldest association football and rugby club registered in France...
in April 2009. He lost his place as a regular in the team after that, making no appearances since Monaco's final league match of the 2008–09 season, a goalless draw at Paris Saint-Germain.
Dinamo Zagreb
On 27 April 2010, Šimić returned to Dinamo Zagreb on a free transferFree transfer
In professional association football, a free transfer, also known as a Bosman transfer, involves a professional association football club releasing a player once the player's contract has expired or made available just before the end of the contract....
after having spent 11 years playing abroad. However, Šimić went on to announce his retirement from active football only three months later on 10 August 2010. During the short spell Šimić appeared in 3 competitive matches for the Blues, including the 2010 Croatian Supercup
Croatian Supercup
The Croatian Supercup is a football match between the winners of the Prva HNL and the Croatian Cup. The Supercup serves as a curtain raiser of the new football season and is only held when different clubs happen to win the two most important competitions during the previous season The Croatian...
, and two European away matches against Koper
FC Koper
FC Koper is a Slovenian football club, playing in the town of Koper. The club is one of only three football clubs in the country, the others being Maribor and former Olimpija, that won all three domestic competitions . The team plays its matches on Bonifika stadium that was built in 2010 and has a...
and Sheriff Tiraspol
FC Sheriff Tiraspol
FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a football club based in Tiraspol, Moldova. They play in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football. The team is sometimes referred to as simply FC Sheriff and should not be confused with FC Tiraspol, a rival team based in the same city.-History:The club...
, without ever appearing in the 2010–11 Prva HNL
2010–11 Prva HNL
The 2010–11 Prva HNL season was the twentieth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011...
. In his announcement, Šimić said that he enrolled at the coaching academy and confirmed that his future plans involved staying in football, possibly as a manager.
Career statistics
|-|1992/93||rowspan="7"|Croatia Zagreb||rowspan="7"|Prva HNL||6||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|1993/94||19||2||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||19||2
|-
|1994/95||22||1||||||colspan="2"|-||1||0||23||1
|-
|1995/96||26||2||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||26||2
|-
|1996/97||25||6||||||colspan="2"|-||4||1||29||7
|-
|1997/98||29||2||||||colspan="2"|-||9||1||38||3
|-
|1998/99||13||1||||||colspan="2"|-||8||0||21||1
|-
|1998/99||rowspan="4"|Internazionale Milano||rowspan="4"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||15||2||6||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0||27||2
|-
|1999/00||19||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||22||1
|-
|2000/01||18||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||4||1||24||1
|-
|2001/02||12||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||8||0||21||0
|-
|2002/03||rowspan="6"|Milan||rowspan="6"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||29||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||13||0||45||1
|-
|2003/04||10||0||6||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||18||0
|-
|2004/05||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2005/06||15||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||21||0
|-
|2006/07||22||0||6||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0||34||0
|-
|2007/08||4||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||7||0
|-
|2008/09||rowspan="2"|Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||27||0||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||30||0
|-
|2009/10||0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
|2009/10||Dinamo Zagreb||Prva HNL||0||0||||||colspan="2"|-||2||0||2||0
140||14||||||colspan="2"|-||24||2||164||16
146||4||34||0||colspan="2"|-||42||1||222||5
27||0||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||30||0
313||18||37||0||||||66||3||416||21
|}
|-
|1996||5||0
|-
|1997||8||0
|-
|1998||13||1
|-
|1999||7||0
|-
|2000||5||0
|-
|2001||8||0
|-
|2002||6||0
|-
|2003||10||1
|-
|2004||8||0
|-
|2005||5||0
|-
|2006||11||1
|-
|2007||9||0
|-
|2008||5||0
|-
!Total||100||3
|}
National team
Croatia- FIFA World Cup 1998: Third place - Bronze medal
Dinamo Zagreb
- Croatian First League (5): 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99
- Croatian CupCroatian CupThe Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...
(4): 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 - Croatian Super Cup (1): 2010
Milan
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(1): 2003–04 - Italian CupCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
(1): 2003 - Italian Super CupSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(1): 2004 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(2): 2002–03, 2006–07 - UEFA Super Cup (1): 20032003 UEFA Super CupThe 2003 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 29, 2003 between A.C. Milan of Italy and F.C. Porto of Portugal. Milan qualified by beating Juventus in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Porto had made it to the Super Cup after beating Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Milan won the match 1–0...
- FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
(1): 20072007 FIFA Club World CupThe 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 December to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament....
International career
Between 1993 and 1996, Šimić won a total of 17 international caps for the Croatian under-19 and under-21Croatia national under-21 football team
The Croatia national under-21 football team, also known as Croatia under-21 or Croatia U21 is a youth association football national team which represents Croatia at this age level and is a feeder team for the Croatia national football team....
national teams, scoring one goal for the under-21 team. He made his senior international debut on 13 March 1996 in a friendly match against the Korea Republic
Korea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
, coming on as a substitute for Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager...
in the final 20 minutes.
Šimić only made one appearance for Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
at the UEFA Euro 1996 finals in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. However, he established himself as a regular at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
finals in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he appeared in six of Croatia's seven matches in their run to a third-place finish, only missing the third-place match with a yellow-card suspension.
He made two appearances for Croatia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
finals and also featured in all of their three group matches at the UEFA Euro 2004 finals. Both these tournaments saw Croatia being eliminated in the group stage, just like the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
finals, where he appeared in all of Croatia's three matches. Winning his 82nd international cap in the team's second match at the latter tournament, against Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
on 18 June 2006 in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, he dislodged Robert Jarni
Robert Jarni
Robert Jarni is a retired Croatian footballer who played as left winger or wingback. He is now a manager, but is currently without a club after resigning from his managerial post at Istra 1961 in September 2010....
(81 caps) as the Croatian national team's all-time cap leader. In the final group match, a 2–2 draw against Australia, he was sent off five minutes from time after receiving his second yellow card.
Šimić also scored three goals for Croatia, with his final international goal coming in a friendly match against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
on 1 March 2006 in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, where he netted a last-minute goal to give Croatia a 3–2 victory. Alongside experienced Robert Kovač
Robert Kovac
Robert Kovač is a retired Croatian football defender.- Early career :Kovač started his career in lower league clubs Rapide Wedding and Hertha Zehlendorf before making his Bundesliga debut with 1. FC Nuremberg in 1995...
and Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor is a Croatian former football defender. He was considered one of Croatia's best defenders in the period between the late 1990s and mid-2000s....
, he is considered one of the best Croatian defenders in recent history.
100th cap and retirement
Šimić came very close to completing the fairy tale and winning his 100th cap for Croatia at the finals of the UEFA Euro 2008. However, he missed the first two games of the tournament, unable to dislodge Vedran ĆorlukaVedran Corluka
Vedran Ćorluka is a Croatian footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team...
, Robert Kovač
Robert Kovac
Robert Kovač is a retired Croatian football defender.- Early career :Kovač started his career in lower league clubs Rapide Wedding and Hertha Zehlendorf before making his Bundesliga debut with 1. FC Nuremberg in 1995...
or Josip Šimunić
Josip Šimunic
Josip Šimunić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.-Club career:...
from their berths in the first team. With a place in the quarter-finals secured after the first two games, Croatia coach Slaven Bilić
Slaven Bilic
Slaven Bilić is a former Croatian footballer and current head coach of the Croatia national team. His playing tenure predominantly comprised extended vocations in his hometown with Hajduk Split and a combination of foreign spells in Germany and England...
gave many of his second-string players a chance to play in the final group match against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, with Šimić starting the match and captaining the side on the occasion of his 99th cap. Croatia went on to win the match 1–0, finishing the group stage with 3 wins in 3 matches. However, he was once again left an unused substitute in the quarter-finals against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
, which Croatia lost in penalty shootout.
On 20 August 2008, Šimić finally won his 100th international cap in a friendly match against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
, becoming the first Croatian player to win 100 international caps. He started the match and captained the team in the first half, before being replaced by debutant Ivica Križanac
Ivica Križanac
Ivica Križanac is a Croatian football defender who currently plays for RNK Split.He previously played for Górnik Zabrze of Poland where he became one of Polish league's best players. Since joining FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Ivica has been a major player. He is a consistent player...
at half-time. Croatia won the match 3–2.
Šimić was subsequently also called up for Croatia's opening two qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in early September 2008, at home to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, being an unused substitute in the former and completely left out of the latter. Following the 4–1 defeat to England, Croatia's first competitive defeat at home, rumours about Šimić being set to retire from international football appeared in the Croatian media. On 16 September 2008, it was eventually confirmed that Šimić has announced his retirement from international football after being a Croatian international for 12 and a half years.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | 10 October 1998 | Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta Malta Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in... |
1 – 1 | 1–4 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying | |
| 02. | 10 September 2003 | King Baudouin Stadium King Baudouin Stadium The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition... , Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
1 – 1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying | |
| 03. | 1 March 2006 | St. Jakob-Park St. Jakob-Park ' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland... , Basel Basel Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
3 – 2 | 3–2 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|