Elvir Bolic
Encyclopedia
Elvir Bolić is a former Bosnian
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

 football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

. He is the all-time leading scorer for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...

.

Bolić was briefly served as the assistant manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...

.

Elvir Bolić is considered a legend in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Loved by the fans and respected by his teammates, Bolić was always admired for his hard work on the pitch and great footballing skills.

Yugoslavia

His career started in his hometown, Zenica, where he played for a local club, Čelik
NK Celik Zenica
NK Čelik is a football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, playing in the city of Zenica.The name Čelik means "Steel" in Bosnian - it is derived from Turkish çelik...

 from 1988 to 1991. He was the member of Čelik's most successful youth generation ever, from which several other players emerged and later on played for the Bosnian national team, including former team captain Mirsad Hibić
Mirsad Hibic
Mirsad Hibić is a former Bosnian football player.Hibić had been a prolific part of the Bosnian national team since its inception, having been capped 36 times...

, Nermin Šabić
Nermin Šabic
Nermin Šabić is a Bosnian international footballer who plays for Čelik Zenica.-External links:...

 and Senad Brkić
Senad Brkic
Senad Brkić is a former Bosnian association footballer.Brkić played his last match for national team on 7 September 2002 against Romania.-External links:*http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageId=526&kisiId=29486...

.

During those years, Čelik struggled in the lower leagues of ex-Yugoslavia and was often forced to bring up fresh new talent from its youth system, which allowed Bolić to showcase his skills. He and a couple of his teammates earned a call-up for the ex-Yugoslavian
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

 U18 national team.

This led to Bolić being noticed by Yugoslav powerhouse Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...

, which brought him to their youth team in December 1991. Red Star management, led at the time by Dragan Džajić
Dragan Džajic
Dragan Džajić is widely considered to have been one of the best Serbian football players to emerge from former Yugoslavia. Regarded as a preeminent and very proficient left winger, he is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation...

 and Vladimir Cvetković, thought very highly of Bolić's talent and groomed him to take over an important midfield role. However, because of the political situation in SFR Yugoslavia at the time, the young 20-year-old Bolić defected from the Yugoslav national side
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...

 training camp in France in June 1992. He later informed Red Star's management he would not be coming back to Belgrade.

Turkey

From there, he went to Turkey where he became a legend and one of the best foreign players ever to appear in the Turkish Süper Lig. Bolić spent most of his club career in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, where he played for Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

 (1992), Gaziantepspor
Gaziantepspor
Gaziantepspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969, Gaziantepspor are nicknamed the Şahinler . The club colours are black and red, and they play their home matches at Kamil Ocak Stadyumu....

 (1993-95), Fenerbahçe (1995-2000), Istanbulspor (2003-04), and Gençlerbirligi
Gençlerbirligi
Gençlerbirliği Spor Kulübü is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Ankara, which is the capital of Turkey. Formed in 1923, Gençlerbirliği are nicknamed Ankara Rüzgârı . The club colours are black and red. They play their home matches at Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium.Domestically,...

, Malatyaspor
Malatyaspor
Malatya SK is a Turkish sports club based in Malatya, mainly concentrated on football. Malatyaspor are currently playing in the TFF Third League. Previously their colors were yellow and black . They played in First League for 11 seasons. They are the first and only team located in Eastern Anatolia...

 (2004-2005).

He is known for breaking Manchester United's 40-year unbeaten home record in Europe when he scored for Fenerbahçe in their 1-0 win on October 30, 1996.

Return to Turkey

In 2003-2004, he returned to Istanbulspor, but only for a season. He left for Gençlerbirliği S.K..

Croatia

He played for NK Rijeka
NK Rijeka
HNK Rijeka is a Croatian football club, from Rijeka on the Croatian coast.-History:The club was founded as NK Kvarner in 1946, after Rijeka passed from Italy to Yugoslavia following the end of World War II. During its early period in Yugoslavia, the club had moderate success in various Yugoslav...

 in 2006–07 season, left the club in September 2006.

International career

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bolić has appeared 51 times, scoring 22 goals. He holds the record for most goals for the national team, while Zvjezdan Misimović
Zvjezdan Misimovic
Zvjezdan Misimović is a German-born Bosnian footballer who plays for FC Dynamo Moscow...

 surpassed his number of caps in September 2010 after Bolic had held that record as well for several years. His first appearance came in 1996 against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

.

Bolić made a non-friendly appearance for national team on 6 September 2006 against Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....

.

International goals


Coaching career

He was the assistant manager for the Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...

 National team, alongside of Meho Kodro
Meho Kodro
Mehmed "Meho" Kodro Sejtanić , known as Kodro, is a retired Bosnian footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager....

 from 5 January until 17 May 2008.

External links

  • http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageId=526&kisiId=24523
  • http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=6918
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