Mate Bilic
Encyclopedia
Mate Bilić is a Croatia
n footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón
in La Liga
, as a striker.
During his professional career, he played mainly in Spain
- where he arrived at the age of 21 - representing five different clubs.
, and went on to establish himself as a regular during the 1999–2000 season, after a season-long loan spell with NK Mosor
in the Croatian second division. In two seasons combined, he scored 15 league goals for Hajduk, including nine in 2000–01, as the club won its fourth top flight title.
At the end of August 2001, Bilić transferred to La Liga
side Real Zaragoza
, but failed to impress as he only scored one goal in 18 league appearances. Between 2002 and 2006, he would represent, one season each, UD Almería
, Sporting de Gijón
, Córdoba CF
and UE Lleida
(all clubs playing in the second division
).
In June 2006, Bilić signed with Austrian Bundesliga
SK Rapid Wien
. However, in January 2008, he returned to Spain and Gijón, helping the Asturian
side return to the topflight after a 10-year absence (despite playing in roughly only half of the games, he netted ten goals).
On 13 September 2008, Bilić scored a sour hat-trick
at Sevilla FC
, as Sporting was eventually downed 3–4. During the season, he again formed an effective offensive partnership with David Barral
, with the pair combining 22 league goals for an eventual retaining of Sporting's league status; in the following seasons, he was much more sparingly used, only scoring one official goal in the 2010–11 campaign
, in the Copa del Rey
against RCD Mallorca
(2–2 home draw, 3–5 aggregate loss
).
national teams, scoring six goals. However, he was also eligible to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina
before making his full international debut for Croatia
, as his parents hailed from Tomislavgrad
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
Croatia head coach Slaven Bilić
first called his namesake for a friendly game against Romania
on 11 February 2009, but he did not feature in that game. He eventually made his full international debut on 14 October 2009, in the nation's final 2010 FIFA World Cup
qualifier against Kazakhstan
in Astana
, coming on as a substitute for Mario Mandžukić
in the 63rd minute. Croatia won the game 2–1, but failed to reach the play-offs after finishing third in their group.
On 14 November 2009, Bilić scored his first international goals, in a friendly with Liechtenstein
in Vinkovci
, helping to a final 5–0 success. The first of his two came only 42 seconds after kick-off and is currently the fastest goal ever scored by the Croatian national football team. On 19 May 2010, in another exhibition game, against Austria
in Klagenfurt
, he replaced Mladen Petrić
at the hour-mark, and scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute.
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 footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, as a striker.
During his professional career, he played mainly in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- where he arrived at the age of 21 - representing five different clubs.
Club career
Bilić began his professional career in 1997 at hometown club HNK Hajduk SplitHNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...
, and went on to establish himself as a regular during the 1999–2000 season, after a season-long loan spell with NK Mosor
NK Mosor
NK Mosor is a Croatian football club from Žrnovnica, settlement which is part of the city of Split on the Croatian coast.The club was founded in 1928. It existed until World War II when most of its members enlisted in the army. When the war ended, the club had experienced such a high rate of...
in the Croatian second division. In two seasons combined, he scored 15 league goals for Hajduk, including nine in 2000–01, as the club won its fourth top flight title.
At the end of August 2001, Bilić transferred to La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, but failed to impress as he only scored one goal in 18 league appearances. Between 2002 and 2006, he would represent, one season each, UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
, Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
, Córdoba CF
Córdoba CF
Córdoba Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Córdoba, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1954, it plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Estadio Nuevo Arcángel, with a capacity of 18,280 seats....
and UE Lleida
UE Lleida
Club Lleida Esportiu is a Spanish football team based in Lleida, Catalonia. Founded in 2011, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home games at Camp d'Esports, with a capacity of 13,500 seats.-History:...
(all clubs playing in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
).
In June 2006, Bilić signed with Austrian Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...
SK Rapid Wien
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
. However, in January 2008, he returned to Spain and Gijón, helping the Asturian
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
side return to the topflight after a 10-year absence (despite playing in roughly only half of the games, he netted ten goals).
On 13 September 2008, Bilić scored a sour hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
at Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
, as Sporting was eventually downed 3–4. During the season, he again formed an effective offensive partnership with David Barral
David Barral
David Barral Torres is a Spanish footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón in La Liga, as a striker.-Football career:Born in San Fernando, Cádiz, Andalusia, Barral started playing professionally in the lower divisions, with Real Madrid's B and C teams, with a loan stint at CF Fuenlabrada in...
, with the pair combining 22 league goals for an eventual retaining of Sporting's league status; in the following seasons, he was much more sparingly used, only scoring one official goal in the 2010–11 campaign
2010–11 La Liga
The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
, in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
against RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
(2–2 home draw, 3–5 aggregate loss
2010–11 Copa del Rey
The 2010–11 Copa del Rey was the 107th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 21, 2010 and ended on April 20, 2011 with the final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia, in which Real Madrid lifted the trophy for the eighteenth time in their history with a 1–0 victory over...
).
International career
Between 1996 and 2001, Bilić won a total of 16 international caps for the Croatian under-17, 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 six goals. However, he was also eligible to play for 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...
before making his full international debut 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...
, as his parents hailed from Tomislavgrad
Tomislavgrad
Tomislavgrad is a town and municipality in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is in the Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Herzegovina region.- Name :...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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...
.
Croatia head 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...
first called his namesake for a friendly game against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
on 11 February 2009, but he did not feature in that game. He eventually made his full international debut on 14 October 2009, in the nation's final 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...
qualifier against 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...
in Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
, coming on as a substitute for Mario Mandžukić
Mario Mandžukic
Mario Mandžukić is a Croatian professional footballer playing for VfL Wolfsburg and Croatian national team.-Club career:Mandžukić was born in Slavonski Brod, at the time in SFR Yugoslavia....
in the 63rd minute. Croatia won the game 2–1, but failed to reach the play-offs after finishing third in their group.
On 14 November 2009, Bilić scored his first international goals, in a friendly with Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
in Vinkovci
Vinkovci
Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
, helping to a final 5–0 success. The first of his two came only 42 seconds after kick-off and is currently the fastest goal ever scored by the Croatian national football team. On 19 May 2010, in another exhibition game, against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, he replaced Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petric
Mladen Petrić is a Croatian international footballer who plays for Hamburger SV in the Fußball-Bundesliga Bundesliga. He also holds the Swiss citizenship.-Early life:...
at the hour-mark, and scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute.
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 14 November 2009 | Cibalia, Vinkovci Vinkovci Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county... |
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... |
|||
| 3 | 19 May 2010 | Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt Klagenfurt -Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters... |
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... |
|||