Silvester Sabolčki
Encyclopedia
Silvester Sabolčki was a Croatia
n footballer who played as a winger.
Playing for Varteks Varaždin, Sabolčki established himself as one of the most talented Croatian footballers of his generation and signed a contract with the country's top club Dinamo Zagreb less than a week prior to his tragic death in a road accident in the early morning of 30 May 2003.
, and was also an important member of the squad that reached the 2001–02 Croatian Cup
final. He also made some UEFA Cup appearances with the club.
At the time of his death, he had already signed a contract with Croatian top club Dinamo Zagreb and was about to join the club at the beginning of the 2003–04 season.
, winning a total of 18 international caps with the team. He was also part of the Croatian squad at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
, where he scored his only international goal in a 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan
in the group stage. The following year, he also played for Croatia at the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
.
Sabolčki also won two full international caps for Croatia
, making his debut on 25 April 2001 in a friendly match against Greece
in Varaždin, coming on as a substitute for Robert Jarni
in the second half. His second appearance came against Macedonia in another international friendly in February 2003.
at high speed. The vehicle hit a light pole and a couple of traffic signs before being torn apart by the force of the impact upon hitting a second light pole.
Sabolčki and two other passengers, 20-year-old Kristijan Kitner and 24-year-old Krunoslav Sabolić, were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Kitner and Sabolić were also professional footballers, both goalkeepers. Kitner was in his first professional season with Varteks, while Sabolić had left Varteks for Slaven Belupo
a few years earlier.
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 played as a winger.
Playing for Varteks Varaždin, Sabolčki established himself as one of the most talented Croatian footballers of his generation and signed a contract with the country's top club Dinamo Zagreb less than a week prior to his tragic death in a road accident in the early morning of 30 May 2003.
Club career
Sabolčki rose through the youth ranks of Varteks before penning his first professional contract at the club in 1998, at the age of 18. He quickly established himself as a first-team regular at the club, appearing in a total of 121 matches and scoring 11 goals in the Prva HNL over the following five seasons. In the 1998–99 season, he helped the club reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, and was also an important member of the squad that reached the 2001–02 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...
final. He also made some UEFA Cup appearances with the club.
At the time of his death, he had already signed a contract with Croatian top club Dinamo Zagreb and was about to join the club at the beginning of the 2003–04 season.
International career
Between 1998 and 2001, Sabolčki was a regular with the Croatian national under-21 football teamCroatia 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....
, winning a total of 18 international caps with the team. He was also part of the Croatian squad at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between April 3 and April 24, 1999. The 1999 championship was the 12th contested.- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.-Squads:...
, where he scored his only international goal in a 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national under-21 football team
The Kazakhstan national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Kazakhstan and is controlled by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan...
in the group stage. The following year, he also played for Croatia at the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2000, which spanned two years , had 47 entrants. Northern Ireland competed for the first time. For the first time a finals tournament with two groups of four teams was held, with one of those teams, Slovakia, having been chosen as the hosts.Italy U-21s won the...
.
Sabolčki also won two full international caps 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...
, making his debut on 25 April 2001 in a friendly match 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...
in Varaždin, coming on as a substitute for 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....
in the second half. His second appearance came against Macedonia in another international friendly in February 2003.
Death
At the age of 23, Sabolčki was killed in a road accident that occurred in a Varaždin suburb in the early morning of 30 May 2003, when he lost control over his Audi A3Audi A3
The Audi A3 is a small family car produced by the German automaker Audi since 1996. Two generations of A3 exist, both based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, which they share with several other models such as the Audi TT, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Touran as well as SEAT...
at high speed. The vehicle hit a light pole and a couple of traffic signs before being torn apart by the force of the impact upon hitting a second light pole.
Sabolčki and two other passengers, 20-year-old Kristijan Kitner and 24-year-old Krunoslav Sabolić, were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Kitner and Sabolić were also professional footballers, both goalkeepers. Kitner was in his first professional season with Varteks, while Sabolić had left Varteks for Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...
a few years earlier.