Silvio Marić
Encyclopedia
Silvio Marić is a retired Croatia
n football
er who played as an attacking midfielder.
, 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 secured himself a move to English
side Newcastle United
in early 1999. He made his Premier League debut for Newcastle United on 10 March 1999 against Nottingham Forest
, but never managed to establish himself as a regular at the club and, after making 23 Premier League appearances without scoring a goal, went on to move to Portuguese
side Porto in 2000. At Newcastle United, he notably managed to become the first Croatian player to appear in an FA Cup Final
, when he came on as a substitute in the Magpies' 2-0 defeat to Manchester United
in the 1999 Final. During the final, with Newcastle trailing 2-0, Maric weakly shot past the post when exceptionally well-placed to score. This summed up his Newcastle career in general. He did however score twice for Newcastle in their 1999/2000 UEFA Cup campaign, when he netted both home and away against FC Zurich.
After playing one season for Porto, where he also never managed to become a regular, he made his first comeback to Dinamo Zagreb and subsequently spent two seasons with the club before making another move abroad, to Greek
side Panathinaikos
in 2003. He subsequently spent two seasons at Panathinaikos and also managed to make nine UEFA Champions League appearances for the club before making his second comeback to Dinamo Zagreb in 2005, signing a two-year contract. However, with his role in the team largely diminished and the fact that he mostly appeared as a substitute, he cancelled his contract upon the end of the 2005-06 season and thus finished his playing career. In his three spells with Dinamo, he appeared in a total of 146 league matches and scored 41 goals.
on 30 April 1997 in their 1998 FIFA World Cup
qualifier against Greece
and managed to score his first international goal in his second cap against Bosnia and Herzegovina
on 6 September 1997 in this same qualifying session. Between 1995 and 1997, he also made several appearances for the Croatian national under-21 team
.
He was also a member of the Croatian squad that won the bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals in France
and appeared in four matches at the tournament, although he only started the final group match against Argentina
. He won a total of 19 international caps for Croatia between 1997 and 2002, but his first international goal also remained his only one. His last appearance for the Croatian national team came on 12 October 2002 in their second Euro 2004
qualifier, which they lost 2-0 to Bulgaria
on the road.
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
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...
er who played as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
Born in ZagrebZagreb
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...
, Marić began his professional career at Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
in 1992. In the autumn of 1998, he appeared for Dinamo Zagreb in all of their six group matches in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The 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...
and secured himself a move to English
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...
side Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in early 1999. He made his Premier League debut for Newcastle United on 10 March 1999 against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, but never managed to establish himself as a regular at the club and, after making 23 Premier League appearances without scoring a goal, went on to move to Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
side Porto in 2000. At Newcastle United, he notably managed to become the first Croatian player to appear in an FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
, when he came on as a substitute in the Magpies' 2-0 defeat to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the 1999 Final. During the final, with Newcastle trailing 2-0, Maric weakly shot past the post when exceptionally well-placed to score. This summed up his Newcastle career in general. He did however score twice for Newcastle in their 1999/2000 UEFA Cup campaign, when he netted both home and away against FC Zurich.
After playing one season for Porto, where he also never managed to become a regular, he made his first comeback to Dinamo Zagreb and subsequently spent two seasons with the club before making another move abroad, to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
side Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
in 2003. He subsequently spent two seasons at Panathinaikos and also managed to make nine UEFA Champions League appearances for the club before making his second comeback to Dinamo Zagreb in 2005, signing a two-year contract. However, with his role in the team largely diminished and the fact that he mostly appeared as a substitute, he cancelled his contract upon the end of the 2005-06 season and thus finished his playing career. In his three spells with Dinamo, he appeared in a total of 146 league matches and scored 41 goals.
International career
Marić made his international debut for the Croatian national teamCroatia 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...
on 30 April 1997 in their 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...
qualifier 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...
and managed to score his first international goal in his second cap against 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...
on 6 September 1997 in this same qualifying session. Between 1995 and 1997, he also made several appearances for the Croatian national under-21 team
Croatia 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....
.
He was also a member of the Croatian squad that won the bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup 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...
and appeared in four matches at the tournament, although he only started the final group 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...
. He won a total of 19 international caps for Croatia between 1997 and 2002, but his first international goal also remained his only one. His last appearance for the Croatian national team came on 12 October 2002 in their second Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
qualifier, which they lost 2-0 to Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
on the road.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 1992–93 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 1993–94 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| Segesta | 1994–95 | 9 | 1 | ||||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 1994–95 | 8 | 0 | ||||||
| 1995–96 | 21 | 3 | |||||||
| 1996–97 | 26 | 13 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | 18 | 7 | |||||||
| 1998–99 | 14 | 5 | |||||||
| 1 | |||||||||
| Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
1998–99 | 10 | 0 | ||||||
| 1999–2000 | 13 | 0 | |||||||
| FC Porto | 2000–01 | 11 | 2 | ||||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2001–02 | 9 | 5 | ||||||
| 2002–03 | 24 | 7 | |||||||
| Panathinaikos | 2003–04 | 13 | 1 | ||||||
| 2004–05 | 20 | 1 | |||||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2005–06 | 22 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 222 | 46 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Honours
- Prva HNL: 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2005–06
- 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...
: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002 - Croatian SupercupCroatian SupercupThe 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...
: 2002