Zvonimir Soldo

Football player infobox| playername= Zvonimir Soldo
fullname = Zvonimir Soldo
nickname = "Zvonni"
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1967|11|2|mf=y
cityofbirth = Zagreb
countryofbirth = Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
height = 1.89m
currentclub =
position = Midfielder (retired)
youthyears =
youthclubs = NK Inter Zaprešic
years = 1987-1990
1990-1991
1991-1994
1994-1996
1996-2006
clubs = NK Dinamo Zagreb
NK Zadar
NK Inter Zaprešić
NK Croatia Zagreb
VfB Stuttgart
caps(goals) = 036 0(0) 0
026 0(2)
055 0(2)

348 (18)
nationalyears = 1994-2002
nationalteam = fb|Croatia
nationalcaps(goals) = 061 0(3)
pcupdate = June 2006
ntupdate = June 2006
manageryears = 2008
managerclubs = Dinamo Zagreb

Zvonimir Soldo (born November 2, 1967) is a retired Croatian football player and former manager of Dinamo Zagreb. He who played as center back or defensive midfielder.

Early career

After studying law for six semesters at the University of Zagreb, Soldo's parents convinced him to pursue a career as professional football player.

Soldo's professional career began with NK Dinamo Zagreb which he left for NK Zadar after two years. 1991 through 1994, he played for NK Inter Zaprešić before returning to his former club – now called NK Croatia Zagreb.

Runner-up in both Croatian league and cup in his first season back at Zagreb, the next campaign saw Soldo's side complete a domestic double in 1995/96. After achieving all he could in domestic football, Soldo headed for German side VfB Stuttgart.

tuttgart years

Soldo made his Bundesliga debut on August 17, 1996 against FC Schalke 04. This wasthe beginning of his time in Stuttgart which would last for ten years and during whichhe would lead the VfB Stuttgart on the pitch as captain nearly 200 times.

During this period, Zvonimir Soldo played another 300 times in the Bundesliga and 47 times in European competitions, won the German cup in 1997 and reached the European Cup Winners Cup final in 1998, as well as finished as runner-up in the 2002/03 campaign.

After being an exemplary sportsman and role model for younger players all these years, Soldo played his last Bundesliga match for Stuttgart on May 6, 2006.

In recognition of his merits, Soldo received the Staufer medal, a decoration awarded by the state of
Baden-Württemberg.

International career

Soldo was also a long-time member of the Croatian national team, with notable appearances in the Euro 96, 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was capped a total of 61 times, scoring three goals, and was an important member of the squad that finished third in the 1998 World Cup.

After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Soldo retired from international football.

Coaching career

On January 14, 2008 Zvonimir was appointed as a new manager of Dinamo Zagreb after Branko Ivanković's resignation. Prior to that he was managing Dinamo's youth team. He became Prva HNL Champion and Croatian Cup Winner. He offer his resign in the night after the cup final to make space to old/new manager Branko Ivanković.

External links

* [http://www.jadransport.org/players/Soldo-Zvonimir.html Profile on JadranSport.org] (English)