Ivica Vrdoljak

Ivica Vrdoljak (pronounced [îʋit͡sa ʋr̩dǒʎaːk]; born 19 September 1983) is a Croatian professional retired footballer.

Ivica Vrdoljak
Vrdoljak with Legia Warsaw
Personal information
Full name Ivica Vrdoljak
Date of birth (1983-09-19) 19 September 1983
Place of birth Novi Sad, SR Serbia,
SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Youth career
1990–1999 Vojvodina
1999–2002 NK Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 NK Zagreb 81 (3)
2002–2003 → Lučko (loan) ? (?)
2003–2004 → Croatia Sesvete (loan) 22 (4)
2007–2010 Dinamo Zagreb 80 (6)
2010–2016 Legia Warsaw 128 (20)
2016–2017 Wisła Płock 0 (0)
National team
2004–2005 Croatia U21 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 February 2017

Club career

Vrdoljak started playing football at his homeclub, Vojvodinian top league club FK Vojvodina, where he played for the youth teams until 1999, when he moved to Zagreb, Croatia, and settled in the youth system of the Croatian top flight side NK Zagreb. After graduating to the senior team he was sent on loans to NK Lučko and the second division team Croatia Sesvete.[1] Vrdoljak had a good season at Croatia Sesvete, scoring four goals and featuring in 22 league matches, and after that he was returned to NK Zagreb. In three seasons at the club he made 81 league appearances and scored three goals. He was then, along with his teammate Mario Mandžukić, transferred to Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of €1 million. Since his arrival, Vrdoljak has established himself as a consistent first-team player. In his debut season for Dinamo he played in twenty-four league matches and bagged three goals. The next season, he was irreplaceable in the midfield and made 29 league appearances by the end of the season and scored three more goals.

During the qualifiers UEFA Champions League 2014-2015 Vrdoljak missed two penalties against Celtic FC. However, Legia won this match 4–1. He retired in 2016 following a knee injury. He briefly returned to football, signing a contract with another Ekstraklasa outfit, Wisła Płock, however after failing to make a single appearance, he decided to ultimately retire.

International career

He is also a former Croatia under-21 international and capped seven times at the under-21 level during the 2004–05 season.

Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
Legia Warsaw

Career statistics
As of 20 May 2016[2]
Club performance League Cup Super Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Croatia League Cup Super Cup Europe Total
2003–04Croatia SesveteDruga HNL2243200256
2004–05NK ZagrebPrva HNL2511000261
2005–06250000250
2006–073124000352
2007–08Dinamo Zagreb2437020333
2008–0929340122455
2009–1027050121441
2010–11Legia WarsawEkstraklasa265630000328
2011–122446000100404
2012–13202601020292
2013–143051000100415
2014–152846210141487
2015–160000000000
Career total 287334972062440044

References
  1. "Slobodna Dalmacija". arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  2. Career statistics at Nogometni Magazin
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