Alen Peternac
Encyclopedia
Alen Peternac is a retired Croatia
n footballer who played as a striker.
He is best known for his Real Valladolid
stint, having spent the better part of his professional career in Spain
, appearing in nearly 200 official games in representation of three clubs.
.
He spent five seasons at Real Valladolid
, appearing in 153 league matches with 53 goals, becoming the side's all-time top goalscorer in La Liga
. His goal total also made him the second-highest Croatian goalscorer in the competition, behind Sevilla FC
and Real Madrid
's Davor Šuker
.
On 19 May 1996, in an 8–3 away win against Real Oviedo
, which proved crucial in helping Valladolid avoid direct relegation in 1995–96, Peternac set a club record by scoring five goals, four of which on penalty kick
s. He finished that season as the fourth top goalscorer, with 23 goals.
In 2000–01, Peternac joined Real Zaragoza
, receiving limited playing time. He was then loaned to Real Murcia
, where he played one season in the second division
before closing out his career back with the Aragon
ese (one match, followed by retirement due to injuries).
, in a exhibition game
played in Split
, on 10 February 1999 (0–1).
Exactly one month after, he appeared in another friendly, now with Greece
(2–3), for his second and final cap
; incidentally, he replaced then was replaced by Goran Vlaović
in his two appearances, at halftime.
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 striker.
He is best known for his Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
stint, having spent the better part of his professional career 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...
, appearing in nearly 200 official games in representation of three clubs.
Club career
In 1989, Peternac started his football career at hometown NK Dinamo Zagreb, and spent six seasons playing for Dinamo and HNK Segesta in the Croatian league, before moving to SpainSpain
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...
.
He spent five seasons at Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, appearing in 153 league matches with 53 goals, becoming the side's all-time top goalscorer 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...
. His goal total also made him the second-highest Croatian goalscorer in the competition, behind 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...
and Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
's Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker , is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals....
.
On 19 May 1996, in an 8–3 away win against Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
, which proved crucial in helping Valladolid avoid direct relegation in 1995–96, Peternac set a club record by scoring five goals, four of which on penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
s. He finished that season as the fourth top goalscorer, with 23 goals.
In 2000–01, Peternac joined 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...
, receiving limited playing time. He was then loaned to Real Murcia
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the region of Murcia. Founded in 1908, it currently plays in the second division, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which can hold 33,045 spectators....
, where he played one season 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:...
before closing out his career back with the Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese (one match, followed by retirement due to injuries).
International career
Peternac made his international debut against DenmarkDenmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, in a exhibition game
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...
played in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, on 10 February 1999 (0–1).
Exactly one month after, he appeared in another friendly, now with 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...
(2–3), for his second and final cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
; incidentally, he replaced then was replaced by Goran Vlaović
Goran Vlaovic
Goran Vlaović is a former Croatian football striker.-Club career:Vlaović started his professional career with Osijek in 1989 and moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1992, before going abroad to play for Calcio Padova in Italy, Valencia in Spain and Panathinaikos in Greece, where he retired in June 2004...
in his two appearances, at halftime.