Ivica Vastic
Encyclopedia
Ivica Vastić is a retired Croatian-born Austrian football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

, formerly a striker, who last played for LASK Linz
LASK Linz
LASK Linz is an Austrian association football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club hailing from that region, and currently plays in the Austrian Football First League. The club's colours are black and white...

 and the Austria national football team
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....

 and works now as Head Coach of FK Austria Wien Amateure.

Club career

Born 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...

, Vastić started to play for local clubs Jugovinil (today GOŠK Adriachem) and RNK Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...

 before moving to Austria and joining First Vienna FC
First Vienna FC
First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there...

 in 1991. He subsequently also played for VSE St. Pölten and Admira Wacker Mödling
VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
FC Admira Wacker Mödling is an Austrian football club from Mödling. The club was originally formed in 1905 as SK Admira Vienna in the Austrian capital...

 in Austria, and also had a short spell with German Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 side MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed "the Zebras" for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963.-Early years:...

, where he only made 10 league appearances without scoring a goal.

Sturm Graz

His most notable spell was with Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....

 between 1994 and 2002, during which he helped the club winning the Austrian Bundesliga two consecutive times in 1998 and 1999, as well as winning the Austrian Cup
Austrian Cup
The Austrian Cup, in German: ÖFB-Cup is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB.It has been held since 1919, with the exception of the time of the Anschluss between 1939 and 1945 and the period between 1950 and 1958 when the competition was deemed of...

 in 1996, 1997 and 1999. With the club, he also played in the group stages of 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...

 in the 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 seasons of the competition.

Japan and return to Austria

He left Sturm for a one-season spell with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese club Nagoya Grampus Eight
Nagoya Grampus Eight
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...

, after which he returned to Austria to spend two seasons with Austria Vienna
FK Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...

 before joining LASK Linz in the summer of 2005. He performed well for LASK in the Erste Liga
Austrian Football First League
The Austrian Football First League is the second highest professional division in Austrian football. It contains 10 teams and is run in the same fashion as the Austrian Bundesliga...

, the Austrian second division, and was the top goalscorer of the league in two consecutive seasons, scoring a total of 42 goals in 62 league appearances between 2005 and 2007. After helping LASK winning promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga in 2007, he went on to help the club finish sixth in the 2007/2008 Austrian Bundesliga season and himself finished the season as the club's top goalscorer in the league, having netted 13 goals in 32 appearances. Vastić announced his retirement on 18 May 2009, quitting professional football by 30 June 2009.

International career

Vastić became an Austrian national in 1996 and subsequently started to play for the Austrian national team
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....

. By 2005, Vastić had won a total of 46 caps and scored 12 goals as an Austrian international. He then disappeared from the team for a period before making a spectacular comeback in 2008, being a surprise selection in the Euro 2008 squad and scoring Austria's first ever goal in the European Championship, also becoming the oldest goalscorer in the history of the tournament.

1998 World Cup

Vastić's first appearance at a major tournament with Austria was at the 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...

 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...

, where he appeared in all of the team's three group matches and scored a last-minute equaliser in their second match at the tournament, a 1–1 draw against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...

. The Austrians were, however, eliminated from the tournament in the first round after recording two draws and one defeat.

Euro 2008

On 24 April 2008, Vastić was surprisingly added to Austria's preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 in June. His last appearance for the national team prior to the call-up had more than two and a half years before, on 17 August 2005 in their 2–2 draw in a friendly match against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

. He then made his international comeback, winning his 47th cap, as a substitute in Austria's friendly match against Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...

 on 27 May 2008 and was eventually added to their final 23-man squad for the Euro 2008 finals, where he was the oldest player. In Austria's next friendly match three days later, he scored the team's fourth goal in their 5–1 victory over Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

.

On 8 June, Vastić made his Euro 2008 bow in the 1–0 defeat to his native 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...

, replacing Jürgen Säumel
Jürgen Säumel
Jürgen Säumel is an Austrian footballer who plays as a midfielder for SK Sturm Graz.-Club career:After Säumel's contract with SK Sturm Graz expired, he decided to sign for Torino on 22 July 2008 on a three year contract.After a season with Torino and a half-year loan spell at Brescia, he signed...

 in the 61st minute.

On 12 June, Vastić appeared in Austria's second match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw with Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...

, winning his 50th international cap as he replaced captain Andreas Ivanschitz
Andreas Ivanschitz
Andreas Ivanschitz is an Austrian footballer of Croatian origin who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Mainz.-Club career:...

 in the 64th minute. In the match, he scored Austria's first goal in the final tournaments of the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...

 by netting an injury-time penalty to equalise, also becoming the oldest goalscorer of the European Championship finals at age , over four years older than Nené
Tamagnini Nené
Tamagnini Manuel Gomes Baptista, Nené , is a retired Portuguese footballer.A striker, he played his entire career with Sport Lisboa e Benfica, appearing in nearly 600 official games for the club....

 who held the record since 1984. Vastic is also the only Austrian player to score at European Championships and World Championships.

Coaching career

On 16 June 2009 was named as Head Coach of FC Waidhofen/Ybbs
FC Waidhofen/Ybbs
FC Waidhofen/Ybbs are an Austrian association football who plays in the Austrian Regional League East.-History:The club was founded in 1921 and began an cooperation with LASK Linz on 16 May 2009, in the course of this, the cooperation included several players from LASK to move there to train with...

 of the Regionalliga Ost
Austrian Regional League East
The Austrian Regional League East is a third-tier division of Austrian football re-introduced in the 1984-85 season. It covers the Austrian states of Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna.The teams competing in the 2008-09 season are:*FAC Team für Wien...

 coincident went the club an cooperation with the former Vastic club LASK Linz
LASK Linz
LASK Linz is an Austrian association football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club hailing from that region, and currently plays in the Austrian Football First League. The club's colours are black and white...

.
He started his coaching career very well, winning the Regionalliga Ost
Austrian Regional League East
The Austrian Regional League East is a third-tier division of Austrian football re-introduced in the 1984-85 season. It covers the Austrian states of Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna.The teams competing in the 2008-09 season are:*FAC Team für Wien...

 2009/10.
He changed to FK Austria Wien
FK Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...

 Amateurs in summer 2010.

Club career statistics

|-
|1990/91||Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...

||||22||5

|-
|1991/92||First Vienna
First Vienna FC
First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there...

||Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...

||23||8
|-
|1992/93||St. Pölten
SKN St. Pölten
Sportklub Niederösterreich St. Poelten is an Austrian association football club from the provincial capital of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. St. Poelten currently play in the Austrian Football First League, which is the second tier of the Austrian football league system.- History :SKN St....

||Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...

||34||18
|-
|1993/94||Admira Wacker
VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
FC Admira Wacker Mödling is an Austrian football club from Mödling. The club was originally formed in 1905 as SK Admira Vienna in the Austrian capital...

||Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...

||18||7

|-
|1993/94||Duisburg
MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed "the Zebras" for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963.-Early years:...

||Bundesliga||10||0

|-
|1994/95||rowspan="8"|Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....

||rowspan="8"|Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...

||35||7
|-
|1995/96||31||20
|-
|1996/97||33||13
|-
|1997/98||30||14
|-
|1998/99||30||14
|-
|1999/00||35||31
|-
|2000/01||24||8
|-
|2001/02||32||17

|-
|2002||rowspan="2"|Nagoya Grampus Eight
Nagoya Grampus Eight
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...

||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||18||10
|-
|2003||9||3

|-
|2003/04||rowspan="2"|Austria Wien
FK Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...

||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...

||35||4
|-
|2004/05||32||10
|-
|2005/06||rowspan="4"|LASK Linz
LASK Linz
LASK Linz is an Austrian association football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club hailing from that region, and currently plays in the Austrian Football First League. The club's colours are black and white...

||rowspan="2"|First League||31||19
|-
|2006/07||31||23
|-
|2007/08||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began...

||32||13
|-
|2008/09||29||4
22||5
515||230
10||0
27||13
574||248
|}

International career statistics

|-
|1996||3||0
|-
|1997||6||1
|-
|1998||11||4
|-
|1999||5||4
|-
|2000||3||2
|-
|2001||9||0
|-
|2002||3||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||2||0
|-
|2005||4||1
|-
|2006||0||0
|-
|2007||0||0
|-
|2008||4||2
|-
!Total||50||14
|}

Honours

As player:
  • Austrian Football Bundesliga (2):
    • 1998, 1999
  • Austrian Cup
    Austrian Cup
    The Austrian Cup, in German: ÖFB-Cup is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB.It has been held since 1919, with the exception of the time of the Anschluss between 1939 and 1945 and the period between 1950 and 1958 when the competition was deemed of...

     (4):
    • 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005
  • Austrian Bundesliga Top Goalscorer (2):
    • 1996, 2000

As manager:
  • Regionalliga Ost
    Austrian Regional League East
    The Austrian Regional League East is a third-tier division of Austrian football re-introduced in the 1984-85 season. It covers the Austrian states of Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna.The teams competing in the 2008-09 season are:*FAC Team für Wien...

    • 2010

Personal awards

Vastić won the Austrian Footballer of the Year award in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2007. During his time with Sturm Graz, he was the top goalscorer of the Austrian Bundesliga two times, in 1996 and 2000.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK