Zlatko Zahovič
Slovenian footballer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Zlatko Zahovič (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈzlaːtkɔ ˈzaːxɔʋitʃ] ⓘ; born 1 February 1971) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | (1971-02-01) 1 February 1971 (age 53)[1] | ||
Place of birth | Maribor, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia[1] | ||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
1979–1981 | Maribor[2] | ||
1981–1989 | Kovinar Maribor[3] | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1989–1993 | Partizan | 37 | (5) |
1990–1991 | → Proleter Zrenjanin (loan) | 25 | (0) |
1993–1996 | Vitória Guimarães | 79 | (13) |
1996–1999 | Porto | 87 | (27) |
1999–2000 | Olympiacos | 14 | (7) |
2000–2001 | Valencia | 20 | (3) |
2001–2005 | Benfica | 80 | (14) |
2008–2009 | Limbuš-Pekre[4] | 11 | (12) |
Total | 353 | (81) | |
International career | |||
Yugoslavia U21 | |||
1992–2004 | Slovenia | 80 | (35) |
2003 | Slovenia B[5] | 2 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
After making a name for himself in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica where he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 246 matches and 54 goals over one full decade,[6] he went on to have brief stints in Spain and Greece. He was known for dribbling and goal-scoring ability alike.[7] Although primarily a midfielder, he scored 11 goals in 32 Champions League appearances[8] and 35 in 80 for the Slovenian national team.
The all-time record holder in goals for Slovenia, Zahovič was an essential member of the squad as they qualified for the first time ever to a European Championship and a World Cup, in the early 2000s.