Ivica Vastić

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ivica Vastić


fullname = Ivica Vastić
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1969|9|29
cityofbirth = Split
countryofbirth = SFR Yugoslavia
height = Height|m=1.83
position = Midfielder, Striker
currentclub = LASK Linz
clubnumber = 7
youthyears =
youthclubs = GOŠK Adriachem
years = 1989–1991
1991–1992
1992–1993
1993
1994
1994–2002
2002–2003
2003–2005
2005–present
clubs = RNK Split
First Vienna
VSE St. Pölten
Admira Wacker Mödling
MSV Duisburg
Sturm Graz
Nagoya Grampus Eight
Austria Wien
LASK Linz
caps(goals) = 022 00(5)
011 00(6)
034 0(18)
017 00(7)
010 00(0)
250 (124)
027 0(13)
067 0(14)
094 0(55)
nationalyears = 1996–present
nationalteam = Austria
nationalcaps(goals) = 050 0(14)
pcupdate = 26 April 2008
ntupdate = 21 August 2008

Ivica Vastić (born September 29, 1969) is a Croatian-born Austrian football midfielder, formerly a striker, who currently plays for LASK Linz and the Austria national football team.

Career

Club career

Born in Split, Vastić started to play for local clubs Jugovinil (today GOŠK Adriachem) and RNK Split before moving to Austria and joining First Vienna FC in 1991. He subsequently also played for VSE St. Pölten and Admira Wacker Mödling in Austria, and also had a short spell with German Bundesliga side MSV Duisburg, where he only made 10 league appearances without scoring a goal.

Sturm Graz

His most notable spell was with Sturm Graz 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 in 1996, 1997 and 1999. With the club, he also played in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League 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 Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight, after which he returned to Austria to spend two seasons with Austria Vienna before joining his current club, LASK Linz, in the summer of 2005. He performed well for LASK in the Erste Liga, 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.

International career

Vastić became an Austrian national in 1996 and subsequently started to play for the Austrian national team. Until 2005, Vastić won a total of 46 caps and scored 12 goals as an Austrian international. [ [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/oost-recintlp.html Appearances for Austrian National Team] - RSSSF] 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 finals in France [ [http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=154102/index.html Record at FIFA Tournaments] - FIFA] , 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. The Austrians were, however, eliminated from the tournament in the first round after recording two draws and one defeat.

Euro 2008

On April 24 2008, Vastić was surprisingly added to Austria's preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland in June. His last appearance for the national team prior to the call-up had more than two and a half years before, on August 17 2005 in their 2–2 draw in a friendly match against Scotland. [ [http://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/24042008/30/oesterreichs-em-kader-bundesliga-spielern.html Österreichs EM-Kader mit drei Bundesliga-Spielern] , "Eurosport", 24 April 2008 de icon] He then made his international comeback, winning his 47th cap, as a substitute in Austria's friendly match against Nigeria on May 27 2008 and was eventually added to their final 23-man squad for the Euro 2008 finals, where he was the oldest player. [ [http://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/30052008/30/lehmann-zweitaeltester-spieler-italien-aelteste.html Lehmann zweitältester Spieler — Italien älteste Elf] , "Eurosport", 30 May 2008 de icon] In Austria's next friendly match three days later, he scored the team's fourth goal in their 5–1 victory over Malta.

On June 8, Vastić made his Euro 2008 bow in the 1–0 defeat to his native Croatia, replacing Jürgen Säumel in the 61st minute. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7363048.stm Croatia labour to win over Austria] , "BBC Sport Online", 8 June 2008]

On June 12, Vastić appeared in Austria's second match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw with Poland, winning his 50th international cap as he replaced captain Andreas Ivanschitz in the 64th minute. In the match, he scored Austria's first goal in the final tournaments of the UEFA European Championship by netting an injury-time penalty to equalise, also becoming the oldest goalscorer of the European Championship finals at age age in years and days|1969|09|29|2008|06|12, over four years older than Nené who held the record since 1984. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7363070.stm Poland draw with Austria] , "BBC Sport Online", 12 June 2008] The resulting tie also ensured Croatia's advance to the quarter finals.

Honours

*Austrian Football Bundesliga (2):
** 1998, 1999
*Austrian Cup (4):
** 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005
*Austrian Bundesliga Top Goalscorer (2):
** 1996, 2000 [cite web | url = http://www.oberliga-a.at/fussball_a/torschutzen_a.htm | title = Österreichs Torschützenkönige | publisher = www.oberliga-a.at | accessdate = 2008-07-20]

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.

References

External links

* [http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/players/player=23078/index.html Player profile] - EURO2008
* [http://www.austria-archiv.at/spieler.php?Spieler_ID=99 Profile] - Austria Archive
* [http://www.weltfussball.de/spieler_profil.php?id=2593 Profile at Weltfussball.de] de icon
* [http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=8919 Career stats] - National Football Teams