 Spahić withBosnia and Herzegovina in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emir Spahić[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-08-18)18 August 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Dubrovnik,SR Croatia,Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bosnia and Herzegovina (director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Krajina Cazin | |||
| –1998 | Čelik Zenica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–1999 | Čelik Zenica | 19 | (1) |
| 1999–2001 | GOŠK Dubrovnik | 22 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Zagreb | 38 | (2) |
| 2004–2005 | Shinnik Yaroslavl | 26 | (6) |
| 2005–2006 | Torpedo Moscow | 15 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Lokomotiv Moscow | 63 | (3) |
| 2009–2011 | Montpellier | 57 | (3) |
| 2011–2013 | Sevilla | 44 | (1) |
| 2013 | →Anzhi Makhachkala (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2013–2015 | Bayer Leverkusen | 49 | (3) |
| 2015–2017 | Hamburger SV | 37 | (0) |
| Total | 377 | (20) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2018 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 94 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Emir Spahić (Bosnian pronunciation:[ěmirspǎxiːtɕ]; born 18 August 1980) is a Bosnianfootball executive and formerplayer who played as acentre-back. He is the currentdirector of theBosnia and Herzegovina national team.
During his club career, Spahić represented teams in his homeland, Croatia, Russia, France, Spain and Germany. He earned a total of 94 international caps, scoring 6 goals,[2] and was thecaptain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team from 2008 until the end of the2014 FIFA World Cup.
Over the course of his career, Spahić played forZagreb,Shinnik Yaroslavl,Lokomotiv Moscow andAnzhi Makhachkala.
He played for Zagreb and Leverkusen in theChampions League and with Montpellier, Sevilla and Lokomotiv in theEuropa League.[3]
On 24 June 2009, Spahić announced that he would join newly promotedMontpellier for the2009–10 Ligue 1 season.[4] On his league debut againstParis Saint-Germain, he scored a header in the 94th minute for a 1–1 draw, earning his side a point.[5]
On 4 July 2011, Spahić agreed a transfer with Spanish sideSevilla for €2 million until July 2014.[6] His national teammateMiroslav Stevanović also transferred to Sevilla in January 2013 and upon his arrival at San Pablo International Airport, he was received by Spahić.[7] Spahić scored his first goal for Sevilla on 5 January 2013 in a 1–0 victory againstOsasuna.[8]
On 26 February 2013, Spahić left Sevilla on loan toAnzhi Makhachkala of theRussian Premier League.[9] He scored his first goal for the club on 14 April 2013 againstVolga Nizhny Novgorod.[10]
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On 28 June 2013, Spahić was signed byBayer Leverkusen of the GermanBundesliga on a two-year contract.[3] He conceded a penalty and was later sent off in aChampions League last-16 first-leg game on 18 February 2014, asParis Saint-Germain beat Leverkusen 4–0.[11] On 20 April, he scored his first two goals for the club in a 4–1 league victory against1. FC Nürnberg.[12]
On 30 August 2014, 34-year-old Spahić headed in a goal from a free kick to level the score at 2–2 in a game that finished 4–2 for Leverkusen againstHertha BSC, thus ensuring his team's unbeaten start to the season.[13]
Spahić was sent off for two yellow cards in a 4–5 home defeat againstVfL Wolfsburg on 14 February 2015; having been 1–4 down, the score was level at his time of dismissal.[14]
On 30 March 2015, Spahić was named the best defender in Europe (in front ofMartín Demichelis ofManchester City,Mats Hummels ofBorussia Dortmund,Chris Smalling ofManchester United andThiago Silva of PSG) by International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES).[15] Spahić had his contract terminated on 12 April for headbutting a member of club's security personnel reportedly after they refused to allow his friends entry inside the dressing room area.[16]
On 5 July 2015, fellow Bundesliga teamHamburger SV confirmed Spahić as the team's newest player, signing a one-year contract lasting until June 2016.[17] He credited the move to his compatriot, former Hamburg playerSergej Barbarez, and expressed gratefulness at being given a second chance after his expulsion from Leverkusen.[18] He was released by the club on 3 January 2017.[19]
On 7 June 2003, Spahić made his debut as asubstitute againstRomania atStadionul Ion Oblemenco inCraiova.[20][21] On 28 February 2006, he scored his first international goal, in a friendly game againstJapan, played inDortmund.[22]
Ever since his debut, he was an important member of the national team and served as theircaptain for a number of years.[23] He headed a ball into the box and assistedErmin Bičakčić who scored a crucial equalizer versusSlovakia inŽilina during the2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Bosnia and Herzegovina came back from one goal down in that game to win 2–1 and stay top of their qualifying group for ahead ofGreece.[24]
Spahić retired from international football on 7 August 2014.[23] After his retirement, Bosnia lost their first game ofEuro 2016 qualifiers versusCyprus (ranked 121 places behind Bosnia in FIFA Ranking for August 2014) without Spahić,[25] which resulted in managerSafet Sušić calling him back from retirement on 22 September for the games that followed againstWales andBelgium.[26] At the time, Bosnia's key defenders were either injured[27] or lacked competitive matches for their clubs, which prompted in Spahić's call-up to the national side. Due to injury, he missed those two games and later returned to international stage againstIsrael on 16 November where he played the full game, his first since playing againstIran at the2014 FIFA World Cup.[28]
On 29 May 2016, he scored in a 3–1 friendly loss to Spain inSt. Gallen, Switzerland, and was sent off before half time for an altercation withCesc Fàbregas.[29]
On 19 April 2024, Spahić took up the position ofdirector of theBosnia and Herzegovina national team, replacing former national teammateZvjezdan Misimović.[30]
Spahić is of Bosniak descent, although he identifies as an ethnicMuslim.[31]His father is fromSandžak, and his mother is fromGacko. They met when they were both working inDubrovnik. Emir has two brothers, the older being Nermin and younger one Alen, who is also a football player. Spahić is a first cousin of fellow national team playerEdin Džeko.[32][33]
Spahić is a fan oftennis, and has followed live matches inDubai,Barcelona,Montpellier andParis.[34]
He was enrolled at theUniversity of Sarajevo, earning a degree in sport and physical education.[35]
Aside from his nativeBosnian, Spahić speaks English, Spanish, French, German and Russian to varying degrees of fluency.[36]
On 30 August 2019, Spahić was involved in a car accident, when hisSUV rolled over on the road, sustaining multiple non-life-threatening injuries.[37]
In 2021, he was a candidate on the list of the local Dubrovnikregionalist party DUSTRA for thelocal elections in Croatia, but failed to enter the Dubrovnik City Council.
He is a practisingMuslim. In 2023, he became the president of the Executive Board of the Islamic Community of Dubrovnik.[38]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2003 | 4 | 0 |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 94 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 February 2006 | Signal Iduna Park,Dortmund, Germany |  Japan | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 15 October 2008 | Bilino Polje,Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Armenia | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 15 November 2011 | Estádio da Luz,Lisbon, Portugal |  Portugal | 2–3 | 2–6 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs |
| 4 | 29 May 2016 | AFG Arena,St. Gallen, Switzerland |  Spain | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 5 | 6 September 2016 | Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Estonia | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 5–0 |
Zagreb
Lokomotiv Moscow
