During his career, Olić played for GermanBundesliga clubs such asHamburger SV,VfL Wolfsburg andBayern Munich; won the2004–05 UEFA Cup withCSKA Moscow; and appeared over 100 times for the Croatia national team. Olić primarily played as astriker but could also operate as awinger. He has been described as a relentless pursuer of the ball and possessing "power and a decent bit of pace with him". Former Croatia managerSlaven Bilić described him as a typical "match-winner" and "king of important matches" due to his ability to score against big opponents at critical moments.[4] Named theCroatian Footballer of the Year in 2009 and 2010, Olić appeared with Bayern Munich in twoUEFA Champions League finals, in2010 and2012.
He started his coaching career in 2017, joining the coaching staff upon appointment ofZlatko Dalić as Croatia national team head coach. He helped the team reach the2018 FIFA World Cup Final andqualify forUEFA Euro 2020, interrupting his tenure with the team to briefly coach his former club CSKA Moscow.
Olić was born and raised in the village ofDavor nearSlavonski Brod, Croatia. He started playing football for the local clubNK Marsonia in 1996, and spent two good seasons there, before he was acquired by German clubHertha BSC in 1998. He did not see much play there and returned to Marsonia the following year, where he earned promotion to the top flight after winning theCroatian Second League with his team.[citation needed]
After another successful season at Marsonia, in the 2000–01 season, he scored 17 goals in 29 games – in 2001, he moved toNK Zagreb on loan,[5] where he scored 21 goals in 28 appearances and helped his team win theleague. The following season, he was transferred toDinamo Zagreb, where he scored 16 goals in 27 games, and became the best striker in theCroatian First League.[citation needed]
In 2003, Olić was acquired byCSKA Moscow. His form rose gradually, and in the 2005 season, he contributed with ten goals in twice as many games. With CSKA Moscow, he won theUEFA Cup in2005, theRussian Premier League three times (in 2003, 2005 and 2006), theRussian Cup twice (in 2005 and 2006), and twice theRussian Super Cup (2004 and 2006).[citation needed]
In January 2007, Olić moved toHamburger SV, playing his firstBundesliga match with them againstEnergie Cottbus on 31 January.[7] He was signed because Hamburg were in deep trouble, finishing in the relegation zone before the winter break. It worked out in the end, and Hamburg finished seventh, which even acquired them aUEFA Intertoto Cup place, which they eventually won. He scored two goals in the last match in the 2006–07 Bundesliga season againstAlemannia Aachen in a 4–0 win. In October 2007, Olić scored a hat-trick in the Bundesliga match againstVfB Stuttgart, which Hamburg won 4–1.[8] He was the first player in the club's history to score three successive goals in one half.[citation needed]
Olić effectively won the 2008Emirates Cup for Hamburg, with two injury time goals againstJuventus, increasing the team's points tally to an unassailable level (due to the points-for-goals system).[9] He endeared himself to Hamburg fans for his commitment and consistent work rate on the pitch. In his last game for the north German club, he sported a T-shirt with the words, "Danke fans" ("Thank you, fans") written on it, as he bid farewell to the fans.[citation needed]
On 3 January 2009, Olić signed a three-year contract with Bundesliga rivalsBayern Munich. He joined the club on a free transfer on 1 July 2009.[10] Initially, he was supposed to be back-up to the likes ofMiroslav Klose andMario Gómez, but due to injury and fitness issues, he began to be preferred as the club's first choice. On 8 August, his Bayern debut, he scored the opening goal against1899 Hoffenheim in a 1–1 draw and soon became a favourite with the Bayern fans. He reached new heights upon scoring a crucial goal in the 2010 Champions League quarter-final (first leg) againstManchester United in injury time, to give Bayern a slender 2–1 lead.[11] He also scored the first goal in the second leg for his team, but they trailed 3–1. The game ended 3–2. Bayern, however, won on away goals.[12] He scored his firsthat-trick for the Bavarians againstLyon, scoring with hisleft foot, right foot, and his head, in theChampions Leaguesemi-final second leg on 27 April 2010.[13] The victory against Lyon secured his team a place in thefinal againstInternazionale, which they eventually lost 2–0.[14] On 3 April 2012, he scored a brace in a 2–0 win againstMarseille in the2011–12 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.[15] Olić played his final game for Bayern in the2012 UEFA Champions League Final againstChelsea, in which he came on as a 97th-minute substitute for the injuredFranck Ribéry. Bayern eventually lost the game in a penalty shootout when the game ended 1–1 after extra time. Olić missed the team's fourth penalty, as they lost the shootout 4–3.[16]
Olić signed forVfL Wolfsburg at the start of the2012–13 season.[17] He scored his first Bundesliga goal for Wolfsburg againstGreuther Fürth, and he netted another one againstFortuna Düsseldorf. He started the season with ahat-trick againstSchönberg 95 in the2012–13 DFB-Pokal. He scored another goal in the quarter-final match of theDFB-Pokal againstKickers Offenbach on 26 February 2013, as Wolfsburg secured a spot in the semi-finals. He produced an "acrobatic overhead kick" to score the first of his two goals in a 5–2 win againstSC Freiburg in March 2013.[18] He finished the season as first-choice striker for the club, with 15 goals and 6 assists. On 24 April 2014, Olić signed a new two-year deal with the German side.[19] In the opening match of the2014–15 Bundesliga season, he scored a spectacular goal against his former club Bayern Munich.[20]
Olić returned to Hamburger SV on 30 January 2015 after signing an 18-month contract for an undisclosed fee.[21] He was given kit number 8, but at the end of the2014–15 season,Ivo Iličević changed his kit number from 11 to 7, prompting Olić to reclaim number 11, which he had worn previously at both Bayern and Wolfsburg, and also in his first spell at Hamburg.[22]
On 26 July 2016, Olić signed a one-year deal with2. Bundesliga side1860 Munich.[23]On 25 June 2017, Olić announced his retirement.[24] Later, he revoked that comment saying "I know Bild published I am retiring, but that is not true. [...] Maybe I have played my last game and maybe not. It is the same as last summer – if I receive an offer that is good for me, I will continue."[25]
Olić was part of theCroatia national team at the2002 FIFA World Cup, where he played in two games and scored one important goal againstItaly in a 2–1 Croatia victory.[26] Shortly after scoring, Olić revealed a picture of his newly born child at the time under his jersey. He was remembered as being unable to put his jersey back on, as the material became tangled in the excitement during his celebration. Olić also played three games for Croatia atUEFA Euro 2004 and two games at the2006 World Cup.[citation needed]
Olić was recalled to the side for the2010 World Cup qualifiers. He contributed with three goals in eight games, but Croatia missed out on a play-off spot by a point. Olić was injured in a friendly match againstNorway, which was the cause of his last-moment absence inEuro 2012. On 22 March 2013, Olić scored his first goal since November 2011 and assistedMario Mandžukić ina qualifier for the2014 World Cup againstSerbia. In the opening game of the finals, on 12 June, his left-wing cross led to the first goal of the tournament, deflected into his own net byMarcelo ofBrazil.[30] In the second group game againstCameroon on 18 June, Olić opened the scoring in the 11th minute for an eventual 4–0 win.[31] It was his first goal after 12 years in the World Cup, a difference only previously matched byDenmark'sMichael Laudrup, and with this goal he became his country's oldest World Cup goal-scorer.[32]
On 16 November 2014, in aEuro 2016 qualifying match against Italy at theSan Siro, Olić earned his 100th cap in a 1–1 draw.[33] On 2 March 2016, Olić retired from international football in an open letter to the public.[34] His final international was an October 2015European Championship qualification match away againstMalta.[35] He scored 20 goals in 104 caps for his country.[36]
In late March 2021,Sport-Express andSportske novosti published a story about Olić succeedingViktor Goncharenko at his former clubCSKA Moscow.[38][39] The rumours were confirmed by Croatia head coach Dalić toSportske novosti.[40] His assistant coaches were rumoured to beMiloš Krasić andElvir Rahimić.[41] The appointment was made official on 23 March 2021.[42] The move was met with skepticism due to Olić's inexperience in the head coach job.[43][44][45] Despite earlier rumours, Krasić and Rahimić were not hired as assistant coaches, insteadIlija Aračić was hired as an assistant coach,[46] with previously hiredAleksei Berezutski andDmitry Kramarenko rounding up the coaching staff. He made his debut on 4 April, in the 2–1league victory overTambov.[47] After two more victories, Olić suffered his first defeat in his fourth match, 2–1 loss toSochi on 18 April.[48] On 25 April, he suffered his third defeat in a row after losing 1–0 toSpartak Moscow in his firstMain Moscow derby, with CSKA'sIlzat Akhmetov gettingsent off in the 37th minute.[49][50] After losing 3–2 toDynamo Moscow on 16 May, Olić finished theseason in sixth place, with CSKA missing out onEuropean competitions for the first time in 20 years.[51][52] He was unexpectedly sacked on 15 June and succeeded by Berezutski, returning to Zlatko Dalić's team for theUEFA Euro 2020.[53]
Olić and hisCroatian-German wife Natalie have two sons and a daughter, named Luka, Antonio and Lara, respectively.[54] Unlike many of his counterparts, he prefers to keep a low media profile and generally lives a quiet private life.[55]
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