Born inSplit,SR Croatia, then still part of Yugoslavia, Vastić started to play for the local club Jugovinil (today GOŠK Adriachem), before joiningRNK Split at the time playing in the Yugoslav third level. In 1991, he moved to Austria and signed withFirst Vienna FC. He subsequently also played for other Austrian clubs, such asVSE St. Pölten andAdmira Wacker Mödling, and also had a half-season spell withBundesliga sideMSV Duisburg, where he made 10 league appearances without scoring a goal.
Vastić's most notable spell was withSturm Graz between 1994 and 2002, during which he helped the club win theAustrian Bundesliga two consecutive times in 1998 and 1999, as well as theAustrian Cup in 1996, 1997 and 1999. With the club, he also played in the group stages of theUEFA Champions League in the 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 seasons of the competition.[1]
Vastić left Sturm for a one-season spell with Japanese clubNagoya Grampus Eight, after which he returned to Austria to spend two seasons withAustria Vienna before joining LASK in the summer of 2005. He performed well for LASK in theErste 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 win 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.
Vastić became an Austrian national in 1996 and subsequently started to play for theAustria national football team. By 2005, Vastić had won a total of 46 caps and scored 12 goals as an Austrian international.[2] He then disappeared from the team for a period before making a spectacular comeback in 2008, being a surprise selection in theEuro 2008 squad and scoring Austria's first ever goal in the European Championship, also becoming the oldest goalscorer in the history of the tournament untilLuka Modrić broke the record inEuro 2024.
Vastić's first appearance at a major tournament with Austria was at the1998 FIFA World Cup finals in France,[3] 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 againstChile. The Austrians were, however, eliminated from the tournament in the first round after recording two draws and one defeat.
On 24 April 2008, Vastić was surprisingly added to Austria's preliminary squad for theUEFA Euro 2008 finals co-hosted by Austria andSwitzerland in June. His last appearance for the national team prior to the call-up had been more than two and a half years before, on 17 August 2005 in their 2–2 draw in a friendly match againstScotland.[4] He then made his international comeback, winning his 47th cap, as a substitute in Austria's friendly match againstNigeria 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.[5] In Austria's next friendly match three days later, he scored the team's fourth goal in their 5–1 victory overMalta.
On 8 June, Vastić made his Euro 2008 bow in the 1–0 defeat to his nativeCroatia, replacingJürgen Säumel in the 61st minute.[6]
On 12 June, Vastić appeared in Austria's second match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw withPoland, winning his 50th international cap as he replaced captainAndreas Ivanschitz in the 64th minute. In the match, he scored Austria's first goal in theUEFA European Championship final tournaments by netting an injury-time penalty to equalise, also becoming the oldest goalscorer of the European Championship finals at age 38 years, 257 days, over four years older thanNené who held the record since 1984. This record was broken byLuka Modrić inEuro 2024[7]
On 16 June 2009, Vastić was named head coach ofFC Waidhofen/Ybbs of theRegionalliga Ost.[8] Coincidently the club began a cooperation with the former Vastic clubLASK.[9]He started his coaching career very well, winning theRegionalliga Ost in 2009/10.
Vastić changed toAustria Wien Amateurs in summer 2010 and was promoted to manager of the first team of Austria Wien in December 2011. He was sacked on 21 May 2012, and his contract was not renewed when it finished at the end of May.[10]
Vastić became head coach on 20 December 2013.[11] He is signed to the end of the season with an option for two more years.[11] He subsequently had his option picked up.[12] On 23 April 2016, Austria Wien defeatedSV Mattersburg 9–0.[13]
Vastić has been married to his wife Annie for more than 20 years. Together, they have three children. His oldest sonToni also became a professional footballer and is signed toGerman Regionalliga sideVfR Aalen.[14]
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