Zlatko Zahovič (; born 1 February 1971) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
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, he went on to have brief stints in Spain and Greece. He was known for dribbling and goal-scoring ability alike. Although primarily a midfielder, he scored 11 goals in 32 Champions League appearances 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.
Club career Partizan Zahovič was born in Maribor, SFR Yugoslavia. In 1989, at the age of 18, he was noticed by Partizan's Milko Ǵurovski, at the time doing his mandatory military service in the town, who recommended the youngster to the club.
With the Belgrade team, he was relatively used over the course of three seasons, and also played on loan for Mladost Petrinja and Proleter Zrenjanin. For Partizan, he made 15 appearances and scored three goals during the 1992–93 league season as they won the national championship.
Portugal In the summer of 1993, aged 22, Zahovič moved to Portugal and joined Vitória de Guimarães. On matchday 32 of the 1995–96 campaign, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 away win over FC Porto. This performance convinced the former to sign him that summer, after an acrimonious transfer saga; he led his side to two UEFA Cup qualifications during his three-year spell.
Zahovič was equally important while at Porto, forming a formidable attacking partnership with Capucho, Ljubinko Drulović and Mário Jardel and winning three consecutive league titles whilst rarely missing a match. In his last year he netted a career-best goals, and 22 across all competitions. He added seven during the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, thus finishing third in the competition's scoring charts behind FC Dynamo Kyiv's Andriy Shevchenko and Dwight Yorke of Manchester United, who both scored eight – the northerners, however, did not make it past the group stage.
Olympiacos In 1999, Zahovič signed for Olympiacos F.C. for a transfer fee of €13.5 million, at the time the highest sum ever paid for a Slovenian footballer. However, his season in Greece was marred by fines and suspension. Zahovič first fell out with the club's head coach, Dušan Bajević, for returning late from a holiday.
In November 1999, as Olympiacos failed to progress out of the UEFA Champions League group stage, head coach Bajević was sacked and replaced with Alberto Bigon. Zahovič's relationship with the incoming head coach was similarly fraught, as the player questioned the coach's tactics.
Years later, Zahovič claimed in interviews that the real reason for his contentious season at Olympiacos was the club's continual refusal to properly set up his legal and administrative status in Greece as a professional athlete. He further accused the club of using the administrative matters as leverage when trying to avoid honouring his contract terms pertaining to income tax on his salary.
Valencia After only one season, Zahovič moved to Spain's Valencia CF for a fee of £5.5 million. His new team reached the final of the 2000–01 Champions League, lost after a penalty shootout against FC Bayern Munich where he had his attempt saved by Oliver Kahn.
Again Zahovič clashed with his manager, Héctor Cúper, claiming he was not being given enough opportunities. Additionally, in October 2000, he was not picked up for a game at his former club for fear of reprisals from its supporters.
Benfica In June 2001, Zahovič returned to Portugal and joined S.L. Benfica, as Carlos Marchena moved to Valencia. He was an important first-team member in his first three seasons, but lost his importance when manager Giovanni Trapattoni arrived at the Estádio da Luz, a situation which was aggravated in January 2005 with the purchase of Nuno Assis. This in part resulted in a mutual termination of his contract, five months before it was due to expire.
International career Zahovič's first match for Slovenia was on 7 November 1992, a friendly match with Cyprus. The national team qualified for UEFA Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, with Zahovič scoring nine goals in 15 games. In the finals he continued to excel, netting three of the side's four goals in an eventual group stage exit where his performances earned him comparisons to David Beckham.
Slovenia also managed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, another first. However, after being replaced by manager Srečko Katanec in the 63rd minute of the first group fixture against Spain (1–3 loss), Zahovič insulted the coach, who immediately sent him home following the match.
Zahovič retired from the national team in December 2003, but reversed his decision two months later. He made his last appearance for the national team on 28 April 2004 against Switzerland, totaling 80 caps and 35 goals (at the time both records), which made him the most successful Slovenian footballer since the country's independence in 1991 and the inception of its football association into FIFA the following year; his international appearances total was surpassed by Boštjan Cesar on 15 November 2014.
Administrative career Immediately after his retirement from professional football, in June 2005 at the age of 34, according to an interview with Pozareport.si, Zahovič was offered a head coach position of the Benfica juniors, but opted for a return to his homeland where, in 2007, he became the director of football at NK Maribor. He remained in that position until March 2020. Under his guidance, the club won eight Slovenian PrvaLiga titles, reached the UEFA Champions League group stages twice (2014–15 and 2017–18), and the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League once (2013–14).
Personal life Zahovič's son, Luka, is also a footballer. A striker, he too represented Slovenia at international level. When Luka scored a late equaliser in a Champions League group stage match between Maribor and Sporting CP, on 17 September 2014, the two became only the second father and son pair – first among Europeans – to have both scored in the competition since 1992 when the competition was established under its current name.
In his young years, Zahovič played chess and practised ski jumping.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsPartizan1989–90Yugoslav First League00—00Mladost Petrinja (loan)1989–90Yugoslav Inter-Republic League——Proleter Zrenjanin (loan)1990–91Yugoslav First League250——250Partizan1991–92Yugoslav First League2224110—2731992–93First League of FR Yugoslavia15341——194Total3758210—467Vitória Guimarães1993–94Primeira Divisão27121——2921994–9523410——2441995–962982020—338Total79135120—8614Porto1996–97Primeira Divisão2774171103991997–9829655501040111998–9931140067213922Total8727961884111842Olympiacos1999–2000Alpha Ethniki1474062—249Valencia2000–01La Liga20312101—316Benfica2001–02Primeira Liga21621——2372002–0328610——2962003–042122081—3132004–05100106410184Total8014611451010120Limbuš-Pekre2008–091. MNZ Maribor86———862009–1036———36Total1112———1112Career total353813312511651442110
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSlovenia19921019931019945119956319966119973119989619991182000106200184200282200392200431Total8035
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zahovič goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Zlatko ZahovičNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia1–01–2UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying2Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia1–03–0UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying3Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia3–13–1UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying4Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia2–23–2UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying5Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–21–21998 FIFA World Cup qualification6Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–31–31998 FIFA World Cup qualification7Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus1–03–2Cyprus International Football Tournament82–19Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus1–01–1Cyprus International Football Tournament10Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece1–02–2UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying112–212Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–01–2UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying13Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman5–07–0Oman International Tournament14Ljubljana Sports Park, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–11–1Friendly15Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia1–12–1UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying162–117Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania1–01–0UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying18Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–02–0UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying19Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia2–12–1UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying20Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–12–1UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying21Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman2–04–0Oman International Tournament22Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–02–0Friendly23Stade du Pays de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium1–03–3UEFA Euro 2000243–025Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands1–11–2UEFA Euro 200026Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg1–02–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification27Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–11–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification28Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia2–02–02002 FIFA World Cup qualification292–030Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia2–22–2Friendly31Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong1–11–52002 Lunar New Year Cup32Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia1–02–0Friendly33Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia3–14–1UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying34Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta1–03–1UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying35Stade de Genève, Lancy, Switzerland1–01–2Friendly
Honours Partizan First League of FR Yugoslavia: 1992–93 Yugoslav Cup: 1991–92
Porto Primeira Divisão: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99 Taça de Portugal: 1997–98 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1996, 1998, 1999
Olympiacos Alpha Ethniki: 1999–2000
Valencia UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2000–01
Benfica Primeira Liga: 2004–05 Taça de Portugal: 2003–04 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2004
Limbuš-Pekre 1. MNZ Maribor: 2009–10
References
External links