Ivica Vrdoljak

Ivica Vrdoljak (pronounced [îʋit͡sa ʋr̩dǒʎaːk]; born 19 September 1983) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder.

Ivica Vrdoljak

Vrdoljak with Legia Warsaw
Personal information
Full name	Ivica Vrdoljak
Date of birth	(1983-09-19) 19 September 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Novi Sad, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Youth career
1990–1999	Vojvodina
1999–2002	NK Zagreb
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2007	NK Zagreb	81	(3)
2002–2003	→ Lučko (loan)
2003–2004	→ Croatia Sesvete (loan)	22	(4)
2007–2010	Dinamo Zagreb	80	(6)
2010–2016	Legia Warsaw	128	(20)
2016–2017	Wisła Płock	0	(0)
International career
2004–2005	Croatia U21	7	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Vrdoljak started playing football at his homeclub, Serbian top league club FK Vojvodina, where he played for the youth teams until 1999, when he moved to Zagreb, Croatia, and settled in the youth system of the Croatian top flight side NK Zagreb. After graduating to the senior team he was sent on loans to NK Lučko and the second division team Croatia Sesvete.^[1] Vrdoljak had a good season at Croatia Sesvete, scoring four goals and featuring in 22 league matches, and after that he was returned to NK Zagreb. In three seasons at the club he made 81 league appearances and scored three goals. He was then, along with his teammate Mario Mandžukić, transferred to Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of €1 million. Since his arrival, Vrdoljak has established himself as a consistent first-team player. In his debut season for Dinamo he played in twenty-four league matches and bagged three goals. The next season, he was irreplaceable in the midfield and made 29 league appearances by the end of the season and scored three more goals.

While playing for Legia Warsaw, during the qualifiers 2014–15 UEFA Champions League qualifying round, Vrdoljak missed two penalties in a 4–1 win over against Celtic. After being sidelined throughout the 2015–16 season due to a knee injury, he left Legia in the summer of 2016.^[2] Shortly after, he joined another Ekstraklasa outfit Wisła Płock, however after failing to make a single appearance, he decided to ultimately retire.^[3]

International career

He is also a former Croatia under-21 international and capped seven times at the under-21 level during the 2004–05 season.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[4]

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Croatia Sesvete (loan)	2003–04	Druga HNL	22	4	3	2	—		—		25	6
NK Zagreb	2004–05	Prva HNL	25	1	1	0	—		—		26	1
	2005–06	Prva HNL	25	0		0	—		—		25	0
	2006–07	Prva HNL	31	2	4	0	—		—		35	2
	Total		81	3	5	0	—		—		86	3
Dinamo Zagreb	2007–08	Prva HNL	24	3	7	0	2[b]	0	—		33	3
	2008–09	Prva HNL	29	3	4	0	12[c]	2	—		45	5
	2009–10	Prva HNL	27	0	5	0	12[d]	1	—		44	1
	Total		80	6	16	0	26	3	—		122	9
Legia Warsaw	2010–11	Ekstraklasa	26	5	6	3	—		—		32	8
	2011–12	Ekstraklasa	24	4	6	0	10[e]	0	0	0	40	4
	2012–13	Ekstraklasa	20	2	6	0	2[e]	0	1[f]	0	29	2
	2013–14	Ekstraklasa	30	5	1	0	10[g]	0	—		41	5
	2014–15	Ekstraklasa	28	4	6	2	14[h]	1	1[f]	0	49	7
	2015–16	Ekstraklasa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		128	20	25	5	36	1	2	0	191	26
Wisła Płock	2016–17	Ekstraklasa	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Career total			311	33	49	7	62	4	2	0	424	44

1. Includes Croatian Cup, Polish Cup
2. One appearance in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Cup
3. Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Cup
4. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
6. Appearance in Polish Super Cup
7. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
8. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, ten appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Dinamo Zagreb

• Croatian First League: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Croatian Cup: 2007–08, 2008–09

Legia Warsaw

• Ekstraklasa: 2012–13, 2013–14
• Polish Cup: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13