Bosko Balaban
| Date of birth | 15 October 1978 |
| Place of birth | Rijeka |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Height | 1.80 m |
| Position | Forward |
This exciting striker began his professional career with his hometown club NK Rijeka but, after scoring 15 goals in the 1999-2000 season, he was sold to Dinamo Zagreb.
He continued to find the net regularly and, in August 2001, he moved abroad to sign for English Premiership club Aston Villa for a £6million fee.
His international debut came against Slovakia in August 2000 and he featured regularly for Croatia in their successful campaign to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals, scoring five goals including a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Latvia.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| NK Rijeka | 01 Jul 1995 | 01 Jul 2000 | |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 01 Jul 2000 | 24 Aug 2001 | |
| Aston Villa | 24 Aug 2001 | 04 Dec 2003 | |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 22 Aug 2002 | 31 May 2003 | L |
| Club Brugge | 20 Jan 2004 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Dinamo Zagreb | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Dinamo Zagreb | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Aston Villa | League Cup | 1 | 1 |
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| 2001-02 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 8 |
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| 2001-02 | Aston Villa | UEFA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Dinamo Zagreb | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Club Brugge | UEFA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2008-09 | Dinamo Zagreb | UEFA Cup | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 2001 | Aston Villa v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 16 Sep 2001 | Aston Villa v Sunderland | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 24 Sep 2001 | Southampton v Aston Villa | W | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 27 Sep 2001 | Varteks Varazdin v Aston Villa | W |
0-1 Agg: 3-3 |
UEFA Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 10 Oct 2001 | Aston Villa v Reading | W | 1-0 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 14 Oct 2001 | Aston Villa v Fulham | W | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 28 Nov 2001 | Aston Villa v Sheffield Wednesday | L | 0-1 | League Cup | 4th round |
| 22 Dec 2001 | Derby County v Aston Villa | L | 3-1 | Premier League | |
| 05 Mar 2002 | Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Apr 2002 | Aston Villa v Newcastle United | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 20 Apr 2002 | Leicester City v Aston Villa | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Croatia | Toulon Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Croatia | UEFA Under-18 | 4 | 2 |
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| 1998-99 | Croatia | UEFA Under-21 | 2 |
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| 1998-99 | Croatia | Under-21 | 1 |
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| 1999-00 | Croatia | UEFA Under-21 | 2 | 7 |
3 |
1
|
|
| 1999-00 | Croatia | Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Croatia | FIFA World Cup | 5 | 5 |
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| 2000-01 | Croatia | International Friendly | 2 | 1 |
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| 2001-02 | Croatia | FIFA World Cup | 1 | 2 |
1
|
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| 2001-02 | Croatia | International Friendly | 1 | 2 |
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| 2002-03 | Croatia | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
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| 2004-05 | Croatia | FIFA World Cup | 2 |
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| 2004-05 | Croatia | International Friendly | 2 |
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| 2005-06 | Croatia | FIFA World Cup | 3 | 2 |
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| 2005-06 | Croatia | International Friendly | 1 | 5 |
1 |
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| 2006-07 | Croatia | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
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| 2006-07 | Croatia | UEFA European Championship | 1 | 2 |
1 |
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| 2007-08 | Croatia | International Friendly | 1 |
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| 2007-08 | Croatia | UEFA European Championship | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Sep 1996 | Croatia v North Macedonia | W | 3-0 | UEFA U18 | Group 7 |
| 29 Sep 1996 | Slovakia v Croatia | W | 0-4 | UEFA U18 | Group 7 |
| 01 May 1997 | Croatia v Switzerland | L | 0-1 | UEFA U18 | 2nd round group 4 |
| 14 May 1997 | Switzerland v Croatia | D | 0-0 | UEFA U18 | 2nd round group 4 |
| 26 May 1997 | France v Croatia | L | 1-0 | Toulon Under-21 | Group B |
| 04 Sep 1998 | Republic of Ireland v Croatia | D | 2-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 8 |
| 28 Apr 1999 | Croatia v Italy | W | 1-0 | U21 | |
| 05 Jun 1999 | North Macedonia v Croatia | W | 0-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 8 |
| 17 Aug 1999 | Yugoslavia v Croatia | W | 2-6 | UEFA U21 | Group 8 |
| 21 Aug 1999 | Croatia v Malta | W | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 8 |
| 03 Sep 1999 | Croatia v Republic of Ireland | W | 5-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 8 |
| 09 Oct 1999 | Croatia v Yugoslavia | D | 2-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 8 |
| 13 Nov 1999 | Portugal v Croatia | L | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 17 Nov 1999 | Croatia v Portugal | W | 3-0 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 28 Mar 2000 | Croatia v Germany | W | 2-0 | U21 | |
| 27 May 2000 | Croatia v Netherlands | L | 1-2 | UEFA U21 | Final round group A |
| 29 May 2000 | Spain v Croatia | D | 1-1 | UEFA U21 | Final round group A |
| 01 Jun 2000 | Czech Republic v Croatia | L | 4-3 | UEFA U21 | Final round group A |
| 16 Aug 2000 | Slovakia v Croatia | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Sep 2000 | Belgium v Croatia | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 11 Oct 2000 | Croatia v Scotland | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 28 Feb 2001 | Croatia v Austria | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Mar 2001 | Croatia v Latvia | W | 4-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 02 Jun 2001 | Croatia v San Marino | W | 4-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 06 Jun 2001 | Latvia v Croatia | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 15 Aug 2001 | Republic of Ireland v Croatia | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Sep 2001 | Scotland v Croatia | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 05 Sep 2001 | San Marino v Croatia | W | 0-4 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 06 Oct 2001 | Croatia v Belgium | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 6 |
| 10 Nov 2001 | Korea Republic v Croatia | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 13 Feb 2002 | Croatia v Bulgaria | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Nov 2002 | Romania v Croatia | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Feb 2003 | Croatia v North Macedonia | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Aug 2004 | Croatia v Israel | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Oct 2004 | Croatia v Bulgaria | D | 2-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 8 |
| 16 Nov 2004 | Republic of Ireland v Croatia | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Jun 2005 | Bulgaria v Croatia | W | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 8 |
| 17 Aug 2005 | Croatia v Brazil | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Sep 2005 | Iceland v Croatia | W | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 8 |
| 07 Sep 2005 | Malta v Croatia | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 8 |
| 12 Oct 2005 | Hungary v Croatia | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 8 |
| 12 Nov 2005 | Portugal v Croatia | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 23 May 2006 | Austria v Croatia | W | 1-4 | International Friendly | |
| 28 May 2006 | Croatia v Iran | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Jun 2006 | Croatia v Poland | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jun 2006 | Spain v Croatia | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Aug 2006 | Italy v Croatia | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Oct 2006 | Croatia v Andorra | W | 7-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group E |
| 07 Feb 2007 | Croatia v Norway | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Mar 2007 | Croatia v North Macedonia | W | 2-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group E |
| 02 Jun 2007 | Estonia v Croatia | W | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group E |
| 22 Aug 2007 | Bosnia and Herzegovina v Croatia | W | 3-5 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Sep 2007 | Andorra v Croatia | W | 0-6 | UEFA European Championship | Group E |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.