ANOTHER CROATIAN LEGEND RETIRES
36 year-old Robert Kovač has called it a career after a successful 19 season stint in European club football. Kovač transferred to Dinamo Zagreb from Borussia Dortmund last summer and played in 20 games for the Croatian champions on his way out. He started with Hertha Zehlendorf and Nuremberg before going to German giants Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. Kovač had a stint with Italian side Juventus from 2005-2007 where he only played in 35 games before returning to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund in late 2007.
Robert Kovač retires almost exactly one year after older brother Niko retired from club football. Robert played in 84 matches for Croatia from 1999-2009 which included two World Cups and two Euro championships. His leadership alongside brother and captain Niko Kovač is something that is still missing from the current Croatian side since the two left. Robert’s international career ended indirectly when he received a red card in the first half of Croatia’s World Cup qualifier against England at Maksimir in September of 2009 when he elbowed Joe Cole in the head.
WILL THE KOVAČ BROTHERS BECOME COACHES FOR CROATIA DOWN THE ROAD?
Hvala Robi! LEGENDO!
Lets not get carried away here. The team misses Robert and Niko in their prime… but only in the same way as they miss Jarni, Suker, Stanic, Pros etc in their prime. Both Kovac brothers were well passed it in the last campaign especially the England match were central to the sides downfall. Part of the reason we blundered was cos Bilic did not seek to replace them directly after Euro 2008.
What we are doing now is work we should have been doing way back in 2008. Bilic did not freshen his squad up in 2008 and we paid for that. If we see now not only have Kovac's retired but Ivan Juric has as well. This is only a year and a half on from when we was depending on them. Kovac's were good in their day, but our team was a long time over due being freshened up.
All these things we were trying back then Juric, Kovac's, Vukojevic on his own, Runje, Pranjic at left back, Drpic, Vejic and depending on HNL1 strikers were all mistakes. The ideas now are a bit better. But he needs to keep working on the squad. For example cos Jerko Leko dropped out due to his pompousness at club level, it has moved Nikola Pokrivac up in queue and that is not a positive thing. Bilic needs to work on that part of the squad.
Bilic should have learned something about last friendly. Firstly the tactics he tried in Austria and Wales could work and helps the defence. But also he should understand there is no need to ware out Olic, Modric, Pranjic, Petric and he should use friendlies from now on to find out about players who could further enhance the squad.
Jajalo, Perisic require a viewing soon.
Gavranovic, Lakic, Cesarec, Kalinic, Ilicevic and Badelj can be analysed on how they do at club level next season.
One thing Bilic could be doing now is getting in touch with people who seem to be letting their career drift along and telling them to improve their situation. If it requires a lot more players like Vranjes in teams like Genclerbirgli. As long as we have plenty of guys playing that's the important thing. Theres too many inactive players and that is not positive. If Bilic is wandering what he can be doing now he can be getting in the ear of a few Croats around the continent to improve their status's in one way or another.
konacno!! ma taj purger je vec bija gotov u 2002. onda je triba ici ca tak da bi se svi njega sitila ka neka legenda a ne danas. pa bolji mu je brat nego on.
Sad to say goodbye to another legend. The team just is not the same without the Kovac bros., definitely lacking that heart, spine, tenacity and leadership that they so amply brought to the table all the time!
I for one truly hope and pray that they will be coaches one day (particularly Niko, as he is my favourite player of all-time).
Well done, Robert. Hope to see you and your brother again soon in the not to distant future!!!
There is more to it, but that is a general summary of it. Just want to make clear there was never a physical fight (came close) between them, but there were issues.
I always thought Tudor was one of our most talented players when healthy (which was rare), but he was an extreme headcase.
I'll never forget his assist all the way from midfield to Davor Suker against Ireland back in '99. Everybody thought all was lost…and then, history.
Interesting read about the fights between Tudor and the Kovac bros. I never knew about that.
Robert Kovac will go down as a top 5 Croatian player of all time! This should get you guys talking.
Where does Robbie rank on the "all-time Croatian team?"
I have him #5..
@ziva istina
Thanks for the scoop on Tudor and the Kovac brother from 2006. Like I said before, the comments you guys post are what makes this site what it is today.
As a Dinamo fan I'm happy to see Kovac in retirement as he'd have spent the year zapping our wage bill and playing no football due to injury or lack of motivation. Robert Kovac does not want to be remembered in the same way as Boris Zivkovic was during his latter days at Hajduk so this was the right choice.
Excellant player of course. In fact along with Simic and Tudor and Niko Kovac a really high quality performer in his day. Yes best to luck at following new avenues.
i read Zajec questioning the fitness of Simic and Biscan. Something tells me those two might not be much use to us this season either, but hopefully we bring someone in who is young and agile.
I'm still finding it hard to see why Kristjan Ipsa and Daniel Cesarec is proving so hard for Mamic to work out.
I wont list everything, because there are some items that are sensative and relate to the guys that I know.
But, what can be said is this….In a braod sense, there were leadership and trust issues between the Kovac brothers and Tudor.
Tudor beleived he should have been the captain. Both Kovac's thought Tudor was a disruptive force in the locker room and was unintenionally dividing the team between regions (north-south). There were about 6 or 7 dalmatinci on the roster and the Kovac brothers feered Tudor was dividing the team by creating a split.
Everything was OK in the camp or everything was quiet until the team got to Germany. Some things took place between the three of them and everything exploded after we were eliminated following the 2-2 tie with Australia.
Tudor was supposedly a primadonna who complained about everything and never showed up for friendlies.
Enjoy your retirement Robert. Well deserved and thank you for all your hard work for the national team through many dark years where you and Niko were the only real bright spots. I will miss him, my favourite player of all time.
Ziva,
Do tell… what do you know about the rift between Tudor and the Kovac brothers?
No, he will not be an assistant to Bilic. Bilic already has Zuti, Asanaovic and Jurcevic. Now, I don't doubt that Niko Kovac will one day be the coach of the national team, but we are years away from that. I beleive he has a role either with the youth program or an upper management job with Red Bull.
Right now, Kovac has no coaching experience. Bilic brought on Prosinecki with no coaching experience so it makes no sense to have another guy like that. Just give it time, Kovac will be coach one day.
As for Robert Kovac's retirement. Well deserved…. He will always be one of my favorite players. The last two years of his career were tough to watch, but he has nothing to look back at with regret. He and his brother always played 100% for the repka and that is all you can ever ask for as a fan. If the guys who run this site ever have the chance to run into the Kovac brothers, request a video interview and ask them about the 2006 World Cup and how they wanted to beat the shit out of Igor Tudor. If they are willing to open up, its a great behind-the-scenes story with the 2006 team.
I think Niko will definitely be joining the NT coaching ranks in the years to come. He has such a strong bond with many of the current players on our roster that it only makes sense. I could see him becoming an assistant to Slaven Bilic in time for EURO qualifying, anyone else?