Ivica Olić: player profile - FC Bayern Legends
Legend
Personal
- Date of birth
- 13/09/1979
- Nationality
- Croatian
- Nickname
- Ivi
- My neighbour in the Bayern changing room
- Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mark van Bommel
- Favourite coach
- Dieter Hecking, Louis van Gaal
- Toughest opponent
- Emir Spahić
- Hobbys
- Football and tennis
- Greatest sporting success
- My hat-trick in the Champions League quarterfinals 2010
- If I hadn't turned pro, I would now be
- Handball player
- FCB in 3 words
- The best club
- Best moment at the Allianz Arena
- Scoring the wining goal against Manchester United in 2010
- The FCB Legends mean to me
- Role models, and it's an honour for me to be part of it
From Davor via Moskau to Munich
Ivica Olić was born on 14 September 1979 in the Croatian village of Davor near Slavonski Brod. His path to the top level of European football led via NK Marsonia, NK Zagreb and Dinamo Zagreb, where he won the Croatian championship in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, the hard‑working striker moved to CSKA Moscow, winning three Russian league titles and the UEFA Cup in 2005. At the start of 2007, he returned to the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV, where his tireless running and sheer determination quickly made him a fans’ favourite. In the summer of 2009, he joined FC Bayern on a free transfer – initially seen as a squad player behind Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and new star Mario Gómez.
The Hero of Lyon
Under Louis van Gaal, Ivica Olić quickly secured a regular place in the starting XI. On 8 August 2009, he scored the 1–1 equaliser on his Bayern debut against Hoffenheim and immediately became a fans’ favourite. The highlight of his time at Bayern came in the 2009/10 Champions League season: in the quarter-final he struck the decisive goal against Manchester United in stoppage time, and in the semi-final second leg against Olympique Lyon on 27 April 2010 he scored a hat-trick, almost single-handedly firing FC Bayern into the final. With eleven Bundesliga goals and seven strikes in the Champions League, he played a major part in winning the 2010 double of league title and DFB Cup. In 2012, Olić appeared in another Champions League final – his last match for Bayern.
A Fighter who left his Mark
Ivica Olić wore the FCB shirt for three years before moving to VfL Wolfsburg in 2012. In 2015, he returned to Hamburger SV for a year and ended his playing career in 2017 with TSV 1860 München. He made 104 appearances for Croatia and scored 20 goals – his national coach Slaven Bilić once described him as a typical “match winner”. After retiring, Olić became assistant coach of the Croatian national team under Zlatko Dalić and helped lead the side to the 2018 World Cup final. Today, “Ivi” is part of the FC Bayern Legends and is remembered in Munich as a combative striker with a Bavarian heart.
Champions League finalist: 2010, 2012
UEFA Cup winner: 2005
German champion: 2010
DFB Cup Winner: 2010
Croatian champion: 2002, 2003
Russian champion: 2003, 2005, 2006
- Date of birth
- 13/09/1979
- Nationality
- Croatian
- Nickname
- Ivi
- My neighbour in the Bayern changing room
- Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mark van Bommel
- Favourite coach
- Dieter Hecking, Louis van Gaal
- Toughest opponent
- Emir Spahić
- Hobbys
- Football and tennis
- Greatest sporting success
- My hat-trick in the Champions League quarterfinals 2010
- If I hadn't turned pro, I would now be
- Handball player
- FCB in 3 words
- The best club
- Best moment at the Allianz Arena
- Scoring the wining goal against Manchester United in 2010
- The FCB Legends mean to me
- Role models, and it's an honour for me to be part of it
From Davor via Moskau to Munich
Ivica Olić was born on 14 September 1979 in the Croatian village of Davor near Slavonski Brod. His path to the top level of European football led via NK Marsonia, NK Zagreb and Dinamo Zagreb, where he won the Croatian championship in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, the hard‑working striker moved to CSKA Moscow, winning three Russian league titles and the UEFA Cup in 2005. At the start of 2007, he returned to the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV, where his tireless running and sheer determination quickly made him a fans’ favourite. In the summer of 2009, he joined FC Bayern on a free transfer – initially seen as a squad player behind Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and new star Mario Gómez.
The Hero of Lyon
Under Louis van Gaal, Ivica Olić quickly secured a regular place in the starting XI. On 8 August 2009, he scored the 1–1 equaliser on his Bayern debut against Hoffenheim and immediately became a fans’ favourite. The highlight of his time at Bayern came in the 2009/10 Champions League season: in the quarter-final he struck the decisive goal against Manchester United in stoppage time, and in the semi-final second leg against Olympique Lyon on 27 April 2010 he scored a hat-trick, almost single-handedly firing FC Bayern into the final. With eleven Bundesliga goals and seven strikes in the Champions League, he played a major part in winning the 2010 double of league title and DFB Cup. In 2012, Olić appeared in another Champions League final – his last match for Bayern.
A Fighter who left his Mark
Ivica Olić wore the FCB shirt for three years before moving to VfL Wolfsburg in 2012. In 2015, he returned to Hamburger SV for a year and ended his playing career in 2017 with TSV 1860 München. He made 104 appearances for Croatia and scored 20 goals – his national coach Slaven Bilić once described him as a typical “match winner”. After retiring, Olić became assistant coach of the Croatian national team under Zlatko Dalić and helped lead the side to the 2018 World Cup final. Today, “Ivi” is part of the FC Bayern Legends and is remembered in Munich as a combative striker with a Bavarian heart.
Champions League finalist: 2010, 2012
UEFA Cup winner: 2005
German champion: 2010
DFB Cup Winner: 2010
Croatian champion: 2002, 2003
Russian champion: 2003, 2005, 2006