Boško Balaban

2.1. Aston Villa

Balaban's tenure at Aston Villa proved largely unsuccessful. Despite the substantial transfer fee of 5.80 M GBP, he made only eight appearances for the club-seven as a substitute-and failed to score any goals over two and a half years. This lack of impact led to him being regularly cited as one of the "worst Premier League signings of all time" by various media outlets.

In a 2019 interview with FourFourTwo magazine, Balaban publicly disputed this label, arguing that Aston Villa never provided him with adequate opportunities to play. He stated that if a club spends a large sum on a player but then does not allow them to play, "the jokes should really be at your expense." After his unproductive spell, Aston Villa loaned him back to his former club, Dinamo Zagreb, for the 2002-03 season. In December 2003, Aston Villa terminated his contract, and Balaban subsequently joined Club Brugge on a free transfer.

2.2. Return to Dinamo Zagreb and Club Brugge

His loan return to Dinamo Zagreb for the 2002-03 season was a significant upturn in form, as he rediscovered his scoring touch, netting 15 goals in 24 appearances. This successful stint preceded his move to Club Brugge.

At Club Brugge, Balaban experienced a highly successful period. In the 2004-05 season, he scored 25 goals in 24 appearances, followed by 27 goals in 30 games during the 2005-06 season. His consistent goal-scoring prowess earned him the affectionate nickname "Super Bosko" among the Brugge fans, particularly after he scored four goals in a single match. He maintained an impressive average of 0.5 goals per match during his time there. In August 2007, Balaban returned to Dinamo Zagreb for his third stint after Club Brugge acquired François Sterchele, who had been the league's top scorer. Balaban expressed that he would deeply miss Brugge, having had a "wonderful time" at the club.

During this third period at Dinamo Zagreb, a controversial incident occurred. After scoring a goal against Inter Zaprešić, Balaban made a fascist salute to the fans. This act, which drew criticism for its historical association with extremist ideologies, resulted in him being fined 100 HRK (approximately 14 EUR).

2.3. Panionios and Selangor FA

In June 2009, Balaban signed a three-year contract with Greek club Panionios. In his first season, the 2009-10 Super League, he scored eight goals, making him Panionios' top scorer for the season. He continued with the club for another year before moving on.

On 29 January 2012, Balaban joined Malaysian Super League team Selangor FA for an undisclosed fee. His debut for the club on 14 February 2012 was immediate and impactful, as he scored the winning goal against league leaders Kelantan FA, securing a 2-1 victory for Selangor. He concluded his time at Selangor having scored 12 goals in 20 appearances, helping the team qualify for the 2013 AFC Cup. Following the 2012 season, Balaban's contract with Selangor was not extended after a mutual agreement, effectively bringing an end to his playing career.

3.1. Early Career

Balaban made his debut for the Croatia national team on 16 August 2000 in a friendly match against Slovakia. His debut was successful, as he scored Croatia's only goal in a 1-1 draw. Prior to this, he had been a regular member of the Croatian under-21 team for more than a year.

He excelled during Croatia's qualifying campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Balaban appeared in all eight matches and scored five goals, notably achieving a hat-trick against Latvia in a 4-1 victory on 24 March 2001. Despite his strong qualifying performance, he was an unused substitute in all three group matches at the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Following this tournament, Balaban did not feature in any matches for Croatia between February 2003 and August 2004, consequently missing the entire UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying campaign and the final tournament.

3.2. Later Career and Controversies

Balaban made his competitive return for Croatia on 9 October 2004 against Bulgaria during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He subsequently appeared in another four qualifying matches, scoring a brace against Iceland on 3 September 2005. Similar to 2002, he was part of the squad for the 2006 World Cup finals but remained on the bench for all three group matches.

In early September 2006, Croatia manager Slaven Bilić temporarily dropped Balaban, along with teammates Ivica Olić and Darijo Srna, from the squad. This disciplinary action was taken before their opening Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia, due to the players being caught at a late-night party in a Zagreb disco. However, Balaban was the only one of the three players to return to the squad for the very next qualifier against Andorra a month later. In that match, which Croatia won 7-0, Balaban came on as a substitute with an hour played and Croatia already leading 5-0. He then scored the fastest-ever goal by a single player for the Croatia national team, finding the net just 20 seconds after entering the pitch.

5.1. Club Honours

• Dinamo Zagreb
  • Prva HNL: 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09
  • Croatian Football Cup: 2000-01, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09
  • Croatian Football Super Cup: 2002
• Club Brugge
  • Belgian First Division: 2004-05
  • Belgian Cup: 2003-04, 2006-07
  • Belgian Super Cup: 2004, 2005

5.2. Individual Honours

• SN Yellow Shirt award: 2001
• Fastest goal scored for Croatia
• Malaysian League top goalscorer: 2012

6.1. Club Statistics

6.2. International Statistics