Zeljko Kalac

1.1. Early career

Kalac began his professional career within the Sydney Croat community, progressing through the youth ranks at Sydney United in the Australian National Soccer League. At the age of sixteen, he made his first-team debut, playing the first eleven games of the 1989-90 NSL season while first-choice keeper Tony Franken was absent. After Franken's return and subsequent transfer to APIA Leichhardt, Kalac competed with a young Mark Bosnich, who had returned from Manchester United. Kalac solidified his position, starting 21 out of 26 games in the 1991-92 season, especially after Bosnich transferred to Aston Villa. Franken later returned to Sydney United, leading to shared appearances in the 1992-93 season, but Kalac became the undisputed first choice during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, helping Sydney United reach the semi-finals in both campaigns.

In 1995, Kalac moved to Europe, joining English Division One side Leicester City. He made only three first-team appearances, one each in the league and League Cup, and his final appearance was as a substitute in the 1996 Football League First Division play-off final against Crystal Palace. Leicester manager Martin O'Neill brought Kalac on in the final minute of extra-time, believing his height would be an asset for a potential penalty shootout. However, Steve Claridge scored the winning goal 20 seconds later, securing Leicester's promotion to the Premiership without a shootout.

With Kevin Poole retaining the first-choice keeper role, Kalac was subject to a transfer deal to Wolves for 1.75 M GBP alongside fellow Australian Steve Corica. However, Kalac was unable to obtain a UK work permit, and despite a lengthy appeal process, the deal fell through, leading to his return to Sydney United. In the following NSL season, he played every match for United, contributing to their most successful season in over a decade, as they comfortably won the league premiership before being defeated in the grand final. A move to England was again attempted in 1997 with Portsmouth, under manager Terry Venables, who also coached the Australian national side at the time. Yet again, Kalac was denied a work permit, and the deal collapsed.

1.2. Roda JC

In 1998, Kalac signed with Eredivisie side Roda JC in the Netherlands, filling the void left by Ruud Hesp. He immediately established himself as the club's number one goalkeeper, holding the position for four years. His arrival coincided with a significant improvement in the team's performance; after narrowly avoiding relegation in the 1997-98 season, Roda JC rose to fifth place in the 1998-99 season, earning a berth in the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup.

Although the 1999-2000 season saw them finish eighth in the league, Kalac was instrumental in Roda lifting the 2000 KNVB Cup, an achievement he considers one of his greatest career highlights. The 2000-01 season was promising, with Roda finishing fourth and securing another UEFA Cup spot. In the 2001-02 UEFA Cup campaign, Roda progressed to the fourth round, where they faced A.C. Milan. After making several crucial saves during regular time, Kalac saved two penalties in the shootout from José Mari and Kakha Kaladze, but Milan ultimately advanced 3-2.

1.3. Perugia

In July 2002, Kalac made a move to Italy, signing with Serie A club A.C. Perugia. He quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper and helped the team secure a place in the 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Perugia went on to win the cup, with Kalac achieving the impressive feat of not conceding a single goal throughout the competition. However, the domestic 2003-04 season ended in disappointment as Perugia finished fourth from last and were relegated after losing a playoff against Fiorentina.

Kalac remained with Perugia for the 2004-05 season in Serie B, making 29 appearances as the team finished third. Despite their league position, Perugia was demoted to Serie C1 due to financial difficulties, which subsequently led to Kalac's departure.

1.4. AC Milan

With Perugia's continued relegation, Kalac joined AC Milan in the summer of 2005 on a free transfer. When he joined, the number 18, which was Kalac's preferred playing number (when not the conventional number 1) and often worn for Australia, was already claimed by Marek Jankulovski, who joined at the same time, and so Kalac chose number 16. He served as a backup goalkeeper to Dida. His debut for Milan came in February 2006, when Dida suffered an ankle injury during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage against Bayern Munich. This allowed Kalac to play his first Serie A match since 2004, where he notably kept clean sheets against Palermo and Empoli. He also featured in the 2006-07 Coppa Italia until Milan's elimination by Palermo.

On 21 November 2006, Kalac made his second UEFA Champions League appearance for Milan, coming off the bench in the final 15 minutes of a group stage match against AEK Athens after Dida tore knee ligaments. This injury gave Kalac more opportunities, and he played his first full game of the 2006-07 season on 25 November 2006 in Milan's 1-0 Serie A victory over Messina. An injury to Kalac on 14 January 2007 against Reggina saw Dida return. These injury concerns prompted Milan to sign Messina goalkeeper Marco Storari, who became the third-choice goalkeeper. Despite the increased competition, Kalac recovered to play in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Celtic on 20 February. He finished his second season at Milan with 10 Serie A appearances and three Champions League appearances.

In March 2007, Kalac signed a contract extension, keeping him at San Siro until at least 2009. In the 2007-08 season, he gained more Champions League appearances after Dida was suspended for simulation against Celtic, helping Milan reach the knockout phase. Kalac also played frequently in Serie A due to Dida's combination of injuries and poor form. Notably, he kept a clean sheet away to Fiorentina on 3 February 2008, making a crucial save in the final moments that earned him praise from the media and coach Carlo Ancelotti. Later that month, he secured another clean sheet at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal in a 0-0 draw during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen, where his several good saves in the second half earned him the Man of the Match award from UEFA. However, in the second leg at the San Siro, he conceded two late goals, leading to Milan's 2-0 elimination by Arsenal.

The return of Christian Abbiati from his loan spell at Atlético Madrid, coupled with Kalac's poor performance in Milan's 5-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Russian Railways Cup on 4 August 2008, marked the end of his brief run as a regular starter. He was demoted to third choice behind Abbiati and Dida and did not play for Milan again until a friendly against Hannover 96 in January 2009 and a single Serie A appearance against Juventus on 10 May as an injury replacement. He was released by Milan on 11 August 2009 after reaching an agreement with the club.

1.5. Later career and retirement

On 1 September 2009, Kalac signed a two-year deal with Greek Super League side Kavala, joining fellow goalkeeper Charles Itandje and UEFA Euro 2004 winner Fanis Katergiannakis. At Kavala, number 18 was again unavailable, so Kalac settled for number 60. He made his Greek Super League debut in a 2-2 home draw against Panathinaikos on 18 October 2009. Following the conclusion of the 2009-10 season with Kavala, Kalac announced his retirement from club football.

2.1. Youth national teams

Kalac was part of the Australian squad for the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, serving as the second-choice goalkeeper behind Mark Schwarzer. He was again a squad member for the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he was the second choice behind Mark Bosnich.

2.2. Senior national team

His first full international appearance for the senior team was against Malaysia on 11 August 1992, stepping in for Robert Zabica. Australia lost that match 1-0, and Kalac was replaced by club teammate Tony Franken for the subsequent game. For many years, he continued to be an understudy to first Mark Bosnich and then Mark Schwarzer, limiting his appearances for the national team.

2.3. 2006 FIFA World Cup

Kalac was selected as a member of Australia's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Despite being the second-choice keeper behind Schwarzer, coach Guus Hiddink surprisingly selected Kalac to start Australia's final first-round match against Croatia. With Australia needing a draw or better to advance to the knockout stage, and the score tied at one apiece in the second half, Kalac notably fumbled a long-range shot from Niko Kovač, conceding what he later described as a "shit goal". Fortunately for Kalac and the Australian team, Harry Kewell scored later in the half, securing a 2-2 draw that allowed Australia to advance to the round of sixteen. After the match, Kalac expressed his immense relief, stating, "You're looking at the ground to eat you up. Obviously for me, it's very relieving to get that result." His performance generated significant criticism in Australia, intensified by the fact that Kalac himself is of Croatian descent. In the subsequent knockout stage match against Italy, Schwarzer was reinstated as the starting goalkeeper, and Australia was eliminated after a 1-0 loss.

2.4. International retirement

Kalac announced his retirement from international football on 4 October 2006. He played his final game for Australia against Paraguay on 7 October, alongside fellow international retirees Tony Popovic, Tony Vidmar, and Stan Lazaridis. He was substituted out in the 90th minute for Mark Schwarzer, marking the end of his international career.

5.1. Club statistics

¹Includes one match in the Football League First Division play-offs.
²Includes two matches in the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
³Includes six matches in the 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
⁴Includes two matches in relegation play-offs.

5.2. International statistics