Boris Živković

Boris Živković
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-11-15) 15 November 1975
Place of birth Živinice, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Full-back
Youth career
1989–1992 Sarajevo U19
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1994 Sarajevo 11 (1)
1994–1996 Marsonia 44 (1)
1996–1997 Hrvatski Dragovoljac 29 (1)
1997–2003 Bayer Leverkusen 144 (9)
2003 Portsmouth 18 (0)
2004–2006 VfB Stuttgart 23 (0)
2006 → 1. FC Köln (loan) 8 (1)
2006–2009 Hajduk Split 51 (2)
Total 328 (15)
International career
1999–2007 Croatia 39 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Boris Živković (Croatian pronunciation: [bôːriz ʒǐːʋkoʋit͡ɕ];[1] born 15 November 1975) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a full-back and centre-back.

Živković began his professional career with FK Sarajevo in his native country. He moved to Croatia and signed for Marsonia and later Hrvatski Dragovoljac, before spending six seasons with Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Following shorter stints at Portsmouth, VfB Stuttgart, and 1. FC Köln, he returned to Croatia to play for Hajduk Split.

At the international level, Živković represented the Croatia national team, making 39 appearances, 18 of which as the team's captain.


Club career

Early career

Živković started his career in his native country at FK Sarajevo U19 as a youth player, before he began his professional career with FK Sarajevo just at the outset of Bosnian war.[2] He left besieged city of Sarajevo with his club in 1993, and toured the region before FK Sarajevo got invited for a humanitarian tour in Italy in 1994.[2][3]

After leaving war-torn Bosnia, he signed for Marsonia (from Slavonski Brod) in 1994. He gained a good reputation at Marsonia, first appearing in the 1994–95 season, during which he made 13 appearances. The following season, he played 31 games before transferring to Hrvatski Dragovoljac (from Siget, Zagreb). However, he only spent one season at his new club before impressive performances persuaded German club Bayer Leverkusen to sign him.

Bayer Leverkusen

Živković played six seasons for the German club, playing over 150 times, including the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. Following his contract expiring in the summer of 2003, Živković stated his desire to play in the Premier League, and was signed later that summer by Portsmouth.

Portsmouth and Stuttgart

Živković started his Pompey career well, instantly claiming a regular starting place. However, in December, a public fall-out with manager Harry Redknapp led to him being released, having played only 18 times for the club. VfB Stuttgart stepped in to bring Živković back to Germany, and the Croatian joined them in January.

Hajduk Split

In August 2006, he moved to Hajduk Split.[4]

International career

Živković was a regular for the Croatia national team, making 39 appearances and scoring twice.[5] He was part of the squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but in his first game against Mexico, he caused a penalty in the 59th minute, after which he was sent off and the Mexicans went on to score from the penalty mark and win the game by 1-0. He was no longer on the team for the remaining two games Croatia played in the tournament before being eliminated — Italy and Mexico progressed from the group to the playoffs.

He also played two games at Euro 2004. Boris was out of favour for Zlatko Kranjčar's World Cup 2006 campaign, but many defender injuries forced Slaven Bilić to give him a call for the Euro 2008 spring qualifying games. His final international was a February 2007 friendly match against Norway.[6]

Career statistics

Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, and the score column indicates the score after each Živković goal.
List of international goals scored by Boris Živković
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 November 2001 Gwangju, Gwangju, South Korea  South Korea 1–1 1–1 Friendly
2 30 April 2003 Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden  Sweden 2–1 2–1 Friendly

References

  1. ^ Boris in isolation: [bôːris].
  2. ^ a b "EKSKLUZIVNO: "Iz Sarajeva sam otišao sa torbom u ruci"". Klix.ba (in Croatian). 20 January 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Utakmice širom svijeta, prijem u Vatikanu" (in Bosnian). Oslobođenje.ba. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Statistika: Boris Živković" (in Croatian). Hrvatska nogometna liga. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  5. ^ Mamrud, Roberto (16 July 2009). "Croatia – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Player Database". EU-football. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
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