Background and career
Ivica Olić (Croatian pronunciation: [îʋitsa ǒːlitɕ]; born 14 September 1979) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is an coach of the Croatia U-21.
During his career, Olić played for German Bundesliga clubs such as Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich; won the 2004–05 UEFA Cup with CSKA Moscow; and appeared over 100 times for the Croatia national team. Olić primarily played as a striker but could also operate as a winger. Noted as an emblematic clutch player, Olić was known for his high work rate. Named the Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2009 and 2010, Olić appeared with Bayern Munich in two UEFA Champions League finals, in 2010 and 2012.
Olić represented Croatia at three FIFA World Cups–in 2002, 2006 and 2014–and two UEFA European Championships–in 2004 and 2008; earning his 100th cap on 16 November 2014, before retiring from international football in 2015.
He started his coaching career in 2017, joining the coaching staff upon appointment of Zlatko Dalić as Croatia national team head coach. He helped the team reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final and qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, interrupting his tenure with the team to briefly coach his former club CSKA Moscow.
