Full name Željko Vuković Playing position Team Apps Position Defender | Place of birth Dvor, SFR Yugoslavia Years Team Height 1.83 m | |
Date of birth (1962-02-09) 9 February 1962 (age 55) | ||
Željko Vuković (born 9 February 1962) is a retired international Croatian and Austrian football player.
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Club career
Born in Dvor, Croatia, back then still within Yugoslavia, he started playing with local club NK Jedinstvo. His first appearance in the Yugoslav First League occurred in 1985 when he was playing in the Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb, where he played until 1988. Still in Yugoslav First League, in 1988 he moved to Dinamo Vinkovci where he played between 1988 and 1990, having played a total of 69 top league matches in those two seasons there. In summer of 1990, he moved to the neighbour rivals NK Osijek where he will play a single but very solid season there that will earn him a call to one of the first Croatian national team matches. In 1991 he was transferred to Austrian club Vorwärts Steyr, where he stayed four seasons and played 136 matches, having scored 11 goals, an impressive achievement for a defender. In 1995 he made a big move to GAK Graz where he became one of the pillars in the defense. His 103 games, having scored seven goals, say it all. In 1999, and already with 37 springs on his shoulders, he moved to another Austrian Football Bundesliga club FC Kärnten where he stayed until 2002.
International career
Željko made part of the Croatia national football team in the earliest stages in 1991. Having afterwards continued his career in Austrian clubs, he received in 2001 a call to play to the Austrian national football team, being one of the oldest players to have made the debut for the selection, with a record 39 years. He ended playing three matches for Austria.