Mario Gavranović

Early life

Born to Bosnian Croat parents, his family moved from Gradačac, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Lugano, Switzerland one year before Gavranović was born.

Career

Gavranović began his football career with AS Vezia, before was scouted by Team Ticino U18 the youth academy of AC Lugano. In the 2006–07 season he played his first professional games in the Swiss Challenge League for FC Lugano and in his second season he scored eight goals in 21 games. In the summer of 2008 he signed for Yverdon-Sport and scored another eight goals in only 20 games. For the 2008–09 season, he moved to Neuchâtel Xamax.

Schalke

After a successful start at Neuchâtel Xamax having scored eight goals in 17 games, Gavranović left his team to sign for Schalke 04 on 1 February 2010. He scored a vital goal for Schalke 04 in the Round of 16 in the Champions League against Valencia, which led his team to a 4—2 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. Gavranović joined fellow Bundesliga side Mainz on a season-long loan deal on 31 August 2011. Mainz reportedly paid €200,000 to secure his services and the loan included a deal for a permanent transfer worth €1.5m.

FC Zürich

After only making five appearances during his loan spell, Gavranović returned to Schalke at which point he agreed to cancel his contract in May 2012 and moved on a free transfer to FC Zürich in the summer. He made his debut for Zürich on 15 July 2012, and scored his first goal from the penalty spot in the same match, a 1-1 draw with FC Luzern.

2013-14 season

Gavranović scored Zürich's winning goal against reigning champions FC Basel on 11 August 2013 in the fifth round of the Swiss Super League. He scored Zürich's first goal as the club twice came from behind to defeat FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy 3-2 in the second round of the Swiss Cup on 15 September. On 24 November, Gavranović netted twice in the second half of Zürich's Super League clash with FC Sion, inspiring his side to a 4-1 victory. In Zürich's first game following the winter break on 1 February 2014, Gavranović scored the game's only goal in first-half stoppage time to give his club a victory over FC Sion. He marked his next appearance with another goal, scoring his side's first in a 3-1 defeat of FC Thun on 16 February.

In the Zürich Derby match against Grasshoppers on 1 March 2014, Gavranović scored a goal in either half to give Zürich a 3-1 win. Eight days later, he netted Zürich's equalizing goal in an eventual 3-1 league victory over BSC Young Boys. On 21 April 2014, Gavranović scored twice in extra-time to lead Zürich to a 2—0 victory over Basel in the final of the Swiss Cup. Gavranović scored Zürich's winner in their next league match on 3 May, converting a penalty-kick in a 2—1 defeat of FC Thun.

2014-15 season

After suffering a knee injury in training at the World Cup, Gavranović was sidelined for the rest of 2014.

Rijeka

On 18 January 2016, Gavranović moved to HNK Rijeka in Croatia. He signed a  2 ¹⁄₂-year contract with the club and joined their pre-season training camp in Dubai. Gavranović scored on his official club début on 12 February 2016, converting a cross by Roman Bezjak in the 25th minute to double Rijeka's lead against Lokomotiva. In his first half-season with the club Gavranović scored seven goals in thirteen appearances.

International career

Gavranović was a member of the Switzerland national football team. He represented the country on a U-21 level in 14 games and scored three goals. On 26 March 2011, he made a national team debut in the 0–0 draw with Bulgaria in a Euro 2012 qualifier. His first goals arrived in a brace scored in a 4–2 friendly win over Croatia on 15 August 2012.

Gavranović was named to the final 23-man squad for the World Cup in Brazil on 13 May 2014. On 29 June, he sustained a serious knee injury in training, ruling him out for the rest of the World Cup and until early 2015.

Honours