Zvonimir Boban

This match was only the second fixture Croatia had played as an independent nation since 1956.

Zvonimir Boban (born 8 October 1968) is a Croatian former footballer who currently works at UEFA as the Chief of Football.

Boban played as a midfielder.

He played most of his professional career for Italian club Milan with whom he won four Serie A titles and one UEFA Champions League title.

He made his debut for the team in the 1985–86 season, aged 16.

He would play 109 games for the club over six seasons, scoring 45 goals and becoming club captain aged 19.

Boban played a big part in Yugoslavia's win in 1987 World Youth Championship.

He scored three goals for Yugoslavia in this tournament, and also scored a decisive penalty in the final shootout.

Having made his debut for the senior Yugoslavia team in 1988, Boban switched to playing for Croatia after the national team's inception, debuting against Romania in December 1990.

At the full international level, he earned seven caps for Yugoslavia between 1988 and 1991, debuting against the Republic of Ireland on 27 April 1988.

Before 1990 and the international recognition of Croatia's national team, Boban had played for the Yugoslavia under-20 team which won the 1987 World Youth Championship.

Boban scored three times in this tournament, as well as scoring in the final (drawn 1–1 with West Germany) and then converting the decisive penalty in the shootout.

In a game against Red Star Belgrade on 13 May 1990, Boban kicked a police officer in the face for assaulting a Dinamo supporter after a riot broke out in the stadium.

This incident made Boban a icon of resistance in Croatia.

It is cited by some as the expression of Croatian discontent with the Yugoslav regime.

It also earned him a suspension from the Yugoslav national team, causing him to miss the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

He played his first international match for Croatia against a Romanian side on 22 December 1990.

The match was considered unofficial because Croatia at that time was not affiliated to FIFA.

A.C. Milan signed Boban in 1991 in a deal worth £8 million.

Milan immediately loaned him to Bari, as they felt he needed time to settle in Italy without counting as one of the 3 non-Italian players the club was limited to at the time.

Bari were relegated in this season, but Boban ably demonstrated his ability in the team and was recalled to Milan.

He played his last game for Yugoslavia on 16 May 1991 against the Faroe Islands, during which he scored his only goal for Yugoslavia.

When the nation of Croatia declared its independence of Yugoslavia, Boban left Yugoslavia to play for Croatia.

Having appeared seven times for Yugoslavia, scoring once, Boban was capped 49 times for Croatia, scoring 12 goals, between 1992 and 1999.

He stayed in the club for nine seasons, and enjoyed great success with them, helping the team to the 1994 Champions League title and contributing to the 1995 campaign in which they ended as runners-up.

Playing 251 games for Milan and scoring 30 goals, Boban won four Serie A titles, as well as three Italian Supercups.

In the second leg of the 1994 UEFA Super Cup Final against Arsenal in Milan, he scored the opening goal in Milan's 2–0 aggregate victory.

He also captained the Croatia national team which won third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Boban was a member of the Croatian team that finished third at the 1998 World Cup, captaining the squad at that tournament, as he had at the 1996 European Football Championship.

At the tournament, he sported a slightly unusual haircut, with the number 10 (his jersey number) shaved onto the back of his head and highlighted in red dye.

Boban played his last match for the national team in a friendly against France on 13 November 1999.

He blamed back pain for his decision to quit international football, but would go on to play in two more seasons of club football.

In his career with the Croatia national team, Boban won 49 international caps and scored 12 goals.

In August 2001, with his role at Milan diminished due to the signing of Rui Costa, he was loaned to La Liga side Celta Vigo where he played in only four league matches.

Unhappy with his role as a substitute, he retired in October 2001 and finished his last season earlier than he intended.

Since retiring from playing in 2002, Boban gained a history degree from the University of Zagreb.

He has also become a football pundit on Croatian and Italian television, working most notably for Sky Italia and RTL Televizija.

Born in Imotski, Boban started his career with Dinamo Zagreb.

In January 2011, the match (due to the incident) was named by CNN as one of "five football games that changed the world".

The police officer (who turned out to be a Bosniak) later forgave Boban for his action.