| Birth date | 30 October 1971 (age 54) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Maribor, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| Position | Striker |
| Currentclub | Legia Warsaw (head of football operations & sporting director) |
| Youthyears 1 | 1978–1980 |
| Youthclubs 1 | VfR Bad Cannstatt |
| Youthyears 2 | 1980–1986 |
| Youthclubs 2 | VfB Stuttgart II |
| Youthyears 3 | 1986–1990 |
| Youthclubs 3 | Stuttgarter Kickers |
| Years 1 | 1990–1992 |
| Clubs 1 | TSF Ditzingen |
| Caps 1 | 62 |
| Goals 1 | 32 |
| Years 2 | 1992–1994 |
| Clubs 2 | Stuttgarter Kickers |
| Caps 2 | 62 |
| Goals 2 | 26 |
| Years 3 | 1994–1999 |
| Clubs 3 | VfB Stuttgart |
| Caps 3 | 148 |
| Goals 3 | 69 |
| Years 4 | 1999–2002 |
| Clubs 4 | Borussia Dortmund |
| Caps 4 | 56 |
| Goals 4 | 17 |
| Years 5 | 2002 |
| Clubs 5 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) |
| Caps 5 | 16 |
| Goals 5 | 4 |
| Years 6 | 2002–2003 |
| Clubs 6 | Hannover 96 |
| Caps 6 | 27 |
| Goals 6 | 14 |
| Years 7 | 2003–2005 |
| Clubs 7 | Hertha BSC |
| Caps 7 | 54 |
| Goals 7 | 8 |
| Years 8 | 2006 |
| Clubs 8 | Rijeka |
| Caps 8 | 8 |
| Goals 8 | 2 |
| Totalcaps | 433 |
| Totalgoals | 172 |
| Nationalyears 1 | 1994–2004 |
| Nationalteam 1 | Germany |
| Nationalcaps 1 | 37 |
| Nationalgoals 1 | 10 |
Fredi Bobic (Slovene: Fredi Bobič, born 30 October 1971) is a German football executive and former player who played as a striker. He is currently the head of football operations and the sporting director at Ekstraklasa club Legia Warsaw.
Club career
Bobic was born in Maribor, SFR Yugoslavia, to a Slovene father and a Croatian mother. A few months after his birth, his parents emigrated with him to West Germany and settled down first in Ditzingen, then in Stuttgart. There, he started playing football at VfR Bad Cannstatt but soon switched to the youth team of VfB Stuttgart. While in Stuttgart, he also acquired German citizenship.
Bobic reached his prime in the mid-1990s at VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. In his first Bundesliga season (1994–95), he scored a goal in each of his first five games, so he became a candidate for the Germany national team after only a few appearances in the first German league. In 1996, he was the Bundesliga's top scorer with 17 goals.[1] At Stuttgart, he formed part of a successful attacking line-up, along with strike partner Giovane Élber and attacking midfielder Krasimir Balakov, known as the "magic triangle".
After four years in Stuttgart, in 1999 he signed with Borussia Dortmund and was the club's top scorer in both 1999–2000 and 2000–01. However, after the signings of Jan Koller and Márcio Amoroso in the summer of 2001, he soon fell out of favor and played only three games in the first half of 2001–02 season.
Subsequently, Bobic was loaned to the Premier League side Bolton Wanderers, where he had a successful spell, playing a key role in keeping Bolton in the Premiership. His hat-trick in the 4–1 win against Ipswich at the Reebok Stadium[2] ensured Bolton stayed up, and remained the last Bolton hat-trick in a competitive game until Joe Mason in the 2014–15 season. He scored once more for Bolton, in a 3–2 victory over Aston Villa.[3]
After returning from England, Bobic was signed by newly promoted Bundesliga side Hannover 96 where he reestablished himself as one of the league's top scorers, netting 14 times in 27 games.
In 2003, he was signed by Hertha BSC, where he played for two seasons, scoring 8 goals in 54 games.
He last played for Croatian outfit NK Rijeka before retiring in June 2006, at the end of the 2005–06 season.
International career
Bobic won 37 caps (10 goals)[4] for the Germany national team and was part of the UEFA Euro 1996 winning squad. He also played at UEFA Euro 2004, having returned to the national team in 2002 after a four-year absence.
Managerial career
Bobic signed a contract as a managing director of Bulgarian club Chernomorets Burgas on 25 March 2009 and worked in the club with his former teammate Krasimir Balakov.
On 27 July 2010, Bobic became new director of sport of VfB Stuttgart.[5] On 20 January 2012, he extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until June 2016.[6] He took on the role as board representative for sport of the club on 10 April 2013.[7] Bobic was sacked on 24 September 2014.
On 1 June 2016, Bobic became sporting director of Eintracht Frankfurt. During his term the club won the DFB-Pokal after beating Bayern Munich in the final (3–1).
On 14 April 2021, Hertha BSC announced its decision to hire Bobic as their new managing director for sport starting 1 July 2021.[8] Bobic was sacked on 28 January 2023 after a 2–0 loss to 1. FC Union in the Berlin derby.[9]
In April 2025, Bobic was appointed head of operations at Polish top-flight club Legia Warsaw.[10] On 31 May 2026, he replaced Michał Żewłakow as Legia's sporting director.[11]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| TSF Ditzingen | 1990–91 | Verbandsliga Württemberg | 28 | 13 | — | — | — | 28 | 13 | |||
| 1991–92 | Oberliga Baden-Württemberg | 34 | 19 | — | — | — | 34 | 19 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 32 | ||
| Stuttgarter Kickers | 1992–93[12] | 2. Bundesliga | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||
| 1993–94[12] | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 16 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 16 | |||
| Total | 62 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 26 | ||
| VfB Stuttgart | 1994–95[12] | Bundesliga | 32 | 12 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 13 | ||
| 1995–96[12] | Bundesliga | 26 | 17 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 27 | 18 | |||
| 1996–97[12] | Bundesliga | 33 | 19 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 38 | 21 | |||
| 1997–98[12] | Bundesliga | 29 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8[c] | 5 | 44 | 22 | |
| 1998–99[12] | Bundesliga | 28 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4[d] | 3 | 38 | 12 | |
| Total | 148 | 69 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 182 | 86 | ||
| Borussia Dortmund | 1999–2000[12] | Bundesliga | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11[e] | 4 | 43 | 12 |
| 2000–01[12] | Bundesliga | 24 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 10 | |||
| 2001–02[12] | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7[f] | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Total | 56 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 80 | 23 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2001–02 | Premier League | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| Hannover 96 | 2002–03[12] | Bundesliga | 27 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 14 | ||
| Hertha BSC | 2003–04[12] | Bundesliga | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | 37 | 8 |
| 2004–05[12] | Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Total | 54 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 9 | ||
| NK Rijeka | 2005–06 | Prva HNL | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 433 | 172 | 28 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 32 | 12 | 502 | 197 | ||
- ^ Includes DFB-Pokal, Croatian Cup
- ^ Includes Ligapokal
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
- ^ Seven appearances and three goals in UEFA Champions League, four goals and one goal in UEFA Cup
- ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Cup
International
- Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bobic goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 August 1995 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Belgium | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 9 October 1996 | Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia | Armenia | 4–0 | 5–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 20 November 2002 | Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Netherlands | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 4 | 12 February 2003 | Estadio Son Moix, Mallorca, Spain | Spain | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 5 | 1 June 2003 | Volkswagen-Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany | Canada | 3–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 7 June 2003 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 7 | 11 June 2003 | Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | FRO | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 8 | 10 September 2003 | Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany | Scotland | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 9 | 11 October 2003 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany | Iceland | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 10 | 27 May 2004 | Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany | Malta | 7–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
Honours
VfB Stuttgart
- DFB-Pokal: 1996–97
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1997–98
Borussia Dortmund
NK Rijeka
Germany
Individual
- Bundesliga top scorer: 1995–96
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1995–96[13]
References
- ^ Matthias Arnhold (17 October 2010). "Fredi Bobič - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Bolton rout Ipswich". BBC Sport. 6 April 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
- ^ "Nolan strike sinks Villa". BBC Sport. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
- ^ Arnhold, Matthias (31 July 2007). "Fredi Bobič - Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Fredi Bobic is director of sport". VfB Stuttgart. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ "Triple contract extension". VfB Stuttgart. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "Management changes". VfB Stuttgart. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ^ "Announcement from the board". Hertha BSC. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Fredi Bobic ab sofort nicht mehr Geschäftsführer Sport". Hertha BSC (in German). 28 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ Ptak, Jakub (19 April 2025). "Fredi Bobic podpisał umowę z Legią Warszawa. Został dyrektorem ds. operacji piłkarskich" (in Polish). sport.tvp.pl. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- ^ "Legia Warszawa ma nowego dyrektora sportowego" (in Polish). polsatsport.pl. 31 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Fredi Bobic » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Bundesliga Historie 1995/96" (in German). kicker. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012.