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Jozo Šimunović

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Jozo Šimunović
Šimunović playing for Celtic in 2018
Personal information
Full name Jozo Šimunović[1]
Date of birth (1994-08-04) 4 August 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Zagreb, Croatia
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
Hrvatski Dragovoljac
2006–2013 Dinamo Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Dinamo Zagreb 52 (3)
2015–2020 Celtic 75 (5)
2021–2022 Gorica 8 (0)
International career‡
2008 Croatia U14 2 (0)
2009 Croatia U15 2 (1)
2010 Croatia U16 3 (0)
2009–2011 Croatia U17 20 (1)
2012 Croatia U18 1 (0)
2011–2013 Croatia U19 10 (0)
2013 Croatia U20 5 (0)
2013–2015 Croatia U21 9 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 July 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 September 2015

Jozo Šimunović (Croatian pronunciation: [jǒːzo ʃimǔːnoʋitɕ]; born 4 August 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who most recently played as a centre back for Prva HNL club Gorica.

Club career

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Early career

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Šimunović started playing football at age of 7 in his village, Gornja Lomnica. At the age of 12 he joined Dinamo Zagreb from Hrvatski Dragovoljac.[2]

Dinamo Zagreb

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Šimunović made his debut for Dinamo Zagreb on 16 March 2013 against Istra 1961, coming as a 90th-minute substitute.[3] On 30 March 2013, he scored his first goal for Dinamo against Zadar.[4] He played the whole game in Dinamo's 4–2 win on penalty kicks over RNK Split in the 2015 Croatian Cup Final on 20 May 2015.[5]

Celtic

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Šimunović in Celtic colours, facing Zenit in 2018

On 1 September 2015, Šimunović joined Scottish Premiership side Celtic for an undisclosed fee.[6] He made his debut on 17 September, playing in Celtic's 2–2 draw away against Ajax in the Europa League, and had a good game.[7][8] An ankle injury shortly afterwards and the team's erratic form, however, hindered Šimunović's attempts to make much impact at his new club.[9] On 15 January 2016, Šimunović scored his first goal for Celtic in a 4–1 victory over Dundee United,[10] but suffered knee ligament damage a week later and was ruled out for six weeks;[11] however, he was kept off for the rest of the season,[12] to recover properly.[13]

On 13 and 14 July, Šimunović stated on his Twitter account that he had spent the last nine weeks in Belgrade recovering from his injury, and would be returning to Glasgow later that week, and denied media speculation that he would be leaving Celtic to join Torino.[14] On 30 August 2016, contrary to his prior announcement, Šimunović travelled to Turin to have a medical with Torino.[15] Despite passing his medical, it was announced the following day that the move was off as the two clubs could not agree a fee.[16] Šimunović stated afterwards on Twitter that he was "completely healthy and fit" and was entirely focused on the challenge ahead with Celtic.[17] On 18 September 2016, he made his long-awaited return to action as a substitute in Celtic's 2–2 draw with Inverness.[18]

Šimunović re-established himself in the team, and formed a solid partnership in central defence alongside Erik Sviatchenko which saw Celtic go on a run of nine clean sheets.[19][20][21] During this time he also played in Celtic's 3–0 win over Aberdeen in the 2016 Scottish League Cup Final in November, and played the pass in to Tom Rogic for Celtic's opening goal.[19][22] After the cup final win, he told Croatian newspaper Sportske novosti that, "It was really phenomenal. The atmosphere is normally great in our games, but this time it was extra special, because it was the 100th trophy of the club."[23] In March 2017, Šimunović scored Celtic's first goal in a 2–1 win away at Dundee, extending the club's lead in the league to 25 points ahead of second-placed Aberdeen as they closed in on their 48th league championship.[24]

On 11 September 2017, he signed a new contract with Celtic, expiring in summer 2020, with a possible one year extension.[25]

During the first match following the passing of Celtic club legend Billy McNeill, Šimunović scored the winner to earn all three points against Kilmarnock, taking the Celts within one point of securing eight league titles in a row. The goal went down in the history of Celtic as a special one, having been scored in the 67th minute by Celtic's centre back and number 5, a tribute to the late McNeill. Following the game, Šimunović donated his number 5 shirt to the McNeill family.[26]

In September 2019, Šimunović suffered a knee injury.[27] On 30 May 2020, Celtic announced Šimunović would leave the club after his contract expires in summer 2020.[28][29]

HNK Gorica

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On 20 October 2021, HNK Gorica announced the signing of Šimunović as a free transfer.[30]

International career

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Šimunović has represented Croatia on all youth levels.[31] He was captain of the Croatian under-17, under-19 and the under-21 teams.[32]

In September 2015, he received a first call-up for the senior national team, for the last UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches, against Bulgaria and Malta, as a substitute for injured Dejan Lovren, but suffered an injury days later, which prevented him from playing.[33]

In July 2017, Šimunović chose to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina,[34] whom he qualifies for as his entire family hails from Jajce.[35] He had reportedly become frustrated by the lack of opportunities to play for Croatia.[36] He was called up a month later by Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Mehmed Baždarević for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Gibraltar; however, he did not debut for the national team despite being expected to do so against the latter opponent.[37] In March 2018, he rejected the call-up from new Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Robert Prosinečki for friendly games against Bulgaria and Senegal.[38] Days later, he revealed that he does not want to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina internationally because he "loves Croatia too much".[39][40]

Personal life

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In April 2023, having been released by HNK Gorica, Šimunović told a Scottish newspaper that he was studying sports management at a university in Croatia and was doing his badges to prepare for a career after his playing days were over.[41]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 18 December 2021[42]
Club Season League Cup[a] League Cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dinamo Zagreb 2012–13 Prva HNL 3 1 0 0 — 0 0 3 1
2013–14 23 2 3 0 — 6[c] 0 32 2
2014–15 20 0 3 0 — 8[d] 0 31 0
2015–16 6 0 0 0 — 4[e] 0 10 0
Total 52 3 6 0 — 18 0 76 3
Celtic 2015–16 Scottish Premiership 11 1 1 0 1 0 4[f] 0 17 1
2016–17 25 1 3 0 3 0 2[e] 0 33 1
2017–18 15 0 3 0 1 0 11[g] 0 30 0
2018–19 18 2 3 0 1 0 8[h] 0 30 2
2019–20 6 1 0 0 0 0 7[i] 0 13 1
Total 75 5 10 0 6 0 32 0 129 5
HNK Gorica 2021–22 Prva HNL 4 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Career total 131 8 16 0 6 0 50 0 209 8
  1. ^ Includes Croatian Cup and Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ Two appearances in the UEFA Champions League and four appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Two appearances in the UEFA Champions League and six appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Nine appearances in the UEFA Champions League and two appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  8. ^ Five appearances in the UEFA Champions League and three appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  9. ^ Six appearances in the UEFA Champions League and one appearance in the UEFA Europa League

Honours

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Club

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Dinamo Zagreb[7]

Celtic[7]

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013 List of Players: Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Jozo Šimunović - povijest Dinama" (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Istra 1961 - Dinamo Zagreb 0:0". soccerway.com. Global Sports Media. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Dinamo Zagreb - Zadar 5:0". soccerway.com. Global Sports Media. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  5. ^ Dubravac, Ante (20 May 2015). "Dinamo 4:2 Split - Dinamo tek nakon jedanaesteraca došao do Rabuzinovog sunca". Sportnet HR (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Jozo Simunovic: Celtic sign Dinamo Zagreb defender". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Jozo Šimunović Trophies". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  8. ^ Cuddihy, Paul. "Simunovic pleased with his Celtic debut". Celtic FC. No. 18 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  9. ^ Swan, Craig (27 October 2015). "Jozo Simunovic: Celtic are better than Dinamo Zagreb but they have similar issues". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Dundee United 1 - 4 Celtic - Match Report & Highlights". Sky Sports. 16 January 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Jozo Simunovic: Celtic defender out for up to six weeks". BBC Sport. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Celtic: Jozo Simunovic and Efe Ambrose deals fall through - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  13. ^ "Hoops won't rush Jozo Simunovic back | Glasgow Times". 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  14. ^ Armstrong, Gary (11 August 2016). "Celtic star Jozo Šimunović rubbishes reports linking him with Torino switch as NONSENSE". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic in Italy to complete move to Torino". STV. 30 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  16. ^ Sutherland, Jonathan (31 August 2016). "Celtic: Jozo Simunovic and Efe Ambrose deals fall through". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  17. ^ Mackenzie, Alasdair (1 September 2016). "Jozo Simunovic: I didn't fail Torino medical and I'm 100 per cent focused on Celtic". The Herald. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2-2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  19. ^ a b Swan, Craig (29 November 2016). "Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko insists competition for places keeps him and partner Jozo Simunovic on top of their game". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  20. ^ Mullen, Scott (20 December 2016). "Brendan Rodgers: Celtic star Jozo Simunovic is going nowhere". Evening Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  21. ^ Hay, Davie (22 December 2016). "Davie Hay: Jozo won't go, there would be an outcry from Celtic fans". Evening Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  22. ^ English, Tom (27 November 2016). "Aberdeen 0 - 3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  23. ^ Olivari, Davorin (1 December 2016). "JOZO ŠIMUNOVIĆ UOČI EL CLASICA PROGOVORIO O VELIKOM MESSIJU 'Misliš da si ga zaustavio, a onda odluči sve'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Šimunović zabio prvi gol u sezoni, Celtic nadomak 48. naslova prvaka". Gol. 19 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  25. ^ "Celtic joy as Jozo Simunovic and Scott Brown pen new deals at Parkhead". Daily Record. 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  26. ^ "Jozo Simunovic takes Celtic to verge of title as tributes paid to Billy McNeill | Scottish Premiership | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  27. ^ "Jozo Simunovic: Celtic defender faces weeks out with knee surgery". BBC Sport. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  28. ^ Lindsay, Matthew (30 May 2020). "Celtic announce centre half Jozo Simunovic will leave Parkhead this summer". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Simunovic and Hayes in Celtic exit". BBC Sport. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Jozo Šimunović novi igrač Gorice: 'Lijepo je vratiti se kući!'" (in Croatian). HNK Gorica. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Jozo Šimunović". hnf-cff.hr. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  32. ^ "Jozo Šimunović preuzima kapetansku traku" (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  33. ^ "Celtic defender Jozo Šimunović will miss Croatia's qualifiers against Bulgaria and Malta due to injury, with Duje Ćaleta-Car called-up as his replacement". hns-cff.hr. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  34. ^ "Hvala Hrvatskoj, ali ću igrati za Bosnu i Hercegovinu" (in Bosnian). Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  35. ^ "Čekao sam poziv HNS-a dvije godine" (in Bosnian). 16 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  36. ^ Walker, Mark (18 July 2017). "Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic sticks with decision to switch national allegiance". The Herald. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  37. ^ E. B. (3 September 2017). "Baždarević: Zadovoljan sam zalaganjem, nadam se da ćemo biti pravi protiv Belgije". Klix.ba (in Bosnian). Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  38. ^ E. B. (15 March 2018). "Jozo Šimunović odbio igrati protiv Bugarske i Senegala". Klix.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  39. ^ "Jozo Šimunović odbio BiH; Prosinečki: Neću ga moliti". Goal.com (in Croatian). 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  40. ^ Buškulić, Ante (17 March 2018). "Jozo Šimunović odbio BiH jer voli Hrvatsku". Goal.com (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  41. ^ Galindo, Alan (21 April 2023). "Jozo Simunovic life after football plan with big summer decision over future". Glasgow Live.
  42. ^ "J. Šimunović". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  43. ^ "Celtic champions & Hearts relegated after SPFL ends season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  44. ^ "Motherwell 0 - 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
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