Fredi Bobic

Lore & Background

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. 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.

He 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. In the 1995–96 season, he was the Bundesliga's top scorer with 17 goals. 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. After the signings of Jan Koller and Márcio Amoroso in the summer of 2001, he fell out of favor and played only three games in the first half of 2001–02 season. He was loaned to Premier League side Bolton Wanderers, where he played a key role in keeping Bolton in the Premiership. His hat-trick in the 4–1 win against Ipswich at the Reebok Stadium ensured Bolton stayed up.

He scored once more for Bolton, in a 3–2 victory over Aston Villa. After returning from England, Bobic signed with newly promoted Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in 2002, 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.

Bobic won 37 caps (10 goals) for the Germany national team and was part of the UEFA Euro 1996 winning squad. He also played at UEFA Euro 2004. He signed a contract as a managing director of Bulgarian club Chernomorets Burgas on 25 March 2009. On 27 July 2010, Bobic became new director of sport of VfB Stuttgart.

He extended his contract until June 2016 on 20 January 2012. He took on the role as board representative for sport on 10 April 2013. 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).

Reader's Guide

Fredi Bobic is a German football executive and former striker. He played for VfB Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Bolton Wanderers, Hannover 96, Hertha BSC, and NK Rijeka. He won the UEFA European Championship with Germany in 1996 and was Bundesliga top scorer in 1995–96. As sporting director of Eintracht Frankfurt, the club won the DFB-Pokal.

Did You Know?

• Bobic scored a hat-trick for Bolton Wanderers against Ipswich Town that ensured Bolton stayed in the Premier League.
• Bobic was part of Germany's UEFA Euro 1996 winning squad.
• He was sacked as Hertha BSC managing director on 28 January 2023 after a 2–0 loss to 1. FC Union Berlin.