Slovenian · Maribor, Slovenia · Born 1 February 1971Zlatko Zahovič is Slovenia's all-time leading goalscorer and most successful player since the country's independence, who starred for Porto and Benfica and reached a Champions League final with Valencia.
Zlatko Zahović led Slovenia to their first-ever World Cup and European Championship qualifications in the early 2000s, retiring as the country's record scorer with 35 goals in 80 caps and the most decorated Slovenian footballer of his generation — a status he later reinforced off the pitch, guiding NK Maribor to eight league titles as director of football. He moved to Portugal in 1993, joining Vitória de Guimarães, before a breakout move to FC Porto in 1996, where he spent three seasons and established himself as one of the finest attacking players in Portuguese football. Zahovič had a brief, difficult spell at Olympiacos in Greece before joining Valencia in 2000, where his side reached the final of the 2000-01 UEFA Champions League, ultimately losing to Bayern Munich on penalties; Zahovič was one of the players to miss his spot-kick, saved by Oliver Kahn. He returned to Portugal with Benfica in 2001, spending four more seasons there and amassing 246 appearances and 54 goals across his decade in the Primeira Liga. Zahovič earned 80 caps for Slovenia and scored 35 goals, records that stood for a decade after his retirement, making him the country's most successful player since its independence in 1991 and instrumental in Slovenia's first-ever qualifications for a World Cup and European Championship in the early 2000s. He retired in 2005 and became director of football at his hometown club, NK Maribor, in 2007, leading the club to eight Slovenian league titles and multiple European group-stage campaigns before departing in 2020. His son, Luka Zahović, is also a Slovenia international, and the pair became the first European father-son duo to both score in the Champions League.
Being Slovenia's all-time leading goalscorer and most successful player since the country's independence
How They Played
Skilled attacking midfielder renowned for dribbling ability and clinical goal-scoring
Lasting Impact
A foundational figure in Slovenian football history, having led the country to its first-ever major tournament qualifications and later built a highly successful footballing dynasty at NK Maribor
Career Honours
- Slovenia's all-time leading goalscorer (35 goals)
- Champions League runner-up (2001, Valencia)
- 8x Slovenian PrvaLiga champion as director of football (Maribor)
- Helped Slovenia qualify for its first-ever World Cup and European Championship
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Partizan | 1989–1993 | — |
| Vitória de Guimarães | 1993–1996 | — |
| Porto | 1996–1999 | — |
| Olympiacos | 1999–2000 | — |
| Valencia | 2000–2001 | — |
| Benfica | 2001–2005 | — |
Slovenian Athletes