Marko Marić (footballer, born 1996) explained

Marko Marić
Birth Date:3 January 1996
Birth Place:Vienna, Austria
Height:1.93 m
Position:Goalkeeper
Currentclub:Zrinjski Mostar
Clubnumber:35
Youthyears1:2002–2004
Youthclubs1:Post SV Wien
Youthyears2:2004–2013
Youthclubs2:Rapid Wien
Years1:2011–2015
Clubs1:Rapid Wien II
Caps1:26
Goals1:0
Years2:2013–2015
Clubs2:Rapid Wien
Caps2:8
Goals2:0
Years3:2015–2020
Clubs3:1899 Hoffenheim
Caps3:0
Goals3:0
Years4:2015–2016
Clubs4:Lechia Gdańsk (loan)
Caps4:24
Goals4:0
Years5:2017
Clubs5:Hannover 96 (loan)
Caps5:0
Goals5:0
Years6:2017
Clubs6:Hannover 96 II (loan)
Caps6:13
Goals6:0
Years7:2017–2019
Clubs7:Lillestrøm (loan)
Caps7:56
Goals7:0
Years8:2020–2021
Clubs8:Houston Dynamo
Caps8:45
Goals8:0
Years9:2022–2023
Clubs9:Atromitos
Caps9:3
Goals9:0
Years10:2023–
Clubs10:Zrinjski Mostar
Caps10:43
Goals10:0
Nationalyears1:2011
Nationalteam1:Austria U16
Nationalcaps1:1
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2012
Nationalteam2:Croatia U16
Nationalcaps2:8
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2012–2013
Nationalteam3:Croatia U17
Nationalcaps3:13
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:2013
Nationalteam4:Croatia U18
Nationalcaps4:3
Nationalgoals4:0
Nationalyears5:2014–2015
Nationalteam5:Croatia U19
Nationalcaps5:5
Nationalgoals5:0
Club-Update:26 May 2024

Marko Marić (pronounced as /hr/;[1] [2] born 3 January 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bosnian Premier League club Zrinjski Mostar. Born in Austria, he has represented his country of birth and Croatia internationally at youth level.

Club career

Rapid Wien

Marić began his career in for Post SV Wien in 2002. In 2004, at the age of eight, he joined the Rapid Wien youth ranks.[3] Marić was promoted to Rapid Wien II for the 2011–12 season. He made his professional debut on 4 May 2012, getting the start for Rapid Wien II in a 4–0 win over SV Mattersburg II in Regionalliga Ost match[4] He made the match day squad 12 other times that season.[5] The 2012–13 season saw Marić make nine appearances for Rapid Wien II. He also made the match day squad for the Rapid Wien first team three times during the season, but did not appear in a match.

On 11 May 2014, Marić made his first team debut in a 5–2 win over SV Ried in the final Austrian Bundesliga match of the season.[6] He also made 7 appearances with Rapid Wien II during the season.

He made his first appearance of the 2014–15 season on 14 February 2015, a 3–0 win over SV Ried. Marić served primarily as the second choice goalkeeper for the season, making 7 league appearances and one in the Austrian Cup while making the bench for 21 other times. He also made 9 appearances for the second team during the season.

On 19 June 2015, it was announced that Marić would be leaving Rapid Wien after he was unwilling to sign a contract extension.[7]

Lechia Gdańsk

Marić signed with German Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on 30 June 2015. He was immediately loaned to Polish Ekstraklasa club Lechia Gdańsk for the 2015–16 season.[8] On 17 July 2015, he made his debut for Lechia in a 1–0 defeat to KS Cracovia in the opening match of the Ekstraklasa season. He started the first 23 league games of the year for Lechia before losing the starting job to Vanja Milinković-Savić.[9] Marić made 24 league appearances and one appearance in the Polish Cup for Lechia, keeping 7 clean sheets.

Hannover 96

On 31 January 2017, Marić was sent on loan to Hannover 96, who were playing in the 2. Bundesliga.[10] He did not make any appearances with the Hannover first team, rather spending time with Hannover 96 II in the Regionalliga Nord. Marić made his first appearance for Hannover 96 II on 11 February in a 2–1 loss to SV Eichede. He made 13 appearances with Hannover 96 II during the loan.[11]

Lillestrøm SK

On 1 August 2017, he went on loan to Norwegian Eliteserien club Lillestrøm SK until the end of the 2017 season.[12] [13] Marić made his debut for LSK on 24 August 2017, a 3–0 loss to Rosenborg BK.[14] [15]

On 24 November 2017, Marić's loan was extended until 2019.[16]

Marić made his first appearance of the 2018 season on 11 March 2018, getting the start in a 3–1 defeat to Bodø/Glimt in the opening match of the season. He made 25 appearances in the Eliteserien as he helped LSK finish in 12th place, three points above the relegation zone.[17] Marić also made five appearances in the Norwegian Cup to help LSK reach the semifinals, where they lost 3–0 to Strømsgodset.

On 1 April 2019, Marić made his first appearance of the 2019 season in a 1–1 draw with Stabæk in matchweek 1. He made 30 starts in the Eliteserien as Lillestrøm finished in 14th place, sending them to the relegation playoffs. Marić played both legs of the playoff matchup with IK Start. LSK won the first leg 2–1, but lost the return leg 4–3, being relegated on away goals.[18] Marić started 34 of the 35 matches for LSK in the 2019 season, the only one he failed to appear in being a Norwegian Cup first round matchup with Gjelleråsen IF

Houston Dynamo

On 13 January 2020, Marić signed with Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo.[19] On 29 February 2020 Marić made his Dynamo debut in a 1–1 draw against LA Galaxy. He recorded his first clean sheet for the Dynamo on 21 August in a 0–0 draw with Texas Derby rivals FC Dallas. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic Marić played in 23 games and had three clean sheets, playing every minute of the season for Houston.[20] The season was a disappointment for Houston, finishing last in the Western Conference and missing out on the playoffs.[21]

Marić started the first 21 games of the 2021 season for the Dynamo.[22] During that stretch, he was named to the MLS Team of the Week for week ten after making seven saves in a 1–1 draw against Real Salt Lake on 26 June.[23] Marić missed the next ten games due to a left leg injury.[24] On 24 October, he returned from his injury in a 2–1 loss to Austin FC. Marić was credited with an own goal in the game after Cecilio Dominguez's penalty kick bounced off of the post, off of Marić's back, and into the net.[25] Marić did not appear in Houston's final two games of the season. He ended the season with 22 appearances and three clean sheets during another disappointing season for the Dynamo, finishing last in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season and failing to qualify for the playoffs.[26]

Following the 2021 season, Marić's contract option was declined by Houston.[27]

Atromitos

On 31 January 2022, he joined Atromitos on a free transfer, signing a contract until the summer of 2023. [28]

International career

Marić played for the Austria U-16 team in a friendly in 2011. In 2012, Marić decided to represent Croatia and filed a one-time switch with FIFA. He would represent Croatia at the U-16, U-17, U-18, and U-19 levels, making 29 appearances for the various Croatian youth national teams. Marić made 3 appearances for Croatia at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[29]

Personal life

Marić was born and raised in Vienna, Austria to two Croatian parents. He and his family are Catholics.[30]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rapid Wien II2011-12Regionalliga Ost1010
2012–139090
2013–147070
2014–159090
Total260000000260
Rapid Wien2013–14Austrian Bundesliga10000010
2014–1570100080
Total8010000090
1899 Hoffenheim2015–16Bundesliga000000
Lechia Gdańsk (loan)2015–16Ekstraklasa24010250
Hannover 96 II (loan)2016–17Regionalliga Nord130130
Lillestrøm (loan)2017Eliteserien100010
2018250501[31] 01[32] 0320
2019300202[33] 0340
Total560701030670
Houston Dynamo2020Major League Soccer230230
202122022
Total450000000450
Career total17209010301850

Honours

Lillestrøm SK[5]

2017

Zrinjski Mostar[5]

2022–23

2022–23, 2023–24

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mȃrko. Mȃrko. Hrvatski jezični portal. 19 March 2018. sh.
  2. Web site: Màrija. Márić. Hrvatski jezični portal. 19 March 2018. sh.
  3. Web site: Hannover 96: Marko Maric. www.hannover96.de. 13 January 2020.
  4. Web site: Rapid Wien II vs. Mattersburg II - 4 May 2012 - Soccerway. us.soccerway.com. 14 January 2020.
  5. Web site: M. Marić: Summmary. us.soccerway.com. 14 January 2020.
  6. Web site: Ried vs. Rapid Wien - 11 May 2014 - Soccerway. us.soccerway.com. 14 January 2020.
  7. Web site: Marko Maric verlässt Rapid. SK Rapid. de. 13 January 2020.
  8. Web site: TSG sichert sich internationale Talente » TSG Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim. TSG 1899. www.achtzehn99.de. de-DE. 13 January 2020.
  9. Web site: Marko Marić 2015-2016 Match Logs. FBref.com. en. 14 January 2020.
  10. Web site: Keeper Maric wechselt auf Leihbasis nach Hannover. www.hannover96.de. 31 January 2017 . 14 January 2020.
  11. Web site: Marko Marić » Regionalliga Nord 2016/2017. worldfootball.net. en. 14 January 2020.
  12. News: Ab in den Norden: TSG Hoffenheim verleiht Keeper nach Norwegen. 3 August 2017. 90min.de. 2 August 2017. German.
  13. Web site: Marko Maric til LSK på lån ut året. Lillestrøm. 14 January 2020.
  14. Web site: Marko Maric debuterer i Eliteserien. Lillestrøm. 14 January 2020.
  15. Web site: Lillestrøm vs. Rosenborg - 24 September 2017 - Soccerway. us.soccerway.com. 14 January 2020.
  16. Web site: Marko Maric klar for to nye LSK-år. Lillestrøm. 14 January 2020.
  17. Web site: 2018 Eliteserien Stats. FBref.com. en. 14 January 2020.
  18. Web site: Eliteserien Stats. FBref.com. en. 14 January 2020.
  19. Web site: Houston Dynamo sign goalkeeper Marko Marić on full transfer from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Houston Dynamo.
  20. Web site: Marko Marić 2020 Match Logs (Goalkeeping). 10 November 2020. FBref.com. en.
  21. Web site: Major League Soccer Stats. 10 November 2020. FBref.com. en.
  22. Web site: Marko Marić 2021 Match Logs (Goalkeeping). 10 November 2021. FBref.com. en.
  23. Web site: Sigal. Jonathan. 28 June 2021. Team of the Week presented by Audi: FC Dallas, Sporting KC rewarded for Week 10 wins. 10 November 2021. Major League Soccer.
  24. News: Roepkin. Corey. 28 August 2021. Dynamo sink winless streak to 15 games. 10 November 2021. Houston Chronicle.
  25. News: Roepkin. Corey. 24 October 2021. Austin FC uses big first half to down Dynamo. 10 November 2021. Houston Chronicle.
  26. Web site: Major League Soccer Stats. 10 November 2021. FBref.com. en.
  27. Web site: Houston Dynamo FC exercise 2022 contract options on seven players Houston Dynamo. houstondynamofc.
  28. Web site: Ατρόμητος: Ενίσχυση στα γκολπόστ με τον Μάριτς . www.sport24.gr . 31 January 2022.
  29. Web site: Marko Marić » U17 World Cup 2013 UAE. worldfootball.net. en. 14 January 2020.
  30. Web site: Hjemme hos Maric: - Religionen er viktig for meg. Lillestrøm. 13 January 2020.
  31. Appearances in Europa League Qualifiers
  32. Appearances in Mesterfinalen
  33. Appearances in Eliteserien relegation play-offs