Stipe Pletikosa

Stipe Pletikosa

Pletikosa with Rostov in 2015
Personal information
Full name Stipe Pletikosa[1]
Date of birth (1979-01-08) 8 January 1979
Place of birth Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1986–1996 Hajduk Split
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2003 Hajduk Split 141 (4)
2003–2007 Shakhtar Donetsk 32 (0)
2005–2006 → Hajduk Split (loan) 21 (0)
2007–2011 Spartak Moscow 63 (0)
2010–2011 → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 0 (0)
2011–2015 FC Rostov 110 (0)
2015–2016 Deportivo La Coruña 2 (0)
Total 369 (4)
National team
1994 Croatia U15 1 (0)
1994–1995 Croatia U16 2 (0)
1994 Croatia U17 2 (0)
1995–1997 Croatia U18 2 (0)
1995–1998 Croatia U19 14 (0)
1999 Croatia U20 5 (0)
1998–2001 Croatia U21 13 (0)
1999–2014 Croatia 114 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 May 2016.


Stipe Pletikosa (pronounced [stǐːpe plětikosa]; born 8 January 1979) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Pletikosa started his professional career with Hajduk Split, from where he was transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk, before joining Spartak Moscow in 2007. In 2011, after spending one season with Tottenham Hotspur, he signed with FC Rostov, and moved to Deportivo de La Coruña in 2015, where he retired. He made his international debut for Croatia in 1999, and went on to represent the country in five major tournaments. After Darijo Srna, he is the second most capped player in the history of Croatia national team, for which he has made 114 appearances. Pletikosa retired from international football following the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[3]

Club career

Hajduk Split

Pletikosa began his career at Croatian club Hajduk Split. He was selected as first team goalkeeper for the 1998/99 season by then manager Ivan Katalinić, replacing the ageing Tonči Gabrić. Pletikosa's excellent reflexes and coordination lead to Hajduk fans nicknaming him 'octopus' (hobotnica). In 2002, he was named Večernji list Croatian player of the year; Zoran Simovic was the only goalkeeper to have won this award previously.

Shakhtar Donetsk

In 2003 Pletikosa alongside teammate Darijo Srna transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk for €2 million. Unlike Srna, Pletikosa did not succeed at the club, and was loaned out back to Hajduk Split in 2005. His second spell at Hajduk proved successful and earned him a starting place in Croatia's 2006 World Cup squad. Pletikosa returned to Shakhtar the following season, but found himself second choice to Jan Laštůvka, prompting the goalkeeper to seek a move. A bid of €3 million from Dinamo Zagreb was accepted, but Pletikosa rejected due to his loyalty to Hajduk, the club's biggest rivals. A loan move to Fulham also failed as he could not gain a work permit.

Pletikosa in 2008 playing for Spartak.

Spartak Moscow

On 7 March, Russia's transfer deadline day, Pletikosa signed for Spartak Moscow for a fee of €3 million, signing a three-year contract. He featured regularly for the first team until 2009, where he was less favoured by manager Valery Karpin.

On 31 August 2010, he signed a season-long loan with Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League.[4] He made his Tottenham debut in a 4-1 home defeat against Arsenal in the League Cup on 21 September 2010. It was his only appearance for the team.

In July 2011 Pletikosa began a trial at Scottish Premier League club Celtic in which he played in both an away match vs Cardiff City and a home friendly vs Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers failed to impress in both games.[5] In August 2011 manager Neil Lennon decided he would not pursue the goalkeeper any further.

FC Rostov

On 6 August 2011, he signed two-year contract with Russian Premier League team FC Rostov.[6]

Deportivo La Coruña

Pletikosa playing for Deportivo de La Coruña.

On 20 December 2015, Pletikosa signed a six-month deal with La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruña, mainly as a replacement to injured Fabricio.[7]

International career

Pletikosa made his Croatia debut as a 20-year-old against Denmark in 1999, winning plaudits for his dog-like reflexes and shot-stopping. But insecurity over the handling of high balls took a heavy toll at the 2000 European under-21 championship in Slovakia, where Croatia finished last in their group.

Pletikosa worked hard on improving the weaknesses in his game and under former Croatia coach Mirko Jozić, he became his country's first-choice goalkeeper, playing in all three matches at the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. The once nervous though talented Pletikosa had blossomed, making full use of every centimetre of his 1.93-metre frame and possessing a far greater assurance when dealing with difficult high balls.

He was also supposed to be Croatia's first goalkeeper at the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, but sustained an injury a few days before the beginning of the tournament and the position of the team's first goalkeeper was taken by Tomislav Butina, who was up to that time his first reserve. Butina retained the position in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying, so Pletikosa appeared in only two qualifying matches. Nevertheless, when the finals tournament started, Pletikosa was chosen over Butina, who had still been recovering from an injury sustained early in the year.

At UEFA Euro 2008, he was named Man of the Match in Croatia's opening victory against Austria, in which he made many saves to help his side to hang on to a very narrow victory after the Austrians began to completely dominate the Croatian outfit after the first, and only, penalty goal. On 16 June 2008, during the match between Austria and Germany, BBC pundit Alan Hansen stated his belief that Pletikosa had been "the best goalkeeper in the tournament" thus far, ahead of more well-known contemporaries such as Petr Čech, Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas, although his colleague Alan Shearer said that Edwin van der Sar had been equally impressive. Buffon, Casillas and Van der Sar were voted the three goalkeepers named in the Team of the Tournament.

On 6 February 2013, Pletikosa played his 100th international match for Croatia, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 defeat of South Korea.[8]

In the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, on 12 June against the hosts Brazil in São Paulo, a penalty was given against Croatia when the score was 1–1. The spot-kick was taken by Neymar, and Pletikosa made contact with it but could not prevent it from deflecting in. Croatia eventually lost 3–1.[9] On 17 July 2014, following the World Cup, Pletikosa announced his retirement from the national team.[10]

Career statistics

Club

As of Match played 14 May 2016[11]
Season Club League League Cup Continental Other[nb 1] Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
1996–97 Hajduk Split Prva HNL 10 00—10
1997–98 10 00—10
1998–99 190 00—190
1999–2000 320 30—350
2000–01 311 20—331
2001–02 270 60—330
2002–03 303 42—345
2003–04 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukrainian Premier League 230 6000290
2004–05 60 000060
2005–06 Hajduk Split (loan) Prva HNL 210 ——210
2006–07 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukrainian Premier League 30 100040
2007 Spartak Moscow Russian Premier League 290 90—380
2008 300 80—380
2009 4010——50
2010 000000—00
2010–11 Tottenham Hotspur (loan) Premier League 0000001010
2011–12 Rostov Russian Premier League 23000—20250
2012–13 30030—20350
2013–14 27030——300
2014–15 300002030350
2015–16 Deportivo La Coruña La Liga 20—20
Total Hajduk Split 1624 152—1776
Shakhtar Donetsk 320 7000390
Spartak Moscow 6301017000810
Tottenham Hotspur 0000001010
Rostov 11006020701250
Deportivo La Coruña 2000000020
Career total 369470412804256

International

Croatia national team
YearAppsGoals
199930
200050
200170
2002100
2003120
200450
200540
2006110
200780
2008120
200920
201020
201180
2012100
2013100
201450
Total1140

Statistics accurate as of match played 23 June 2014[12]

Honours

Club

Hajduk Split
Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Rostov

Individual

Personal life

Pletikosa is a practicing Roman Catholic who is known to wear a t-shirt with a picture of the Virgin Mary under his uniform for good luck when he plays.[13][14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes Football League Cup, Russian Relegation Play-offs and Russian Super Cup

References

  1. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 12. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  3. ↑ "Pletikosa calls time on Croatia career". FIFA. 19 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur complete Stipe Pletikosa loan deal". BBC Sport. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  5. ↑ Brian, Marjoribanks (27 July 2011). "Celtic 0 Wolves 2: Hoops's trialists fail to shine as McCarthy's men triumph". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Pletikosa joins Rostov". FIFA.com. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "El meta croata Pletikosa firma hasta junio" [Croatian goalkeeper Pletikosa signs until June] (in Spanish). Marca. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Srna strikes as Croatia beat South Korea". GOLTV. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Brazil 3-1 Croatia". BBC Sport. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Stipe Pletikosa odlučio završiti reprezentativnu karijeru" (in Croatian). Večernji list. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "S.Pletikosa Stats". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Stipe Pletikosa – Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Stipe Pletikosa: "U Međugorju je počeo moj put k vjeri"". medugorju-info.com (in Croatian). 12 November 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "World Cup 2014: Croatia – the secrets behind the players". The Guardian. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
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