Dario Šimić (; born 12 November 1975) is a Croatian former footballer. Šimić was a versatile defender who played as full-back, sweeper or centre back; a physical and hard-tackling defender, he was known in particular for his strength and ability in the air. A product of Dinamo Zagreb Academy, he later played for Serie A sides Inter Milan and AC Milan and Ligue 1 side Monaco, before returning to Dinamo Zagreb in 2010, where he retired from the game during the same year.
Šimić played for Croatia national football team between 1996 and 2008. He retired from international football shortly after becoming the first Croatian player to win 100 international caps. He is currently the team's eighth most capped player. He was a member of Croatia's squad for each of the six major tournaments for which the team qualified during the 1990s and 2000s, which includes three FIFA World Cups (11 appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2006) and three UEFA European Championships (5 appearances in 1996, 2004 and 2008). At his first World Cup in 1998, he helped the team secure third place, earning his first World Cup medal.
Club career Under coach Marcello Lippi, Šimić made his Serie A debut for Inter Milan in a 2–0 victory against Venezia at San Siro on 10 January 1999. By the end of his first season in Italy, Šimić earned a total of 17 appearances and scored 2 goals for Internazionale. In the following couple of seasons, Šimić's services were regularly used until the 2001–02 season, when he had only 12 league and 8 European appearances. In June 2002 Internazionale and their cross-city rivals AC Milan agreed a player swap with Ümit Davala going in the opposite direction, which Šimić was valued €16.5 million, despite it was purely accounting purpose.FC Internazionale Milano SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2002 , CCIAA In his years with Internazionale, he earned a total of 66 league appearances and scored three goals. The club failed to win any silverware in this period, and their highest finish was fourth place in the 1999–2000 season, even though this was the time when some of football's biggest stars played there with Šimić, such as Roberto Baggio, Ronaldo, Ivan Zamorano, Diego Simeone and Christian Vieri.
In August 2008, Šimić moved to Monaco for two years. On 27 April 2010, Šimić returned to Dinamo Zagreb on a free transfer, after having spent eleven years playing abroad. However, Šimić went on to announce his retirement from active football only three months later on 10 August 2010. During the short spell Šimić appeared in 3 competitive matches for the Blues, including the 2010 Croatian Supercup, and two European away matches against Koper and Sheriff Tiraspol, without ever appearing in the 2010–11 Prva HNL. In his announcement, Šimić said that he enrolled at the coaching academy and confirmed that his future plans involved staying in football, possibly as a manager.
International career Šimić played for Croatia national football team between 1996 and 2008. On 16 September 2008, Šimić announced his retirement from international football after being a Croatian international footballer for years.
Personal life Šimić is a devout Catholic and organizes pilgrimages. He is the owner of Aquaviva company, a bottled water company. Šimić was detained by Croatian anti-corruption agency USKOK in 2026 for illegally obtaining a permit for a campsite business in Tisno.
He married Jelena Medić in 2000 with whom he has sons Roko, Viktor, Nikolas and David, the latter of whom has Down syndrome. He is the older brother of Josip Šimić and a distant relative of Herzegovinian hajduk Andrijica Šimić.
Career statistics Club Club performance League Cup1 League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsCroatia League Croatian Cup League Cup Europe Total1992–93Croatia ZagrebPrva HNL6010--701993–9419260--2521994–9522180-103111995–9626281--3431996–9725662-413591997–9829220-914031998–99131--80211Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total1998–99Internazionale MilanoSerie A15260-602721999–200019130--2212000–0118020-412412001–0212010-802102002–03Milan29130-1304512003–0410060-201802004–052010--302005–0615040-202102006–0722060-603402007–084020-1070France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total2008–09MonacoLigue 12702010-3002009–10000000-00Croatia League Croatian Cup League Cup Europe Total2010–11Dinamo ZagrebPrva HNL0010-2030 Country Croatia14014323-24216416Italy1464340-4212225France2702010-300Total313186931066344924 1 Played in Croatian Cup and Croatian Super Cup with Dinamo Zagreb. 2 Played in UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup with Croatia Zagreb, Internazionale Milano and Milan.
International Source:
Croatia national teamYearAppsGoals199650199780199813119997020005020018020026020031012004802005502006111200790200850Total1003
International goals # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1. 10 October 1998 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta 1–1 4–1 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying2. 10 September 2003 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium 1–1 1–2 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying3. 1 March 2006 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland 3–2 3–2 Friendly
Honours Club Dinamo Zagreb Croatian First League: 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 Croatian Football Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 Croatian Super Cup: 2010
Milan Serie A: 2003–04 Coppa Italia: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League: 2002–03, 2006–07 UEFA Super Cup: 2003 FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
International Croatia FIFA World Cup Third place – Bronze medal: 1998
Individual Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 1995 UEFA awards 100 caps: 2011
Orders Order of the Croatian Interlace – 1998
See also List of footballers with 100 or more caps
References
External links