The defender who handed the eventual World Cup champions their only defeat
In short: In 2004, Boštjan Cesar achieved a rare feat in international football. While playing for Slovenia, he scored against Italy in a World Cup qualifier—a match that would remain the only loss suffered by the Italian squad that went on to win the tournament.
Boštjan Cesar's career is defined by his status as a pioneer for Slovenian football. Born on 9 July 1982, he made his international debut in February 2003 during a friendly against Switzerland. Over the next decade and a half, he became a mainstay for his country, eventually surpassing Zlatko Zahovič as Slovenia's most-capped player on 15 November 2014. He reached the historic milestone of 100 national team caps on 8 October 2017, during a 2–2 draw with Scotland, before retiring from international duty in March 2018.
On the club level, Cesar's journey took him through several of Europe's most prominent leagues, including stints in Croatia, France, England, and Italy. In 2005, he moved from Dinamo Zagreb to Marseille for a reported transfer fee of €2.5 million. His time in England included a season-long loan at West Bromwich Albion starting in August 2007. Although he made 24 appearances for the club and scored his only goal there against Burnley in February 2008, manager Tony Mowbray decided against a permanent deal, and Cesar returned to France.
Cesar's professional trajectory also included playing for Grenoble and Chievo, the latter of which signed him on a free transfer in 2010. After a long career as a reliable centre-back, he transitioned into management. Since January 2026, he has been leading the Slovenia national team, the same squad where he once stood as the most-capped player of all time and represented his nation at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Boštjan Cesar
- Also: Wikidata — Boštjan Cesar · CC0
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