On August 4, 2011, Anel Hadzic wrote a piece of Rieder football history with his late and much-acclaimed goal to 2: 4 against Brondby IF in the European Cup. As a result, SV Ried managed to advance to the next round after a 4-0 deficit. Uncompromisingly, the then 21-year-old pushed the ball under the crossbar.
Twelve years earlier, in 1999, the dual citizen (Bosnia, Austria) switched from Andorf to the youth team at SV Ried. The midfielder, who was also used in defense, made it through the academy to the professionals, for whom he played his first competitive game in September 2007 at the age of 17. 189 more were to follow for Ried, the highlight was the 2011 Cup victory with the subsequent European Cup fairy tale.
At the age of 25, the Andorfer moved to Sturm Graz, where he played 87 games. This was followed by positions in Turkey (Eskisehirspor), Hungary, where he was champion and cup winner with Fehervar and played in the Europa League, and Wacker Innsbruck. Most recently Hadzic played for FC Wels in the regional league.
New start in Dubai
At the age of 32 it’s over now, Hadzic moved to Dubai with his wife and 14-month-old son at the beginning of January. “My wife and I received a very good job offer that we really wanted to accept. We are now looking forward to the new professional challenges for an internationally renowned company and the new phase of life in Dubai. But we are not giving up the apartment in St. Martin “After all, you never know what life will entail,” says Hadzic in an OÖN interview. The decision to hang up his football boots was not difficult for him. “The time is ripe. Unfortunately, a lot has changed in the football business in recent years. Values such as empathy or appreciation are very rare. The untruth is often said. I fondly remember the former Ried manager Stefan Reiter back, he still had real handshake quality, “says Hadzic, who will probably not say goodbye to football forever. “A life without football is unlikely to work out in the long term. I’m currently doing the B coaching license, which I would also like to complete. But I’m definitely drawing a line under my active career.”
On his Instagram account, the world-class soccer players Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic, among others, paid their former colleague in the Bosnian national team great respect for his career. “Participating in the World Cup with Bosnia-Herzegovina in summer 2014 was definitely one of the great highlights of my career. Nobody can take that away from you,” says Hadzic. The title wins with Fehervar and SV Ried were also very emotional.
Hadzic looks back on the past two years with a little sadness. First the unexpected departure from Hungary during the corona pandemic, followed by a longer period without a club. “Actually, I would have loved to end my career at SV Ried. After all, I’ve played for this club for more than 14 years and celebrated great successes, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” says Hadzic, for whom it will be in a few days Dubai goes. The flight into his new life will take off on January 2nd, 2022.
Source: Nachrichten
