Robert Kovac  

POSITION Defender  

BORN 06.04.1974  

SIGNING DATE 01.07.2001  

NUMBER 5  

CONTRACT UNTIL 30.06.2005  

FAMILY STATUS single  

NICKNAME 'Robby'  

HOMEPAGE -  

PREVIOUS CLUBS  

Rapide Wedding 1980 - 1988  

Hertha Zehlendorf 1988 - 1995  

1. FC Nürnberg 1995 - 1996  

Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1996 - 2001  


Robert Kovac made the switch from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Bayern in July 2001
"to win honours at last," after finishing Bundesliga runners-up three times
with the Rhineland outfit in 1997, 1999 and 2000. More than most, the Croatia
international yearned to lay hands on the championship shield which had come
so near, yet so far in his career to date.

But in a classic irony of fate, Bayern missed out on the title in Kovac's
first season, the World Club Cup triumph in November 2001 proving scant
consolation. However, the centre-half finally realised his dreams in his
second term, and is now the proud possessor of league and Cup winners' medals.

The hard-tackling defender made a vital contribution to the double triumph as
a regular member of the back four which protected Oliver Kahn as he set a new
Bundesliga record of 803 minutes without conceding a goal.

The season had begun badly for Kovac, as he appeared nervous and made a
number of uncharacteristic errors. "I just didn't get going properly. I
played the first few games, then I was out of the side," he remembers, "then
I started thinking about my mistakes - and that made me unsettled."

But Kovac battled back to his best form, concentrating on the qualities which
make him a top-class player, "marking my man out of the game and doing my bit
for the attacking effort," he said succinctly. The Bundesliga has no better
in this respect, and last season's success will surely settle the defender's
nerves in the coming year.
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