Igor Bišćan (born 4 May 1981) is a former Croatian international footballer who played as a midfielder for Liverpool from 2000 up until 2005.
Liverpool career[]
Biscan signed for Liverpool on 8 December 2000, arriving from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of £5,500,000. His first start for the club came in a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
On 24 January 2001, Biscan scored his first Liverpool goal in a 5-0 League Cup win against Crystal Palace. Biscan then went on to start and play 96 minutes as the Reds won the 2001 League Cup Final, triumphing on penalties against Birmingham.
After his debut campaign, Biscan fell out of favour at the club, making fleeting appearances, and typically only as a substitute. He made his return to regular first team football in the 2003-04 season, and only then due to injuries to Stephane Henchoz and Jamie Carragher. On 25 March 2004, Biscan was sent off in a UEFA Cup defeat to Marseille, resulting in the Reds going out of the competition.
Under new manager Rafael Benitez, Biscan started to receive more playing time in the midfield, and began to put in more impressive performances. On 3 November 2004, the Croatian went on a powerful run through midfield, dribbling past two players before putting the ball out wide. It was delivered in and put into the net by a defender, giving Liverpool a very important win at Deportivo, keeping their hopes of progressing through their Champions League group alive.
Biscan continued to impress throughout the competition, starting in every knockout game and putting in solid performances against top opposition such as Juventus and Chelsea. However, he was left out of the starting lineup for the Final, and didn't appear as a substitute.
Despite his improved performances, Biscan's contract was terminated in the summer, concluding five years at the club. Biscan made 118 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 3 goals. In his time at the club, he won two League Cups, an FA Cup, the Charity Shield, and the Champions League.
Honours[]
Liverpool[]
- League Cup: 2 (2001, 2003)
- FA Cup: 1 (2001)
- Charity Shield: 1 (2001)
- Champions League: 1 (2005)
Stats[]
Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
2000-01 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
2001-02 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
2002-03 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
2003-04 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
2004-05 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
Total | 72 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 118 | 3 |