It was like a foreign country for...
Veldin Karic (Torino 1995-96)
Hakan Sukur has a lot to answer for. When the Bull of The Bosperous joined Torino from Galatasaray in 1995 to join a three-man attack with African star Abedi Pele and top scorer Ruggiero Rizzitelli, great things were expected.
After a promising campaign, Hakan was signed to fire Il Toro into Europe. Sadly, the Turk missed his mother country and his favourite kebabs, lasting just five games. With goals soon proving difficult and with the threat of relegation imminent, Torino moved into the transfer market that winter. They had two targets - a young Parma striker called Pippo Inzaghi and a ‘promising’ Croatian playing for the mysteriously named Marsonia.
Toro chose the latter and would live to regret it. Karic is simply the worst player to ever feature in Serie A. This podgy impressionist of a footballer was spotted playing for the Croatian Under-21 team against Italy. If he impressed that night then the Azzurrini must have been poor. Karic was quite simply ridiculous. Sporting a 1970s style poodle perm and with a face which looked to be slowly eroding, Karic simply did not look like a footballer and definitely didn’t play like one.
Somehow, Torino failed to realise his shortcomings. He was as mobile as an out of service bus and had the awareness of a blind sheep. He broke up attacks more effectively than opposition defences and it came to a point when his teammates refused to pass to him.
Karic said on his arrival. "I have a bit of Alen Boksic about me and I have to come to Italy to learn and succeed." The only thing he shared with Boksic was his foul temperament. Karic scored just once – a surprisingly well-taken effort at Bari - but was to disappear completely at the end of the season. One journalist said: "Either President Giancarlo Calleri is on some kind of sweetener for this signing or has a very wild sense of humour." Needless to say Italy was like a foreign country for Veldin Karic.
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Born:
Slavonski Brod (Croatia), 16/11/73
Position:
Best forgotten
Serie A apps: 23
Serie A gls: 1
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