Croatia, with his final international goal coming in a friendly match against Argentina on 1 March 2006 in Basel, where he netted a last-minute goal to give Croatia a 3–2 victory. Alongside experienced Robert Kovač and Igor Tudor, he is considered one of the best Croatian defenders in recent history. 100th cap and retirement Šimić came very close to completing the fairy tale and winning his 100th cap for Croatia at the finals of the UEFA Euro 2008. However, he missed the first two games of the tournament, unable to dislodge Vedran Ćorluka, Robert Kovač or Josip Šimunić from their berths in the first team. With a place in the quarter-finals secured after the first two games, Croatia coach Slaven Bilić gave many of his second-string players a chance to play in the final group match against Poland, with Šimić starting the match and captaining the side on the occasion of his 99th cap. Croatia went on to win the match 1–0, finishing the group stage with 3 wins in 3 matches. However, he was once again left an unused substitute in the quarter-finals against Turkey, which Croatia lost in penalty shootout. On 20 August 2008, Šimić finally won his 100th international cap in a friendly match against Slovenia in Maribor, becoming the first Croatian player to win 100 international caps. He started the match and captained the team in the first half, before being replaced by debutant Ivica Križanac at half-time. Croatia won the match 3–2. Šimić was subsequently also called up for Croatia's opening two qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in early September 2008, at home to Kazakhstan and England, being an unused substitute in the former and completely left out of the latter. Following the 4–1 defeat to England, Croatia's first competitive defeat at home, rumours about Šimić being set to retire from international football appeared in the Croatian media. On 16 September 2008, it was eventually confirmed that Šimić has announced his retirement from international football after being a Croatian international for years. Personal life Šimić is a devout Catholic and organizes pilgrimages. He is the owner of Aquaviva company. He married Jelena Medić in 2000 with whom he has sons Roko, Viktor, Nikolas and David, the latter of whom has Down syndrome. He is the older brother of Josip Šimić and a distant relative of Herzegovinian hajduk Andrijica Šimić. Career statistics Club 1