Former EPL player faces Prison sentence over Divorce

Bosko Balaban, a former Premier League striker who earned 35 caps for Croatia between 2000 and 2007 and participated in two World Cup tournaments, is facing imprisonment due to his failure to fulfill financial obligations to his ex-wife.

Bosko Balaban, who briefly played in English football, notably for Aston Villa following a £5.8 million transfer from Dinamo Zagreb in 2001, had a tumultuous stint, making just nine appearances for Villa and often starting from the bench despite his £20,000-a-week wages.

After a loan back to Dinamo and a subsequent move to Club Brugge on a free transfer, Balaban’s career trajectory shifted.

However, recent reports indicate that the former footballer, now 45 years old, is set to serve a one-year prison sentence starting in January for overdue maintenance payments to his former spouse, Iva Radic.

Iva Radic, a model who held the title of ‘Miss Croatia’ in 1995, shared a marriage with Balaban that spanned more than a decade and produced three children before their divorce in 2017.

Following the divorce, Balaban was mandated to settle alimony debts amounting to £70,000 within a two-year period, a deadline he failed to meet. Consequently, a court in Zagreb issued a one-year prison sentence for Balaban, coupled with an additional four years of probation.

Reports suggest that even if Bosko Balaban were to pay the outstanding sum now, the imposed sentence would remain in effect without any recourse for reversal.

Despite his football career concluding, Balaban transitioned into a football agent post-retirement, representing fellow countryman and current Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric.

Notably, he facilitated Kramaric’s £9 million transfer to Leicester City in January 2015. Additionally, Balaban diversified his investments, venturing into real estate in multiple Croatian locations: Zagreb, Rijeka (his birthplace), and the Istrian peninsula.