With eleven goals in the Bundesliga and seven more in the Champions League ahead of the final, Ivica Olic has certainly made his mark in his first season at Bayern München.

The Croatian striker moved south on a free transfer last summer after two years at Hamburger SV and, having already helped his new employers to the Bundesliga title, now has his eyes on the DFB Cup and the Champions League as well. In the latter, Olic bagged all three goals in the 3-0 semi-final second-leg victory at Olympique Lyonnais, to secure Bayern's first final appearance since they won the tournament back in 2001.

"That was the greatest day of my life. I have three children and I scored a goal for each of them", the 30-year-old frontman declared afterwards: "Isn't that wonderful?" Antonio, Luka and Lara Olic were all in front of the television a t home, cheering their dad on. The son of an electrician from the Croatian village of Davor had never before scored a hattrick in a match of such importance.

"He's got a really infectious manner", teammate Holger Badstuber revealed, "he's worth his weight in gold to us." Sporting director Christian Nerlinger credits Olic as having had a "fantastic season. And Lyon was a career highlight."

Through a combination of modesty, an implacable will to win and commitment above and beyond the call of duty Olic, who names compatriot Davor Suker as his role model, has earned a place in the FC Bayern pecking order above illustrious German international duo Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez. "I'd never have dreamed I'd be the first-choice striker going into the Champions League final", he says of the current turn of events.

The word "quit" is at any rate one that appears to be missing from the Olic vocabulary. "Sometimes he's virtually out on his legs, but he'll still chase after every ball like mad", says Thomas Müller of his dedicated fellow striker, who can regularly be observed doing just that deep into added time at the end of a match.

But Olic is not likely to let his newly-earned star status go to his head. His road to the top has not been without its pitfalls. He is certainly no Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney, for whom fame and fortune came early. He had his first taste of Bundesliga football at 18, moving from NK Marsonia Slavonski Brod to Hertha BSC in the German capital. Two years and just two games later, he returned home, moving on from Marsonia to NK Zagreb and from there to city rivals Dinamo before penning a deal with CSKA Moscow. A return of 35 goals in 78 league matches for the Russian outfit attracted the attention of Hamburg, and in 2007 he headed west to take another shot at the German top flight.

Back in Croatia, he was recently voted the country's Footballer of the Year. For Olic though, the honour is scant consolation for the fact that Croatia failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup finals in South Africa. "In sporting terms, it's a hole in the schedule for me. On the other hand, it's a chance to have a long holiday. My wife and children are happy anyway that I'll be with them for a good while over the summer", the family man says. And after that, it's nose-to-the-grindstone time again – if all goes to plan, as part of an FC Bayern side defending their Champions League title.