He previously played for Sydney FC in the A-League after forging a professional career in Switzerland, Germany, England and Scotland.

After the appointment of Terry Venables as the new Socceroos coach, Australia hosted the Optus Cup, a four-team tournament including an Australian squad of domestic-based players.

[8] He continued his scoring ways in the NSL to win the Golden Boot for that season with 21 goals, United topping the table before losing the grand final to Brisbane.

His position atop the Australian league attracted attention in Europe, particularly in Switzerland with an offer to join Grasshoppers accepted, where he would initially be loaned out to Aarau.

Becoming a regular inclusion in an Australian side under Frank Farina, he was recalled for a friendly against Scotland to replace the injured Mark Viduka scoring in a memorable 2–0 victory at Hamden Park.

He remained in the team for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, taking part in the Socceroos memorable victories over Mexico and Brazil.

With Unterhaching in financial trouble, Zdrilic gained a release and signed on to English First Division side Walsall,[11] where he was soon joined by fellow Australian Steve Corica.

While facing difficulties at Aberdeen, his elevation back to the top flight of a European league returned him to national team contention.

His stay at Trier was short-lived, and returned to Australia with the launch of the A-League in 2005 to be part of the inaugural Sydney FC squad, signing a three-year deal.

In 2009, Zdrilic was approached by former teammate Ante Milicic to sign with his first professional club Sydney United, who play in the NSW Premier League.

The departure of Ante Milicic to A-League expansion club Melbourne Heart opened the opportunity for Zdrilic to become the player/manager at Sydney United.

Despite enjoying more success as manager – taking United deep into the finals series in his first season at Edensor Park – Zdrilic left the club to concentrate on his growing media career.

Whilst away from the dugout, Zdrilic undertook a succession of coaching study tours in Europe, spending time at clubs such Bayern Munich, TSG Hoffenheim, Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb.

In July 2017, he accepted an offer from reigning Bundesliga runners-up RB Leipzig to become the assistant coach of the club's under-17 team, currently led by former VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim striker Alexander Blessin.

"I spent a month at RB Leipzig last year on a study tour watching how they did things as well as learning from Ralf Rangnick and the other coaches," Zdrilic said.

"[23] In January 2020, Zdrilic accepted an offer from Chicago Fire to become the assistant coach, where was credited with reforming the team's approach into a more pressing-oriented style.

After impressing with their high-tempo style in Belgium, Blessin and Zdrilic were then poached by Italian Serie A club Genoa in January 2022, replacing the outgoing Andriy Shevchenko.

[27] After being released from Sydney FC, Zdrilic started working as a football pundit for both Fox Sports and ESPN, as well as featuring on SBS and writing a column for mX.

He then joined SBS exclusively, which sees him continuing his analytical role, as well as co-hosting the football entertainment show Thursday FC.

Zdrilic is an Ambassador for one of the country's biggest International Tournaments, the Australia Beach Soccer Cup, played annually in Wollongong.