Ante Šimundža facts for kids
Šimundža in 2022 with Ludogorets Razgrad
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 September 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Maribor, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
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Śląsk Wrocław (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Železničar Maribor | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1996 | Maribor | 170 | (64) |
| 1997 | Brummell Sendai | 22 | (11) |
| 1997 | Maribor | 2 | (0) |
| 1998 | Young Boys | 8 | (0) |
| 1998 | Malmö FF | 3 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Maribor | 56 | (14) |
| 2001 | → La Louvière (loan) | 12 | (5) |
| 2002 | Aluminij | 15 | (11) |
| 2002–2003 | Šmartno | 28 | (9) |
| 2005–2007 | SV Wildon | 56 | (17) |
| 2008–2009 | SV Straß | 23 | (10) |
| International career | |||
| 1992 | Slovenia U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1993–1999 | Slovenia | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008–2011 | Maribor (assistant) | ||
| 2011–2012 | Mura 05 | ||
| 2012 | Grazer AK | ||
| 2013 | Mura 05 | ||
| 2013 | Aluminij | ||
| 2013–2015 | Maribor | ||
| 2017–2021 | Mura | ||
| 2022–2023 | Ludogorets Razgrad | ||
| 2023–2024 | Maribor | ||
| 2024– | Śląsk Wrocław | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ante Šimundža (born September 28, 1971) is a football manager and former player from Slovenia. He used to play as a striker, scoring many goals. Today, he is the manager of the Polish football club Śląsk Wrocław.
Contents
Playing Career: Ante Šimundža's Club Journey
Ante started playing football at age eleven for his local team, Železničar Maribor. In 1991, after Slovenia became independent, he joined NK Maribor. He played there for six seasons, scoring 64 goals in 170 games.
Playing Abroad and Returning to Maribor
Between 1997 and 1998, Ante played for several teams in other countries. However, he had many ankle injuries, which made it hard to play. He soon returned to NK Maribor.
Champions League Success with Maribor
Back at Maribor, Ante was a key player when the team qualified for the UEFA Champions League in the 1999–2000 season. This is a very important competition in European football. He scored the winning goal in a group stage match against Dynamo Kyiv, helping Maribor win 1–0. This was the first time a Slovenian club won a game in this stage of the Champions League.
In 2001, he played abroad again for La Louvière. After that, he returned to Slovenia and finished his professional playing career with Aluminij and Šmartno ob Paki. Overall, Šimundža played 256 games in the Slovenian PrvaLiga (Slovenia's top league) and scored 87 goals. Many people consider him a legend at Maribor.
International Career: Playing for Slovenia
Ante Šimundža also played for the Slovenian national team. He made three appearances for his country between 1993 and 1999.
Coaching Career: Ante Šimundža as a Manager
After his playing career, Ante Šimundža became a football coach. He started by coaching youth teams at his hometown club, Železničar Maribor.
Early Coaching Roles and Success with Mura 05
In 2007, he became an assistant coach at Celje. The next year, in 2008, he became an assistant coach for Darko Milanič at Maribor.
In 2011, he became the head coach of Mura 05. He did an amazing job, turning the team from a club that might be relegated to one that finished third in the 2011–12 Slovenian PrvaLiga season. This meant they qualified for UEFA competitions. Because of his great work, he was nominated for the best coach in the league that year.
Challenges and Returns to Slovenia
In June 2012, he moved to Austria to coach GAK. However, the club faced financial problems and went bankrupt a few months later. Šimundža then returned to Mura 05 in early 2013. After the 2012–13 season, Mura 05 also went bankrupt. In June 2013, Šimundža took over Aluminij, a team in the Slovenian Second League.
Winning Titles with Maribor
In September 2013, Šimundža was appointed as the new manager of Maribor, who were the Slovenian champions. With Maribor, he won two national titles: the Slovenian First League in 2014 and the Slovenian First League in 2015. He also led them to the group stages of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. He left Maribor in August 2015 after a tough loss to their biggest rivals, Olimpija Ljubljana.
Success with NŠ Mura
In June 2017, Šimundža returned to coach Mura. With Mura, he won the Slovenian Football Cup in 2020. This was the club's first major trophy in 25 years! The next year, Mura became the Slovenian champion for the first time ever, winning the 2020–21 Slovenian PrvaLiga season. In the final game of that season, Šimundža's Mura team defeated his former club, Maribor, to win the title. He left Mura in December 2021 after four successful years.
Coaching Ludogorets Razgrad and Śląsk Wrocław
On January 3, 2022, Šimundža became the head coach of Ludogorets Razgrad, a club in the Bulgarian First League. He led them to win their eleventh league title in a row during the 2021–22 season. He left the club on March 7, 2023.
On October 3, 2023, Šimundža returned to Maribor for another coaching period. He signed a contract until the end of the 2025–26 season.
On December 24, 2024, he was named manager of the Polish club Śląsk Wrocław. His main goal was to help the team avoid being relegated to a lower league. At that time, the team was in last place. Even though Śląsk's performance improved under Šimundža, the club finished the season in 17th place and was moved down to the I liga. On May 28, 2025, he extended his contract with the club for another year.
Personal Life: Ante Šimundža's Family
Ante Šimundža was born in Maribor, Slovenia. He is the younger of two children, with a sister who is six years older. His father was from Split, Croatia, and his mother was from Kidričevo, Slovenia. Ante is married and has two sons, Luka and Jure, who are named after their grandfathers.
Honours: Trophies and Awards
Managerial Achievements
Maribor
- Slovenian First League: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Slovenian Supercup: 2014
Mura
- Slovenian First League: 2020–21
- Slovenian Second League: 2017–18
- Slovenian Cup: 2019–20
Ludogorets Razgrad
- Bulgarian First League: 2021–22
- Bulgarian Supercup: 2022
Individual Awards
- Slovenian First League Manager of the Year: 2018–19, 2023–24
