Igor Tudor facts for kids
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Tudor with Hajduk Split in 2014
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Igor Tudor | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 April 1978 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||
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Current team
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Juventus (head coach) | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Hajduk Split | 58 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 1996 | → Trogir (loan) | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 1998–2007 | Juventus | 110 | (15) | ||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Siena (loan) | 39 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Hajduk Split | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Total | 221 | (22) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | Croatia U16 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1993 | Croatia U17 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Croatia U18 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1995 | Croatia U19 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1994–2000 | Croatia U21 | 12 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2001 | Croatia B | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 1997–2006 | Croatia | 55 | (3) | ||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Hajduk Split | ||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | PAOK | ||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Karabükspor | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | Galatasaray | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | Udinese | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | Udinese | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | Hajduk Split | ||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Hellas Verona | ||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Marseille | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Lazio | ||||||||||||
| 2025– | Juventus | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Igor Tudor (born 16 April 1978) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Serie A club Juventus.
Tudor was a versatile player. He could play as a defender or a defensive midfielder. He spent most of his playing career with Juventus, where he won many awards. He also played for the Croatian national team in the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, and at UEFA Euro 2004. He had to miss the 2002 World Cup due to an injury. Tudor stopped playing football on 22 July 2008, at age 30. This was because of ongoing problems with his right ankle. He played his last season with his first club, Hajduk Split.
As a manager, Tudor led Hajduk Split from 2013 to 2015. He also spent eight months with PAOK in the 2015–16 season. In Turkey, he managed Karabükspor from 2016 to 2017. He then moved to Galatasaray in 2017. From April to June 2018, Tudor managed Udinese in Italy. He helped the club avoid being moved down to a lower league. He returned to Udinese in March 2019. After another time managing Hajduk in January 2020, he joined Andrea Pirlo's coaching team at Juventus in August 2020. He became the manager of Marseille in 2022. He left that club after one season in 2023. In March 2024, he became the manager of Lazio in Italy. He resigned at the end of that season. In March 2025, he returned to Juventus as their manager.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Croatia
Igor Tudor began his professional football journey at Hajduk Split in 1995. He scored five goals in 58 matches. People saw him as a very talented defender. He was known for his good technique and control of the ball.
Time at Juventus
After three successful seasons with Hajduk, Juventus, a big Italian club, signed him in 1998. While playing for Juventus, he was named the Croatian Player of the Year in 2002. He played very well for eight years at the club, even with some injuries. He formed strong defensive teams with other great players.
During the 2000–01 season, Tudor scored six goals. The next season, he sometimes played as a midfielder. He scored four very important goals. These goals helped Juventus win the Serie A title. In the 2002–03 season, he scored a key goal against Deportivo de La Coruña. This goal helped Juventus reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They made it to the final but lost to Milan.
Juventus was one of the best teams in the world during this time. Tudor played over 150 games for the club. He scored almost 20 goals as a central defender. After a serious injury in 2004, Tudor was loaned to Siena in January 2005. He had played seven seasons with Juventus.
Juventus had some titles taken away due to a scandal. After his loan ended, Tudor returned to Juventus. He stayed with the club even when they were moved down to Serie B. However, injuries kept him from playing that whole season. His contract ended on 30 June 2007.
During his time at Juventus, Tudor won two Serie A titles. He also won two Italian Supercups and a Serie B title. He won a UEFA Intertoto Cup. He also reached the finals of the 2001–02 Coppa Italia and the 2002–03 Champions League.
Back to Hajduk Split
Tudor struggled with injuries and an ankle infection. He almost had to stop playing in 2007. But in June 2007, he decided to rejoin his old club, Hajduk Split. This was after his contract with Juventus ended. He worked hard to recover. His first official game back was on 20 October 2007. This was his first match in over 16 months.
However, he could not get back to his best form. His ankle problems continued. On 22 July 2008, at age 30, he announced he was retiring early. This was because of his ongoing ankle injuries.
International Matches
Tudor played for the Croatian national team from 1997 to 2006. He also played for Croatia's youth teams. These included the under-17, under-19, and under-21 teams. He played for these teams between 1993 and 2000.
He played his first game for Croatia on 15 November 1997. This was in a World Cup qualifying match against Ukraine. He was part of the Croatian team that finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France. In that tournament, he played in three games as a substitute.
After the 1998 World Cup, he played in four matches for Croatia. These were during the team's attempt to qualify for UEFA Euro 2000. He also played in six games during Croatia's qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. However, he missed the main tournament due to an injury.
He returned to the national team for the Euro 2004 qualifiers. He played in seven of those matches. At the tournament in Portugal, he played in two of Croatia's group games. In one game against France, he accidentally scored a goal for the other team. In another game against England, he scored Croatia's second goal. This kept their hopes alive, but Croatia was still knocked out.
Tudor was also chosen for Croatia's team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He had played in eight qualifying matches for this tournament, scoring two goals. He scored his first goal against Malta on 30 March 2005. His second goal was against Bulgaria on 4 June 2005. At the 2006 World Cup, he started all three of Croatia's group matches. Croatia was eliminated after a 2–2 draw against Australia. Tudor received a yellow card in that game for complaining. He did not play for the national team after this tournament.
He played a total of 55 games for Croatia, scoring 3 goals.
Playing Style
Igor Tudor was known as one of Croatia's best defenders. This was from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. He was a tall, strong, and hardworking defender. He was very good at heading the ball. This made him a threat to score goals during set plays.
He was also good at marking opponents closely and tackling hard. He had great tactical understanding. Even though he was mainly a central defender, he could play anywhere in defense. He could even play as a defensive midfielder. This was possible because he was adaptable and had good stamina. He also had surprisingly good technical skills and ball control for a player of his size.
Despite his talent, he often got injured. Many people believe these injuries affected his playing career.
Managerial Career
Hajduk Split (First Time)
Igor Tudor joined Hajduk Split in August 2009. He became the assistant manager to Edoardo Reja. Tudor learned a lot about managing during his seven months with Reja. In February 2010, Reja left for another club, and Tudor also left Hajduk.
In December 2012, Tudor became the manager of Hajduk's U-17 team. He visited the Juventus Center to improve his skills. He learned from Antonio Conte. With the U-17 team, he taught them a modern style of football. They reached the U-17 Croatian Cup final in 2013.
In April 2013, he became the new manager of Hajduk Split's main team. He lost his first away game. But he won the first leg of the 2012–13 Croatian Cup final. He got his first league win on 17 May 2013. He won the 2012–13 Croatian Cup with a 5–4 total score in the final.
On 4 February 2015, Tudor resigned from Hajduk Split. He had managed the club for over a year and nine months.
PAOK
On 18 June 2015, Tudor was hired as the new manager of PAOK. He signed a three-year contract. He lost his first game with PAOK. He was fired on 9 March 2016. This was because of "unsuccessful results" and comments he made about the team.
Karabükspor
On 18 June 2016, Tudor became the new manager of Karabükspor. He signed a one-year contract. He had great results with Karabükspor. Tudor left the club in February 2017 to manage Galatasaray.
Galatasaray
On 15 February 2017, Tudor was hired as the new manager of Turkish club Galatasaray. He signed a contract for one and a half years. On 18 December, the club fired him.
Udinese (First Time)
On 24 April 2018, Tudor became the new manager of Italian team Udinese. His first win with Udinese was on 13 May 2018. They won 1–0 against Verona.
Tudor helped Udinese avoid being moved down to a lower league. On 7 June 2018, Tudor left the club. He did not make a new agreement with the club's management.
Udinese (Second Time)
On 20 March 2019, he became the manager of Italian team Udinese for a second time. His first win back was on 30 March 2019. They won 2–0 at home against Genoa.
After a series of poor results, Tudor was removed from his managing duties on 1 November 2019.
Hajduk Split (Second Time)
On 23 December 2019, Hajduk announced that Tudor was their new manager. He officially started his role on 2 January 2020.
On 2 February, Tudor led his first match with Hajduk in three and a half years. His team won 3–0 against Varaždin.
Juventus (Assistant Manager)
On 23 August 2020, Tudor resigned from Hajduk Split. He accepted Andrea Pirlo's offer to be his assistant at Serie A club Juventus.
He and Pirlo were both let go at the end of the season. This happened after Inter Milan won the Serie A title.
Hellas Verona
On 14 September 2021, Tudor was appointed manager of Serie A club Hellas Verona. He replaced Eusebio Di Francesco. Tudor quickly improved the team's performance. They finished the season in ninth place. On 28 May 2022, Verona announced they had parted ways with Tudor by agreement.
Marseille
On 4 July 2022, Tudor was named the new manager of Marseille. This is a club in the French Ligue 1.
On 1 June 2023, Tudor announced he would leave the French club. He said he was "tiredness" with the club. When he left, Tudor had helped Marseille finish third in Ligue 1. This earned them a spot in the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League qualifying stage.
Lazio
On 18 March 2024, Tudor signed with Serie A club Lazio. This was after Maurizio Sarri resigned. Later that year, on 5 June, Tudor resigned from his position. This happened at the end of the 2023–24 season.
Juventus (Head Coach)
On 23 March 2025, Tudor replaced Thiago Motta as the head coach of Serie A club Juventus. This was the first time Juventus had a foreign manager since Didier Deschamps in the 2006–07 season. He guided the club to a fourth-place finish. This earned them a spot in the Champions League. On 13 June, he signed a contract extension until 2028.
Coaching Style
Tudor is known for his modern and attacking approach to football. He wants his teams to play with courage and intensity. He once said, "I want courageous and intensive football, not only uniquely based on the defence. I want people who come to the stadium to be entertained and not disappointed."
Honours and Awards
As a Player
Juventus
- Serie A: 2001–02, 2002–03
- Serie B: 2006–07
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
- Coppa Italia runner-up: 2001–02, 2003–04
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2002–03
Croatia
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1998
Individual Awards
- Croatian Footballer of the Year: 2001
As a Manager
Hajduk Split
- Croatian Cup: 2012–13
See also
In Spanish: Igor Tudor para niños
