Ivan Leko facts for kids
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Leko with Hajduk Split in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 February 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
KAA Gent (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2001 | Hajduk Split | 143 | (33) |
| 1996 | → HNK Trogir (loan) | 7 | (3) |
| 2001–2005 | Málaga | 79 | (4) |
| 2005 | Hajduk Split | 14 | (3) |
| 2005–2009 | Club Brugge | 98 | (21) |
| 2009 | → Germinal Beerschot (loan) | 30 | (4) |
| 2009–2014 | Lokeren | 122 | (12) |
| Total | 493 | (80) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–1994 | Croatia U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 1993 | Croatia U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Croatia U18 | 3 | (1) |
| 1994–1995 | Croatia U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 1998 | Croatia U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 1994–2000 | Croatia U21 | 21 | (5) |
| 2001 | Croatia B | 1 | (0) |
| 1999–2006 | Croatia | 13 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | OH Leuven | ||
| 2015–2016 | PAOK (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2017 | Sint-Truiden | ||
| 2017–2019 | Club Brugge | ||
| 2019 | Al-Ain | ||
| 2020 | Antwerp | ||
| 2021–2022 | Shanghai Port | ||
| 2023 | Hajduk Split | ||
| 2024–2025 | Standard Liège | ||
| 2025– | KAA Gent | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ivan Leko (born on February 7, 1978) is a Croatian football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Belgian Pro League team KAA Gent.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Ivan Leko started his football journey with his hometown club, Hajduk Split. He played there for several seasons. Later, he moved to Spain to join Málaga. Early in his career, he also played on loan for HNK Trogir.
Returning to Hajduk and Moving to Belgium
In January 2005, Leko briefly returned to Hajduk Split. That summer, he joined Club Brugge in Belgium. On January 15, 2009, he signed with Germinal Beerschot. He finished his playing career at Lokeren.
Playing for Croatia
Leko played for the Croatian national team. His first game was in June 1999 against Egypt. He played a total of 13 games for his country. He was part of the team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play in any matches during that tournament. Croatia was eliminated in the group stage. His last international game was a friendly match against Spain in June 2006.
Coaching Career
Ivan Leko began his coaching career in 2014 with OH Leuven. He coached the club for one season.
Assistant and Head Coach Roles
In 2015, Leko became an assistant manager for the Greek team PAOK. He worked under Croatian manager Igor Tudor. In 2016, Tudor was dismissed. For the 2016–17 season, Leko managed Sint-Truiden.
Success with Club Brugge
For the next two seasons, from 2017 to 2019, Leko was the manager of Club Brugge. He had great success in his first season. He won the Jupiler Pro League title and the Belgian Super Cup. He also won the award for Professional Manager of the Year. In May 2019, Leko and Club Brugge decided to go their separate ways.
Coaching in the UAE and Back to Belgium
On June 1, 2019, Leko became the coach of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. In December 2019, he left Al Ain after five months. Both sides agreed to end their partnership.
On May 20, 2020, Leko was appointed manager of Royal Antwerp. He led the team to win their first Belgian Cup since 1992. They beat his former team, Club Brugge, 1–0 in the final. This win helped Antwerp qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage. They finished second in their group, even beating Tottenham Hotspur 1–0. This meant they moved on to the round of 32.
Coaching in China and Return to Croatia
In December 2020, Leko left Royal Antwerp. He moved to Shanghai Port in China. He signed a two-year contract there. In February 2021, he was officially introduced as the new head coach.
On December 31, 2022, he returned to Croatia to coach his former club, Hajduk Split. However, he was dismissed from this role on October 23, 2023. On January 4, 2024, he became the head coach of the Belgian team Standard Liège. As of 2025, he is the head coach of KAA Gent.
Managerial Statistics
Here is a summary of Ivan Leko's coaching record for different teams:
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| OH Leuven | 26 February 2014 | 28 November 2014 | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 50.00 |
| Sint-Truiden | 1 July 2016 | 8 June 2017 | 44 | 16 | 8 | 20 | 36.36 |
| Club Brugge | 8 June 2017 | 2 June 2019 | 99 | 53 | 24 | 22 | 53.54 |
| Al-Ain | 2 June 2019 | 21 December 2019 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 52.94 |
| Antwerp | 20 May 2020 | 29 December 2020 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 53.85 |
| Shanghai Port | 1 January 2021 | 1 December 2022 | 58 | 32 | 12 | 14 | 55.17 |
| Hajduk Split | 31 December 2022 | 23 October 2023 | 37 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 59.46 |
| Standard Liège | 1 January 2024 | present | 62 | 14 | 23 | 25 | 22.58 |
| Total | 375 | 176 | 87 | 112 | 46.93 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Ivan Leko has won several awards and titles both as a player and as a manager.
As a Player
Hajduk Split
- Prva HNL: 2000–01, 2004–05
- Croatian Cup: 1999–2000
Málaga
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002
Club Brugge
- Belgian Cup: 2006–07
- Belgian Supercup: 2005
Lokeren
- Belgian Cup: 2011–12
As a Manager
Club Brugge
- Jupiler Pro League: 2017–18
- Belgian Super Cup: 2018
Antwerp
- Belgian Cup: 2019–20
Hajduk Split
- Croatian Cup: 2022–23
Individual
- Professional Manager of the Year: 2017–18
See also
In Spanish: Ivan Leko para niños
