Ivica Kralj facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ivica Kralj

Kralj in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth	(1973-03-26) 26 March 1973 (age 52)
Place of birth	Kotor, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Arsenal Tivat
1987–1989	Partizan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1989–1998	Partizan	69	(0)
1992–1993	→ Zvezdara (loan)
1993–1994	→ Jastrebac Niš (loan)	13	(0)
1998–1999	Porto	7	(0)
1999	→ Radnički Kragujevac (loan)	3	(0)
1999–2002	PSV	7	(0)
2001	→ Partizan (loan)	6	(0)
2003–2007	Partizan	74	(0)
2007	Rostov	0	(0)
2008–2009	Spartak Trnava	17	(0)
Total		196	(0)
International career
1996–2001	FR Yugoslavia	41	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ivica Kralj (born on March 26, 1973) is a former professional footballer from Montenegro. He was a goalkeeper, known for his amazing saves.

Ivica Kralj is most famous for playing with Partizan in Serbia. He played for them three different times and helped them win five big trophies. He also played for famous clubs like Porto in Portugal and PSV in the Netherlands.

Kralj also played for his country, FR Yugoslavia. He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. In both tournaments, his team made it to the knockout rounds.

Ivica Kralj's Club Journey

Starting at Partizan

Ivica Kralj was born in Kotor and grew up in Tivat. He started playing football at his local club, Arsenal Tivat. In 1987, when he was 14, he joined Partizan as a young player.

He was so good that by age 16, he was already on the bench for the first team. To get more experience, he played on loan for Zvezdara (1992–93) and Jastrebac Niš (1993–94).

When he came back to Partizan, he became their main goalkeeper. He helped them win the league title in the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. He also won the FR Yugoslavia Cup in the 1997–98 season.

Playing for Porto

In 1998, Kralj moved to Portugal to play for Porto. He started as their main goalkeeper and helped them win the Supertaça trophy in September 1998.

However, another famous goalkeeper, Vítor Baía, returned to Porto. This meant Kralj didn't play as much. He was then loaned to Radnički Kragujevac for a short time.

Time with PSV

In 1999, Kralj moved to the Netherlands to play for PSV. He even played in the UEFA Champions League that year.

Soon after, he got a hamstring injury, which kept him from playing for five months. When he returned, he was mostly a backup goalkeeper. PSV won the league title in his first season there.

In 2001, he was loaned back to Partizan for a short period. He helped them win another national cup, even though he didn't play in the final. After returning to PSV, he was the third-choice goalkeeper. He left the club in 2002.

Back to Partizan Again

In June 2003, Ivica Kralj returned to Partizan for his third time. He quickly got back into form. He helped his team get into the Champions League group stage.

He was a hero in the final qualifying round against Newcastle United. He saved two penalties in the shootout, which helped Partizan win! Unfortunately, he got injured and couldn't play in the group stage.

After recovering, Kralj was a regular player again. He helped Partizan win the league title in 2005 without losing a single game! He left the club when his contract ended in 2007.

Short Stays in Russia and Slovakia

In August 2007, Kralj joined Rostov in Russia. He didn't play any official games for them. The team was relegated from the top league, and he left in December 2007.

In July 2008, Kralj moved to Slovakia to play for Spartak Trnava. His former manager, Vladimir Vermezović, signed him. He left the club in late 2009 because of ongoing injuries. This led to him retiring from playing football.

Ivica Kralj's International Career

Ivica Kralj played for his country, FR Yugoslavia. His first game was on December 28, 1996, in a friendly match against Argentina.

He became the main goalkeeper for the national team. He helped them qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament, he played all four of his team's games. They were knocked out by the Netherlands.

Even though he wasn't playing regularly for his club, Kralj was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2000 squad. Yugoslavia reached the quarter-finals, where they were again defeated by the Netherlands.

Kralj played his last game for FR Yugoslavia on September 5, 2001, against Slovenia. In total, he played 41 games for his country over five years.

Life After Playing Football

After retiring from football, Ivica Kralj worked as a player agent for a while.

In January 2015, he became the president of Mačva Šabac, a football club. He stayed in that role for five and a half years, stepping down in November 2020.

In September 2022, Kralj was appointed as the sporting director of his old club, Partizan. He held this important position until September 2024.

Career Statistics

Here are some statistics about Ivica Kralj's career, showing how many games he played for different clubs and his national team.

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Trophies and Awards

Ivica Kralj won many trophies during his football career:

Partizan

• First League of FR Yugoslavia: 1995–96, 1996–97, 2004–05
• FR Yugoslavia Cup: 1997–98, 2000–01

Porto

• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1998

PSV

• Eredivisie: 1999–2000, 2001–02
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2000, 2001

See also

In Spanish: Ivica Kralj para niños