Ivica Kralj facts for kids
Kralj in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 March 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Kotor, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.97 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Partizan (sporting director) | ||
| 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–2001 | FR Yugoslavia | 41 | (0) |
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Ivica Kralj (born on March 26, 1973) is a former football player from Montenegro. He played as a goalkeeper.
During his career, Kralj was most famous for playing for Partizan. 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 was part of the team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. In both tournaments, his team made it to the knockout rounds.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Partizan
Ivica Kralj was born in Kotor and grew up in Tivat. He started playing football at his local club, Arsenal Tivat. In 1987, he joined Partizan as a young player.
He became part of Partizan's main team when he was 16 years old. To get more experience, he played for other teams like Zvezdara and Jastrebac Niš for a short time. He then came back to Partizan.
Kralj played his first league game for Partizan in the 1995–96 season. That year, his team won the championship title. In the 1996–97 season, Partizan won the title again. Kralj became the main goalkeeper for the club and also started playing for his country's team. He also won the FR Yugoslavia Cup with Partizan in the 1997–98 season. After this, he moved to play in another country.
Time at Porto
In 1998, Kralj moved to Portugal and joined Porto. At first, he was the main goalkeeper for the team. He helped them win the Supertaça trophy in September 1998.
However, another famous goalkeeper, Vítor Baía, returned to Porto. After that, Kralj did not play as much. He was then loaned to Radnički Kragujevac until the end of the 1998–99 season.
Playing for PSV
In 1999, Kralj moved to the Netherlands to play for PSV. He played in the UEFA Champions League that year. Soon after, he got an injury that 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, Kralj was loaned back to his old club, Partizan. He won another national cup trophy with Partizan, even though he didn't play in the final game. After returning to PSV, he was the third-choice goalkeeper. He left the club in 2002.
Back to Partizan
In June 2003, Kralj returned to Partizan again. He quickly got back into form and helped the team get into the UEFA Champions League for the 2003–04 season. He even saved two penalties in a shootout against Newcastle United to help his team qualify.
However, he got injured and could not play in the group stage of the Champions League. After he recovered, Kralj was a regular player for Partizan. He helped his team win the league title in 2005 without losing a single game. He left the club when his contract ended.
In August 2007, Kralj joined Rostov in Russia. He did not play any games for the club. Rostov was relegated from the top league that season. He left Rostov in December 2007.
In July 2008, Kralj moved to Spartak Trnava in Slovakia. He joined his former manager, Vladimir Vermezović. He decided to leave the club in late 2009 because of ongoing injury problems. After this, he retired from playing football.
International Career
Kralj played his first game for FR Yugoslavia on December 28, 1996. He became the main goalkeeper for the national team and helped them qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament, Kralj played in 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 Yugoslavia's UEFA Euro 2000 team. His team reached the quarter-finals of the competition. They were again knocked out by the Netherlands, who won 6–1.
Kralj played his last game for FR Yugoslavia on September 5, 2001. Over five years, he played 41 games for his country.
Life After Playing Football
After he stopped playing football, Ivica Kralj worked as a player agent for some time. In January 2015, he became the president of Mačva Šabac. He left this role in November 2020.
In September 2022, Kralj was named the sporting director of Partizan. This means he helped manage the club's football operations. In September 2024, he left this position.
Honours
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
