Josip Kuže facts for kids
Kuže at a news conference in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 November 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Vranje, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Date of death | 16 June 2013 (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Zagreb, Croatia | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1971–1981 | Dinamo Zagreb | 151 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1982–1984 | Sydney Croatia | ||
| 1985–1986 | BSK Slavonski Brod | ||
| 1986–1988 | Dinamo Zagreb (youth) | ||
| 1988–1989 | Borac Banja Luka | ||
| 1989–1990 | Dinamo Zagreb | ||
| 1990 | Budućnost Titograd | ||
| 1991–1992 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | ||
| 1992–1994 | Mainz 05 | ||
| 1996–1997 | Gamba Osaka | ||
| 1998–1999 | NK Zagreb | ||
| 2000 | Chemnitz | ||
| 2003–2004 | Inter Zaprešić | ||
| 2005–2006 | Dinamo Zagreb | ||
| 2007 | Rijeka | ||
| 2007 | Varteks | ||
| 2007–2008 | Rwanda | ||
| 2008 | JEF United Chiba | ||
| 2009–2011 | Albania | ||
| 2012 | Tianjin Teda | ||
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Josip Kuže (born November 13, 1952 – died June 16, 2013) was a famous Croatian football player and coach. He spent many years with Dinamo Zagreb, first as a player for 10 years, then later as their manager. During his time playing for Dinamo Zagreb, he appeared in 384 games and scored 14 goals.
Contents
Playing Football: Josip Kuže's Career
Josip Kuže was a professional football player. He played as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb from 1971 to 1981. During this time, he played in 384 matches and scored 14 goals. He also represented Yugoslavia's Under-21 team 11 times. Josip played alongside many great Balkan football stars. Some of these players included Zlatko Kranjčar, Velimir Zajec, and Marko Mlinarić.
Coaching Football: Josip Kuže's Managerial Career
After he stopped playing football, Josip Kuže became a coach. His coaching journey took him to many different countries and clubs.
Early Coaching Years
Josip started coaching in Australia with Sydney Croatia from 1982 to 1984. After that, he coached clubs like BSK Slavonski Brod and Dinamo Zagreb's youth team. He then coached Borac Banja Luka before becoming the main coach for Dinamo Zagreb from 1989 to 1991.
Coaching in Germany and Japan
In 1991, Josip moved to Germany to coach Rot-Weiß Erfurt. Later, he coached Mainz 05 until 1994. From 1995 to 1998, he coached the Japanese team Gamba Osaka. He returned to Croatia to coach NK Zagreb (1998–1999). He also had a short time coaching Chemnitz in Germany in 2000. After that, he coached Gamba Osaka again from 2000 to 2002.
Return to Dinamo Zagreb
From 2003 to 2004, Josip managed Inter Zaprešić. In 2005, he took over as coach of Dinamo Zagreb for the second time. He had great success, winning the league title in his very first year back with the team.
Dinamo Zagreb's Success
When Josip took over Dinamo Zagreb, the team had not been doing well. But with new players, they quickly improved. In the 2005-2006 season, they had an amazing record. They won the league title, showing how much Josip had helped the team. Many people praised Dinamo for playing exciting football under his guidance.
Challenges and Departure
In the 2006-2007 season, Dinamo Zagreb faced some challenges. Key players were injured, which affected their performance. They played against Arsenal in a Champions League qualifying match. Even though they lost, Dinamo showed a much better performance in the second game. Despite his success in making Dinamo a top team again, Josip left the club in November 2006. Both he and the club agreed it was time for him to move on.
Coaching National Teams
Josip Kuže also coached national football teams.
Rwanda National Team
In November 2007, Josip became the manager of the Rwanda national team. He was hired to help the team improve and qualify for major tournaments.
Albania National Team
From 2009 to 2011, Josip coached the Albania national team. He is remembered for leading Albania to their biggest victory against Cyprus, winning 6–1 in a friendly match in 2009. He was very popular with the Albanian fans, who felt he truly cared about their team.
Later Coaching Roles
After his time with Albania, Josip took on other coaching jobs.
JEF United Chiba
In January 2008, Josip was appointed head coach of the Japanese team JEF United Chiba. However, his time there was short, lasting only four months.
Tianjin Teda
In 2012, Josip became the new manager of Chinese Super League team Tianjin Teda in China. During one match, he showed his disagreement with a referee's decision. Because of his actions, he received a ban from several matches and was fined. He left Tianjin Teda shortly after this incident.
Managerial Statistics
Here is a summary of Josip Kuže's coaching record for some of the teams he managed:
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Gamba Osaka | 1996 | 1997 | 62 | 31 | 0 | 31 | 50.00 |
| JEF United Chiba | 1 February 2008 | 7 May 2008 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Albania | 6 June 2009 | 15 November 2011 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 33.33 |
| Total | 100 | 40 | 10 | 50 | 40.00 | ||
Death
Sadly, Josip Kuže passed away on June 16, 2013, in Zagreb, Croatia. He was 60 years old. He had been battling leukemia, a serious illness, for several months.
See also
In Spanish: Josip Kuže para niños
