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Niko Kovač
Personal information
Kovač as manager of Bayern Munich in 2019
Date of birth	(1971-10-15) 15 October 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth	West Berlin, West Germany
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1987–1989	Rapide Wedding
1989–1990	Hertha Zehlendorf
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1990–1991	Hertha Zehlendorf	25	(7)
1991	Hertha BSC II	12	(1)
1992–1996	Hertha BSC	138	(15)
1996–1999	Bayer Leverkusen	77	(8)
1999–2001	Hamburger SV	55	(12)
2001–2003	Bayern Munich	34	(3)
2003–2006	Hertha BSC	75	(8)
2006–2009	Red Bull Salzburg	65	(9)
Total		491	(63)
National team
1996–2008	Croatia	83	(14)
Teams managed
2012–2013	Croatia U21
2013–2015	Croatia
2016–2018	Eintracht Frankfurt
2018–2019	Bayern Munich
2020–2022	Monaco
2022–2024	VfL Wolfsburg
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Niko Kovač (born 15 October 1971) is a professional football coach and former player. He was born and grew up in West Germany.

Kovač was the long-time captain of the Croatia national team until he stopped playing for them in 2009. He was a defensive midfielder, known for his great passing and tackling skills. When he retired, he was the oldest player in the Croatian team. He led them as captain in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He also played for many top clubs in the German Bundesliga, including Hertha BSC, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV, and Bayern Munich.

He finished his playing career with the Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. After that, he became a coach for their reserve team and then an assistant manager. In 2013, Kovač became the coach of the Croatia under-21 team. Later that year, he took over the senior Croatia team. Kovač managed Croatia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He then became head coach of Eintracht Frankfurt in 2016, winning the 2018 DFB-Pokal Final with them. At Bayern Munich, Kovač won the league and cup in 2019. In 2020, Kovač became the manager of Monaco.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football (1987–1996)

Niko Kovač started playing football when he was eight years old. He joined a club called Rapide Wedding in Berlin. After that, he played for Hertha Zehlendorf and quickly became part of their main team. In 1991, he moved to Hertha BSC, which was the start of his professional football journey. At that time, Hertha BSC played in the 2. Bundesliga, a lower division in Germany.

While growing up, Kovač also practiced judo and earned a blue belt. After high school, he studied business at Free University of Berlin. He stopped his university studies when he got a contract to play for Bayer Leverkusen.

Playing for Bayer Leverkusen (1996–1999)

In the summer of 1996, Kovač left Hertha to join Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen. He played his first Bundesliga game on 17 August 1996. He came in as a substitute in a 4–2 win against Borussia Dortmund. In his first season, he played 32 league matches and scored three goals. He often played as a substitute in the next two seasons. During his three years at Bayer Leverkusen, Kovač played 77 Bundesliga games and scored eight goals. This was also the first time he played alongside his younger brother, Robert, in his professional career.

Time at Hamburger SV (1999–2001)

Kovač joined Hamburger SV in the summer of 1999. He stayed with the club for two seasons. During this time, he played 55 Bundesliga matches and scored 12 goals.

Joining Bayern Munich (2001–2003)

In July 2001, Kovač signed with Bayern Munich. At the time, Bayern was a top team, having won the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League. Niko joined Bayern along with his brother, Robert. However, Niko found it hard to become a regular starter for the team. After two seasons, he left Bayern and returned to Hertha BSC in 2003. He played 34 Bundesliga matches for Bayern and scored three goals.

Back at Hertha BSC (2003–2006)

Kovač then signed with Hertha BSC for a second time. He played 75 Bundesliga matches for the club and scored eight goals during this period.

Final Years at Red Bull Salzburg (2006–2009)

Kovač in 2009

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kovač left Hertha and joined Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg. He was a key player for Salzburg and also played in their UEFA Champions League qualifying matches in 2006. On 26 August 2006, he scored his first goal for Red Bull Salzburg in a 4–0 win. He extended his contract until summer 2009. On 29 May 2009, Kovač retired from professional football after three years with Red Bull. His last match was a friendly game against his former club, Bayern Munich.

International Career for Croatia

Niko Kovač played his first international game for Croatia on 11 December 1996 against Morocco. He played in some qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but he missed the main tournament in France due to an injury. He then didn't play for the national team for two years. He returned in November 1999 in a friendly match against France.

Kovač played in five qualifying matches for the 2002 World Cup. He scored one goal in a 4–0 win against San Marino. In the World Cup, he started in all three group matches. Croatia was eliminated after finishing third in their group. He also played in the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying, scoring two goals. At the Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal, he played all three group matches. He scored the first goal against England, but Croatia lost 4–2 and was eliminated again.

After Euro 2004, Kovač became the captain of the Croatia national team. He led the team through the qualifying games for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He played in nine out of ten qualifying matches and scored two goals against Iceland. In the World Cup, he played in all three of Croatia's group matches. He scored a goal that put Croatia ahead 2–1 against Australia. However, the match ended in a 2–2 draw, and Croatia was eliminated. This was the third time in a row they finished third in their group at a major tournament.

Euro 2008 was a mixed experience for Captain Kovač. He played very well against Germany and Turkey. He was even named "man of the match" against Germany. Before and after the tournament, Kovač said he wanted to retire from international football.

Kovač officially announced his retirement from international football on 7 January 2009. He said he wanted to give younger players a chance to gain experience in the Croatia team.

Coaching Career

Coaching at Red Bull Salzburg (2009–2011)

Kovač as the assistant coach for Red Bull Salzburg, 2011

After he stopped playing football, Kovač became a coach for the second team of Red Bull Salzburg, called Red Bull Juniors. This was from June 2009 to April 2011. In 2011, he was promoted to be an assistant coach for the main team. He left Salzburg in 2012.

Coaching Croatia (2013–2015)

Under-21 Team

On 21 January 2013, Niko Kovač became the head coach of the Croatia under-21 team. His brother, Robert, was his assistant. Their goal was to help the team qualify for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Croatia started very well, winning their first four games and scoring 13 goals without letting any in.

Senior Team

Kovač (centre) in 2013

On 16 October 2013, Niko Kovač took over as the coach of the senior Croatia team. He replaced the previous coach, Igor Štimac. Kovač signed a two-year contract. His first two matches were important play-off games against Iceland to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Croatia won 2–0 overall and made it to the World Cup in Brazil. At the World Cup, Croatia won one game (4–0 against Cameroon) but lost two (against Brazil and Mexico). They did not make it out of their group. On 9 September 2015, Kovač's contract was ended after Croatia lost to Norway in a qualifying game for UEFA Euro 2016.

Leading Eintracht Frankfurt (2016–2018)

Kovač became the head coach of Eintracht Frankfurt on 8 March 2016. The team was struggling, but Kovač helped them avoid being moved down to a lower league. He even received a Fair Play Prize for comforting the opposing team's players after a tough match.

In the 2016–17 season, Frankfurt finished in the middle of the league table. They also reached the 2017 DFB-Pokal Final, which was their first final since 2006. They lost that final to Borussia Dortmund. In the 2017–18 season, Kovač led Frankfurt to win the 2018 DFB-Pokal Final. They beat his future team, Bayern Munich! This was Frankfurt's first trophy since 1988. Kovač had a good record with Frankfurt, winning 38 games, drawing 20, and losing 33 out of 91 matches.

Managing Bayern Munich (2018–2019)

Kovač with Bayern Munich in 2019

On 13 April 2018, Bayern Munich announced that Kovač would be their new head coach starting in the 2018–19 season. He signed a three-year contract. His brother, Robert, joined him as his assistant coach. Kovač was only the fourth former player to become manager of Bayern Munich.

On 12 August, Kovač won his first match as Bayern coach, a 5–0 victory in the German Super Cup against his old club, Eintracht Frankfurt. On 19 May 2019, he led Bayern to win their seventh league title in a row. This was Kovač's first Bundesliga title as a coach.

On 25 May 2019, Kovač led Bayern to win both the league and the cup. They beat RB Leipzig 3–0 in the 2019 DFB-Pokal Final. Kovač became the first coach since 2006 to win the cup two years in a row. He also became the first person to win both the league and cup as a player and as a coach in German football. On 3 November, Kovač left Bayern after a 5–1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Coaching AS Monaco (2020–2022)

On 19 July 2020, Kovač was appointed as the head coach of Ligue 1 club Monaco in France. In his first game, Monaco drew 2–2 after being two goals down. On 20 November, Monaco beat Paris Saint-Germain, the French champions, by a score of 3–2. On 21 February 2021, he beat Paris Saint-Germain again, this time 2–0. This was the first time Monaco had won at Paris Saint-Germain's home stadium since 2016. Kovač was praised by the French sports media for these wins. On 1 January 2022, Monaco announced that Kovač was leaving the club.

Managing VfL Wolfsburg (2022–2024)

VfL Wolfsburg announced that Kovač would be their new coach on 24 May 2022. This marked his return to the German Bundesliga after three years. He was no longer the coach in March 2024.

Personal Life

Niko Kovač was born on 15 October 1971 in Wedding, West Berlin. His family is from Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His parents moved from Yugoslavia to West Germany in 1970. Niko has two younger siblings, a brother named Robert and a sister named Nikolina. Kovač is also a German citizen. He chose to play football for Croatia at the international level.

Kovač married his childhood sweetheart in 1999. They have a daughter named Laura. Kovač is a Roman Catholic. He likes to live a quiet family life and believes family is very important.

Honours and Trophies

Niko Kovač has won many trophies both as a player and as a manager.

As a Player

Bayern Munich

Bundesliga: 2002–03 (German League Champion)
DFB-Pokal: 2002–03 (German Cup Winner)
Intercontinental Cup: 2001 (World Club Champion)

Red Bull Salzburg

Austrian Bundesliga: 2006–07 (Austrian League Champion)

As a Manager

Eintracht Frankfurt

DFB-Pokal: 2017–18 (German Cup Winner)
Runner-up: 2016–17 (German Cup Finalist)