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Robert Prosinečki
Robert Prosinečki 2024 (1) (cropped).jpg
Prosinečki as Montenegro manager in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (1969-01-12) 12 January 1969 (age 56)
Place of birth Schwenningen, West Germany
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Montenegro (manager)
Youth career
1974–1980 Stuttgarter Kickers
1980–1986 Dinamo Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1987 Dinamo Zagreb 2 (1)
1987–1991 Red Star Belgrade 117 (25)
1991–1995 Real Madrid 55 (10)
1994–1995 Oviedo (loan) 30 (5)
1995–1996 Barcelona 19 (2)
1996–1997 Sevilla 20 (4)
1997–2000 Croatia Zagreb 50 (14)
2000 Hrvatski Dragovoljac 4 (1)
2000–2001 Standard Liège 21 (4)
2001–2002 Portsmouth 33 (9)
2002–2003 Olimpija Ljubljana 23 (3)
2003–2004 NK Zagreb 26 (5)
2005 Savski Marof 4 (1)
Total 404 (84)
International career
1987 Yugoslavia U20 5 (1)
1989–1991 Yugoslavia 15 (4)
1994–2002 Croatia 49 (10)
Managerial career
2006–2010 Croatia (assistant)
2010–2012 Red Star Belgrade
2012–2014 Kayserispor
2014–2017 Azerbaijan
2018–2019 Bosnia and Herzegovina
2019–2020 Kayserispor
2020 Denizlispor
2022 Olimpija Ljubljana
2023 Rudeš
2024– Montenegro
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Yugoslavia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 1987 Chile
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 1990
Representing  Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Third 1998 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Prosinečki (born 12 January 1969) is a professional football manager and former player. He played as a midfielder. Born in West Germany, he played for Yugoslavia and later Croatia. He is currently the manager of the Montenegro national team.

Early in his playing career, he was part of the Red Star Belgrade team. They won three Yugoslav First League titles and the European Cup in 1991. Prosinečki then spent several years in Spain. He played for rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. He also played for Oviedo and Sevilla. Later, he won three Croatian league titles with Dinamo Zagreb. He also played in Belgium, England, and Slovenia.

Internationally, Prosinečki was voted the best player when Yugoslavia won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was also the runner-up with the under-21 team at the 1990 European Championship. He was voted Best Young Player at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He played 49 matches for Croatia between 1994 and 2002. He played at UEFA Euro 1996 and the World Cups in 1998 and 2002. He helped Croatia finish third in 1998.

After retiring as a player, Prosinečki became an assistant manager for the Croatia national team from 2006 to 2010. He then became the manager of Red Star Belgrade in December 2010. He later managed Turkish club Kayserispor. Internationally, Prosinečki was the head coach of the Azerbaijan national team from 2014 to 2017. He also managed Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2019. He has since managed Kayserispor again, Denizlispor, Olimpija Ljubljana, and Rudeš.

Early Life and Football Start

Robert Prosinečki was born in Schwenningen, West Germany. His family moved to Nürtingen near Stuttgart. When he was five, his father, who loved football, signed him up for the Stuttgarter Kickers youth team. His father watched all his practices and games closely.

In 1979, when Robert was ten, his family moved back to Croatia. There, his father enrolled him in the youth setup of Dinamo Zagreb. Robert continued to improve his football skills.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Dinamo Zagreb

Prosinečki joined the senior team at Dinamo Zagreb during the 1986–87 season. He was 17 years old when he scored in his first league game on 2 November 1986. The coach at the time, Miroslav Blažević, famously said he would "eat his coaching diploma" if Prosinečki ever became a good player. This quote became well-known.

Success with Red Star Belgrade

In 1987, 18-year-old Robert joined Red Star Belgrade. He quickly became a key player. He helped Red Star win three Yugoslav First League titles and one Yugoslav Cup.

His biggest achievement with Red Star was winning the 1991 European Cup. This was a huge success for the club.

Becoming a World Youth Champion

In October 1987, Prosinečki was part of the Yugoslav youth team. They won the World Youth Championship in Chile. Prosinečki was named the best player of the tournament, winning the Golden Ball award.

Time in Spain: Real Madrid and Barcelona

In 1991, Prosinečki joined Spanish giants Real Madrid. He was a very expensive signing, but he faced many muscle injuries. His first season was difficult, as he played only three league matches. However, he did score a free-kick goal against Barcelona in El Clásico.

His second season at Real Madrid was better, with 29 league appearances. His best season there was 1993–94, where he scored six league goals.

Loan to Oviedo

In 1994, Real Madrid loaned Prosinečki to Real Oviedo. He played his best season in Spain there. He even helped Oviedo win a league match against his former club, Real Madrid. He felt much better physically and mentally during this time.

Playing for Barcelona

In 1995, Prosinečki signed with Barcelona. However, he again suffered from muscle injuries. When he recovered, the coach, Johan Cruyff, did not play him often. He only played 19 games in the 1995–96 season.

He left Barcelona in December 1996 and moved to Sevilla.

Return to Croatia: Dinamo Zagreb

In 1997, Prosinečki returned home to play for Croatia Zagreb (which was Dinamo's name then). Fans were very happy to see him back at the club where he started.

In his first season, he helped the team win both the league and the cup. He also played a key role in their European matches. For the next two seasons, Prosinečki was the team's captain. He led Dinamo Zagreb to win the league twice more. They also played in the UEFA Champions League for two seasons in a row. Fans remember his great performances against Celtic and Manchester United.

Later Career Clubs

After Dinamo Zagreb, Prosinečki played for Hrvatski Dragovoljac in 2000. In 2001, he moved to Standard Liège in Belgium.

Time at Portsmouth

In 2001, 32-year-old Prosinečki joined Portsmouth in England. He signed a one-year deal. His goals and assists were very important in helping the team avoid being moved down to a lower league. A memorable moment was when he scored three goals in one game against Barnsley. This was the only time he scored a hat-trick in his career.

Prosinečki is still seen as a hero by Portsmouth fans. In 2008, readers of The News newspaper chose him for their all-time best Portsmouth team. He was the only non-British player in that selection.

Final Years as a Player

After Portsmouth, Prosinečki played for Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia. He won his last trophy there, the 2002–03 Slovenian Cup. He even scored a goal in the final match.

In 2003, Prosinečki returned to Croatia to play for NK Zagreb. He ended his playing career with a smaller club, Savski Marof, in 2005.

International Football Career

Prosinečki played 49 matches for Croatia and scored 10 goals. He also played 15 matches for Yugoslavia, scoring four goals.

In 1987, he was named the best player at the World Youth Championship in Chile. He played alongside other famous Croatian players like Zvonimir Boban and Davor Šuker.

Prosinečki played for Yugoslavia at the 1990 World Cup. He then played for Croatia at Euro 1996 and the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. At the 1998 World Cup, Croatia achieved a historic third-place finish. Prosinečki scored two goals in that tournament. He scored one in a group match against Jamaica. He also scored in the third-place match against the Netherlands. This made him the only player in history to score World Cup goals for two different national teams.

He played a total of nine World Cup matches: three for Yugoslavia in 1990 and six for Croatia in 1998 and 2002.

Playing Style

Prosinečki was nicknamed Žuti (the Yellow One) because of his blond hair. He was known as a very creative and skilled footballer. He usually played as a midfielder, but also as a right winger or attacking midfielder. He had excellent vision and could organize attacks with his passing.

He was good at keeping the ball and using his dribbling skills. He could also control the game's speed with his passes and find open spaces. He was known for his short passes, dribbling, and strong shots from set pieces.

His former coach, Vicente del Bosque, described him as an individual player who also needed his teammates. Prosinečki himself said that Johan Cruyff was his favorite coach.

Managerial Career

Early Coaching Roles

Prosinečki started his coaching career in 2004 as an assistant coach at NK Zagreb. In 2006, he became an assistant to Slaven Bilić for the Croatia national football team. He was part of the team at UEFA Euro 2008.

Managing Red Star Belgrade

Robert Prosinecki 2012-mc.rs
Prosinečki during a press conference with Red Star Belgrade in 2012

In December 2010, Prosinečki became the new manager of Red Star Belgrade. This was a big deal because he was returning to the club where he had his greatest playing successes. He was also the first Croatian to coach in Serbia after the Yugoslav Wars.

His team finished second in the league in both the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. In 2012, he won the 2011–12 Serbian Cup with Red Star. He resigned in August 2012.

Coaching Kayserispor

On 15 October 2012, Prosinečki became the manager of Kayserispor in Turkey. He helped the team improve and finish fifth in the league. However, the next season, the team struggled. Prosinečki resigned in November 2013, but the club did not accept it at first. He finally left Kayserispor at the end of 2013.

Leading Azerbaijan

On 3 December 2014, Prosinečki was named the new manager of the Azerbaijan national football team. He stayed for three years. Under his leadership, Azerbaijan played well. They had a 0–0 draw against Croatia and were undefeated against Norway. They also had a 2–0 victory over Qatar and a 5–1 victory against San Marino. This 5–1 win was Azerbaijan's biggest victory in history. Despite these good results, he left the team in November 2017.

Managing Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 4 January 2018, Prosinečki became the new manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team. On 15 November 2018, his team drew 0–0 against Austria. This result meant Bosnia and Herzegovina won their group and moved up to a higher league in the UEFA Nations League. This draw also meant Prosinečki tied a record with a 10-game unbeaten run for the national team.

His biggest win as Bosnia and Herzegovina's coach was a 5–0 home victory against Liechtenstein in September 2019. He resigned briefly after a loss to Armenia, but then decided to stay. However, after more difficult results, he and the Bosnia and Herzegovina FA agreed for him to leave in November 2019.

Recent Coaching Roles

Prosinečki returned to Kayserispor for a second time in December 2019. He left the club in August 2020. On 10 August 2020, he became the new manager of Denizlispor, but he resigned in November after a tough start to the season.

In March 2022, Prosinečki signed a two-year contract with Slovenian PrvaLiga side Olimpija Ljubljana. He left the club in July 2022.

Robert Prosinečki 2023 (cropped)
Prosinečki with Rudeš in 2023

After a year without a club, Prosinečki became the manager of Rudeš, a Croatian top division team, on 7 June 2023. He left Rudeš in September 2023. Since February 2024, he has been the manager of the Montenegro national team.

Minifootball and Business Ventures

Prosinečki also played in Minifootball tournaments in Zagreb. He won first place several times with different teams. In 2003, he was named the best player of the tournament.

In March 2007, Prosinečki opened a restaurant in Zagreb called Prosikito. In February 2016, he partnered with another former footballer, Janko Janković, to open an indoor padel facility called Padel.hr. Padel is a sport similar to tennis and squash.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Season Club League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Yugoslavia League Cup League Cup Continental Total
1986–87 Dinamo Zagreb Yugoslav First League 2 1 0 0 2 1
1987–88 Red Star Belgrade Yugoslav First League 23 4 3 2 4 0 30 6
1988–89 33 4 2 0 2 0 37 4
1989–90 32 5 8 3 6 1 46 9
1990–91 29 12 6 2 9 4 44 18
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa Europe Total
1991–92 Real Madrid La Liga 3 1 0 0 2 1 5 2
1992–93 29 3 2 1 5 0 36 4
1993–94 23 6 4 0 2 0 5 0 32 6
1994–95 Real Oviedo 30 5 2 0 0 0 32 5
1995–96 Barcelona 19 2 4 0 0 0 23 2
1996–97 0 0 3 0 3 0
Sevilla 20 4 2 0 22 4
Croatia League Croatian Cup League Cup Europe Total
1997–98 Croatia Zagreb Prva HNL 16 5 3 1 10 5 29 11
1998–99 15 4 0 0 3 2 18 6
1999–2000 19 5 3 5 6 1 28 11
2000–01 Hrvatski Dragovoljac 4 1 0 0 4 1
Belgium League Belgian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2000–01 Standard Liège Belgian First Division 21 4 2 1 23 5
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2001–02 Portsmouth English First Division 33 9 1 0 1 0 35 9
Slovenia League Slovenian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2002–03 Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenian PrvaLiga 23 3 4 1 27 4
Croatia League Croatian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2003–04 NK Zagreb Prva HNL 26 5 1 0 0 0 27 5
Career total 400 83 47 16 3 0 55 14 505 113

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
Team Year Apps Goals
National team Year Apps Goals
Yugoslavia 1989 5 1
1990 7 2
1991 3 1
Total 15 4
Croatia 1994 5 1
1995 5 2
1996 9 0
1997 7 1
1998 8 4
1999 0 0
2000 2 0
2001 8 2
2002 5 0
Total 49 10
Scores and results list Yugoslavia's and Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Prosinečki goal.
List of international goals scored by Robert Prosinečki
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
Yugoslavia goals
1 20 September 1989 Vojvodina Stadium, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia  Greece 2–0 3–0 Friendly
2 19 June 1990 Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy  United Arab Emirates 4–1 4–1 1990 World Cup
3 12 September 1990 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 2–0 2–0 Euro 1992 qualifying
4 16 May 1991 Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade, Yugoslavia  Faroe Islands 2–0 7–0 Euro 1992 qualifying
Croatia goals
1 23 March 1994 Estadio Luís Casanova, Valencia, Spain  Spain 1–0 2–0 Friendly
2 25 March 1995 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia  Ukraine 3–0 4–0 Euro 1996 qualifying
3 26 April 1995 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia  Slovenia 1–0 2–0 Euro 1996 qualifying
4 2 April 1997 Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia  Slovenia 1–0 3–3 1998 World Cup qualification
5 3 June 1998 Stadion Kantrida, Rijeka, Croatia  Iran 1–0 2–0 Friendly
6 6 June 1998 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia  Australia 3–0 7–0 Friendly
7 14 June 1998 Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens, France  Jamaica 2–0 3–1 1998 World Cup
8 11 July 1998 Parc des Princes, Paris, France  Netherlands 1–0 2–1 1998 World Cup
9 5 September 2001 Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino  San Marino 2–0 4–0 2002 World Cup qualification
10 4–0

Managerial Statistics

Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Red Star Belgrade 9 December 2010 20 August 2012 &&&&&&&&&&&&&062.&&&&&062 &&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043 &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 &&&&&&&&&&&&&069.35000069.35
Kayserispor 15 October 2012 10 January 2014 &&&&&&&&&&&&&048.&&&&&048 &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012 &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&037.50000037.50
Azerbaijan 3 December 2014 5 November 2017 &&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 &&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&9000026.09
Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 January 2018 27 November 2019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&040.91000040.91
Kayserispor 13 January 2020 6 August 2020 &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 &&&&&&&&&&&&&031.58000031.58
Denizlispor 10 August 2020 24 November 2020 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.11000011.11
Olimpija Ljubljana 22 March 2022 1 July 2022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&062.50000062.50
Rudeš 7 June 2023 3 September 2023 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Montenegro 2 February 2024 Present &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 &&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040.00
Total &&&&&&&&&&&&0213.&&&&&0213 &&&&&&&&&&&&&094.&&&&&094 &&&&&&&&&&&&&044.&&&&&044 &&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075 &&&&&&&&&&&&&044.13000044.13

Honours and Awards

Player Achievements

Red Star Belgrade

Real Madrid

Dinamo Zagreb

Olimpija Ljubljana

  • Slovenian Cup: 2002–03

Yugoslavia National Team

Croatia National Team

Individual Awards

  • FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball: 1987
  • FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1990
  • Yugoslav Footballer of the Year: 1990
  • Večernji list football player of the year: 1990, 1997
  • ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1990
  • Bravo Award: 1991
  • 1991 FIFA World Player of the Year: 4th place
  • 1991 Ballon d'Or: 5th place
  • Croatian Footballer of the Year: 1997
  • Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport (2): 1997, 1998
  • PFA First Division Team of the Year: 2001–02
  • Portsmouth F.C. All-time XI
  • Only non-British player to be voted into all-time best Portsmouth eleven
  • 6th Zvezdina zvezda

Managerial Achievements

Red Star Belgrade

  • Serbian Cup: 2011–12

Orders

  • Order of Danica Hrvatska with the face of Franjo Bučar: 1995
  • Order of the Croatian Trefoil: 1998

Personal Life

In June 1999, Prosinečki married Vlatka. They have two daughters together.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Robert Prosinečki para niños

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