Tomislav Ivić facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tomislav Ivić

Ivić, the coach of FC Porto, following the European Super Cup first leg in Amsterdam in November 1987
Personal information
Date of birth	(1933-06-30)30 June 1933
Place of birth	Split, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Date of death	24 June 2011(2011-06-24) (aged 77)
Place of death	Split, Croatia
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	RNK Split
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1953–1957	RNK Split	125
1957–1963	Hajduk Split	11
Teams managed
1967–1968	RNK Split
1968–1972	Hajduk Split (youth)
1972–1973	Šibenik
1973–1974	Yugoslavia
1973–1976	Hajduk Split
1976–1978	Ajax
1978–1980	Hajduk Split
1980–1982	Anderlecht
1983–1984	Galatasaray
1984–1985	Dinamo Zagreb
1985–1986	Avellino (caretaker)
1986	Panathinaikos
1987	Hajduk Split (caretaker)
1987–1988	Porto
1988–1990	Paris Saint-Germain
1990–1991	Atlético Madrid
1991–1992	Marseille (caretaker)
1992–1993	Benfica
1993–1994	Porto
1994	Croatia (caretaker)
1995	Fenerbahçe
1995–1996	United Arab Emirates
1996	Al Wasl
1997	Hajduk Split
1997–1998	Persepolis (caretaker)
1997–1998	Iran
1998–1999	Standard Liège
2000	Standard Liège
2001	Marseille
2003–2004	Al-Ittihad
Honours Men's football Representing  United Arab Emirates (as manager) AFC Asian Cup Runner-up 1996 UAE
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Tomislav Ivić (born June 30, 1933 – died June 24, 2011) was a famous Croatian football player and manager. He was known as a very smart planner in football. Many people say he helped create the way modern football is played today. In 2007, a big Italian sports newspaper called him the most successful football manager ever. This was because he won seven league titles in five different countries!

Tomislav Ivić's Coaching Career

Tomislav Ivić coached football teams in 14 different countries. He also led four national teams. He won many important titles and cups in seven countries. These countries included Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and France. He never won the league title in Greece, though.

Ivić won seven top league championships during his career. Three of these were in Yugoslavia, and one each in the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and France. He also won six national cups. Four of these were in Yugoslavia, and one each in Spain and Portugal. On top of that, he won a special European trophy called the UEFA Super Cup and another big international trophy called the Intercontinental Cup.

He coached many famous clubs around the world. In Croatia, he led teams like RNK Split, Hajduk Split, and Dinamo Zagreb. He even coached the Croatian national team for one match. In the Netherlands, he coached Ajax. In Belgium, he worked with Anderlecht and Standard Liège. He also coached in Turkey, Italy, Greece, Portugal, France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. His last club before he retired in 2002 was Marseille in France.

Big European Club Matches

Tomislav Ivić led his team, Hajduk Split, to the quarter-finals of the European Cup twice. This happened in the 1975–76 and 1979–80 seasons. He also reached the quarter-finals with Ajax in 1977–78. His best result in the European Cup was reaching the semi-finals in the 1981–82 season with Anderlecht. With the team Porto, he won the 1987 European Super Cup and the 1987 Intercontinental Cup.

Ivić had one of the best winning records in the Champions League. He won 29 out of 46 matches, which is a fantastic win rate of 63.0%.

Coaching National Teams

Besides club teams, Ivić was also the head coach for several national football teams. He coached Yugoslavia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. He also briefly coached the Croatian national team for one game as a temporary manager.

When he was coaching the UAE national team, they made it to the final of the 1996 AFC Asian Cup. However, they lost the final match against Saudi Arabia after a penalty shootout.

Retirement from Coaching

In 2001, Tomislav Ivić decided to retire from coaching. His doctor advised him to do so to reduce stress. Three years later, he coached Al-Ittihad Club for one season. After that, he worked with the youth teams at Standard Liège.

His Passing

Tomislav Ivić passed away on June 24, 2011, in his hometown of Split. He was almost 78 years old. Reports said he had heart problems and diabetes.

Honours and Awards

Tomislav Ivić received many awards and honours for his amazing work in football.

As a Manager

Hajduk Split (Youth Team)

• Yugoslav Youth Cup: 1970, 1971, 1972

Hajduk Split

• Yugoslav First League: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1978–79
• Yugoslav Cup: 1971–72, 1973, 1974, 1975–76

Ajax

• Eredivisie (Dutch League): 1976–77

Anderlecht

• Belgian First Division: 1980–81

Porto

• Primeira Liga (Portuguese League): 1987–88
• Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup): 1988
• European Super Cup: 1987
• Intercontinental Cup: 1987

Marseille

• French Division 1: 1991–92

Al-Ittihad

• Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2004

United Arab Emirates National Team

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1996 (finished second)

Individual Awards

• Hajduk Split golden badge: 1975
• Golden badge and charter from the city of Paris, given by Jacques Chirac: 1990
• Croatian Olympic Committee trophy: 2003
• Named "Most successful manager in history" by La Gazzetta dello Sport: 2007
• Entered the Split sports hall of fame: 2009
• Heart of Hajduk Award: 2011 (given after he passed away)
• Ranked 36th "Greatest Manager of All Time" by World Soccer magazine: 2013
• Ranked 42nd "Greatest Manager of All Time" by France Football magazine: 2019

Orders

• Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar – 1995

Images for kids

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  Ivić coaching Ajax in November 1977