Željko Petrović facts for kids

Željko Petrović (Serbian Cyrillic: Жељко Петровић) was born on November 13, 1965. He is a professional football manager and a former player from Montenegro. During his playing career, he played for the FR Yugoslavia national team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Playing for Football Clubs

Starting at Budućnost

Željko Petrović began his professional football journey with Budućnost in 1986. He played alongside famous players like Dejan Savićević and Predrag Mijatović. During his time there, the team usually finished in the middle of the league table.

Playing for Dinamo Zagreb

In 1990, Petrović moved to Dinamo Zagreb. He played as a right-back. In 1991, the club changed its name to HAŠK Građanski. Petrović scored all three of HAŠK Građanski's goals in their UEFA Cup matches against Trabzonspor. Even with his goals, the team was knocked out of the competition.

Time with Sevilla

Petrović joined Sevilla in Spain in November 1991. He moved there at the same time as another player, Davor Šuker. At first, he didn't play much because teams could only have a few foreign players on the field. But he slowly started getting more chances. He even made an assist in a cup match that helped Sevilla win. He scored his only league goal for Sevilla in March 1992. After a new famous player, Diego Maradona, joined the team, Petrović decided to move to a Dutch club, FC Den Bosch.

Playing for Den Bosch and Waalwijk

Petrović joined FC Den Bosch in 1992. His father lived nearby, which was a big reason for his move. Even though he was considered a very good player for Den Bosch, the team struggled and was moved down to a lower league in 1993.

He then joined RKC Waalwijk in 1994. Here, he became a great attacking right-back. He scored 13 goals in two seasons, which showed how good he was. His excellent performance led him to join one of the biggest Dutch clubs, PSV Eindhoven, in 1996.

Success at PSV Eindhoven

Petrović joined PSV in the summer of 1996. He was a regular player when PSV won the Eredivisie league title in the 1996–97 season. This was a big achievement for him and the team.

In 1997, Petrović received a very good offer from a Japanese team, Urawa Red Diamonds. He said he didn't want to leave PSV, but the offer was too good to refuse. He explained that many of his family members in Yugoslavia depended on his earnings. He played 35 games for PSV in total. His last game for PSV was in a Champions League match in November 1997.

Playing in Japan

After leaving PSV, Željko Petrović moved to Japan in 1997 to play for Urawa Red Diamonds. He played there until 2000. After his time in Japan, he returned to RKC Waalwijk in the Netherlands, where he finished his playing career.

Playing for His Country

Željko Petrović first played for the national team of Yugoslavia in September 1990. Yugoslavia was later not allowed to play in major tournaments like the Euro 1992 and the 1994 FIFA World Cup. This was due to international rules against Yugoslavia at the time. Petrović played for Yugoslavia again five years later, helping them try to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Dealing with Rumors

Petrović was an important player for the Yugoslavia national team during the qualifying games for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Before a big play-off match against Hungary in October 1997, he faced a scary situation. He received a phone call with a serious threat.

Before this, rumors were spreading that he had once played for the Croatia national team during the time Yugoslavia was breaking apart. Petrović strongly denied these rumors. His teammate, Savo Milošević, said that some journalists were spreading false information that put Petrović in danger. Despite these difficulties, Petrović went on to play for Yugoslavia in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Petrović often explained his identity when asked about his nationality. He insisted he was a Yugoslav, comparing it to how people in the Netherlands are all Dutch, even if they come from different regions. He believed in his Yugoslav identity, especially after the war.

Becoming a Manager

After his playing career, Željko Petrović became a football manager.

Early Manager Roles

On August 21, 2006, Petrović became the manager of the Portuguese team Boavista. His first match was a great success, with Boavista winning 3–0 against Benfica. However, he left the club after only about a month and a half.

In the 2007–08 season, Petrović managed RKC Waalwijk. His team finished second in the Dutch second division, but they didn't get promoted to the top league. He also worked as an assistant manager for several clubs, including Hamburger SV and West Ham United. He was also an assistant to manager Guus Hiddink at Anzhi Makhachkala.

In 2015, Petrović was an assistant manager at Sunderland. He later joined FC Utrecht as an assistant manager in 2018.

Managing Botev Plovdiv

In June 2019, Željko Petrović was announced as the new manager for Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria. He helped the club sign some new players. However, after a series of poor results, he was let go in October 2019. Under his leadership, Botev Plovdiv won only two out of 12 games.

Inter Zaprešić and Feyenoord

In January 2020, Petrović became the manager of Inter Zaprešić. He left the club in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in 2020, he returned to Feyenoord as an assistant manager.

Managing Iraq National Team

In November 2021, Petrović took over as the temporary manager for the Iraq national team. He coached Iraq in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and the final qualifying rounds for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was removed from his role in February 2022.

Success at Zrinjski Mostar

On January 5, 2024, Petrović was appointed manager of Zrinjski Mostar, a club in the Bosnian Premier League. He had a winning start, with Zrinjski beating Slavija Sarajevo in a cup match. His team also won the local "Mostar derby" against rivals Velež.

On May 23, 2024, Petrović won his first major trophy as a manager! Zrinjski Mostar defeated Borac Banja Luka to win the Bosnian Cup final. This was a big achievement for him and the club. On June 20, 2024, Zrinjski announced that Petrović had left the club by agreement.

Career Statistics

Playing Career

International Games

Managerial Record

Awards and Trophies

As a Player

PSV

• Eredivisie: 1996–97 (Dutch League Champions)
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 1997 (Dutch Super Cup)

As a Manager

Zrinjski Mostar

• Bosnian Cup: 2023–24

See also

In Spanish: Željko Petrović para niños