Branko Ivanković

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Branko Ivanković
Branko Ivankovic, Persepolis-Saipa 20190413.jpg
Ivanković in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (1954-02-28) 28 February 1954 (age 70)
Place of birth Varaždin, PR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
China (manager)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1979–1990 Varteks 269 (83)
Managerial career
1991–1995 Varteks
1995–1996 Segesta
1996–1998 Rijeka
1998–1999 Croatia (assistant)
1999–2000 Hannover 96
2001–2002 Iran (assistant)
2002–2003 Iran U-23
2002–2006 Iran
2006–2008 Dinamo Zagreb
2009–2011 Shandong Luneng
2011–2012 Al-Ettifaq
2012–2013 Al-Wahda
2013 Dinamo Zagreb
2015–2019 Persepolis
2019 Al-Ahli
2020–2024 Oman
2024– China
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Flag of Iran.svg  Iran (as manager)
AFC Asian Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2004
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Branko Ivanković (Croatian pronunciation: [brâːŋkoǐʋaːŋkoʋitɕ] ; [1] [2] born 28 February 1954) is a Croatian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of the China national football team. After a 12-year playing career at Varteks, Ivanković started his coaching career at the same club in 1991. Prior to his appointment as the manager of Oman, Ivanković's most high-profile managerial positions were at the most successful Croatian and Iranian clubs respectively, Dinamo Zagreb and Persepolis as well as one of the most successful Chinese clubs Shandong Luneng. He additionally served as both assistant coach and manager of the Iran national team, leading the team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Contents

Playing career

Ivanković spent his entire 12-season playing career at Varteks, appearing in a total of 263 matches [3] and scoring 31 goals.[ citation needed ] He then continued to work at the club by first being their secretary and then starting his coaching career.

Managerial career

Croatia national team

Ivanković then became an assistant manager to Miroslav Blažević, who led the Croatia national team to a sensational third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup finals in France. [4]

In the 1999–2000 season, he coached German club Hannover 96, which was playing in the 2. Bundesliga at the time. He briefly returned to the Croatia national team as the assistant to Mirko Jozić during the qualifications for the 2002 World Cup, before he took over the Iran national team, where he replaced Blažević, who had managed them since 2001.

Iran national team

Ivanković was appointed to the head of the Iranian team on 29 January 2002. Under Ivanković, Iran's U23 football team won the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan. [5] He remained the coach of the national team until the end of 2002, when he was replaced by Homayun Shahrokhi. [5]

Branko Ivankovic during a Persepolis match Branko Ivankovic in friendly against Paykan.jpg
Branko Ivanković during a Persepolis match

Ivanković had become very popular in Iran and the public media demanded a contract renewal, but the Football Federation was initially reluctant to appoint him as the head coach. Finally after a period of negotiations he was reappointed as the head coach of Iran on 3 October 2003. [5]

Ivanković led Iran to 2004 AFC Asian Cup third place. [6]

Ivanković also led Iran to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, the third time in the country's history (they had previously been eliminated in the first round in 1978 and 1998). [6]

2006 World Cup

Iran, at their opening game at the World Cup, matched evenly against Mexico in the first half, but conceded two goals in the second. The second match against Portugal was not successful either, with Iran conceding two late goals to lose 2–0 and being left without any chances of advancing to the second stage of the tournament, as Mexico drew against Angola on the previous evening and left Iran unreachable four points behind. So, the third group match against Angola became insignificant for Iran. Angola put themselves into the lead with the opening goal after one hour of playing. The Iranians managed to equalise fifteen minutes later, eventually scoring their only point at the 2006 World Cup since the match ended in a 1–1 draw. This point was, however, only enough for Iran to occupy the last place in their group.

After the World Cup, MPE removed the Head of the Football Federation of Iran, replacing Ivanković with Amir Qalenoei. [7] This in turn resulted a FIFA suspension for Iran's football due to political interference. [8]

Dinamo Zagreb

On 6 November 2006, Ivanković replaced Josip Kuže as the head coach of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb. He led the club to the Double in 2007 without losing a single competitive match. On 14 January 2008, he resigned as the coach of Dinamo Zagreb, mostly due to his differences with the club's executive vice-president Zdravko Mamić. [9]

Ivanković returned as the manager of Dinamo Zagreb on 21 May 2008. He replaced Zvonimir Soldo, who resigned immediately after Dinamo won the domestic double. [10]

In July 2009, Ivanković was offered the role of Persepolis manager in Iran, but he rejected the offer. [11] [12]

Shandong Luneng

On 17 December 2009, Ivanković was appointed as the new head coach of Chinese giant Shandong Luneng. [4] In his first season, he led the team to the 2010 Chinese Super League winners with a record 63 points. The team secured the qualification for 2011 AFC Champions League, but Shandong were eliminated in the first round with 7 points. Due to poor result in the Champions League, he was dismissed on 10 May 2011, seven days before crucial game with Cerezo Osaka, which they lost by a score of 0–4.

Ettifaq

On 22 July 2011, Ivanković signed a one-year contract with Ettifaq to lead the club in the 2011–12 Saudi Professional League and return club to the AFC Champions League. [13] He was sacked on 29 April 2012 after finishing the 2011–12 season in fourth. [14]

Al Wahda

In May 2012, UAE Pro-League side Al-Wahda said it signed a two-year contract with Ivanković and that he would take charge at the club in the 2012–13 season, but his contract was terminated on 27 April 2013, after a 3–4 loss to Ajman Club. [15] At the time of his dismissal, Al Wahda was ranked at the 7th place.

Return to Dinamo Zagreb

On 2 September 2013, Ivanković returned to Dinamo Zagreb, the club he led from 2006 to 2008. However, he was sacked on 21 October 2013, after just five games. [16]

Persepolis

Ivankovic in training with Persepolis at Derafshifar Stadium, 3 October 2015 Branko Ivankovic in Persepolis training, 3 October 2015.jpg
Ivanković in training with Persepolis at Derafshifar Stadium, 3 October 2015

On 5 April 2015, Ivanković was confirmed as the new manager of Persepolis, signing a 1+12-year contract with the club. [17] After good performances with the club, which left the team in the first place with six matches remaining, Ivanković extended his contract with Persepolis in April 2016 to the end of the 2017–18 season and in 2017 to the end of the 2019–20 season. After the end of the 2018–19 season, it was reported that he was signed for Ahli Jeddah [18] before returning to Croatia for his annual vacation. Ivanković announced that he will leave Persepolis on 11 June 2019. [19]

Al-Ahli

On 18 June 2019, he was confirmed signing a two-year contract with Al-Ahli. [20] On 16 September 2019, Ivanković was officially sacked after just five games due to poor results. [21] [22]

Oman

On 19 January 2020, Ivanković was announced as the head coach of the Oman national team to succeed Erwin Koeman after the latter's dismissal. [23] Under Ivanković, Oman pulled off a historic win over Japan in the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. [24] In December 2021, he extended his contract with Oman until 2023. [25]

Following Oman's group stage exit from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup without a single win, Ivanković was sacked by the Oman Football Association. [26]

China

On 24 February 2024, Ivanković was announced as the head coach of China national football team, replacing former Yugoslav compatriot Aleksandar Janković. [27]

Personal life

Branko is the younger brother of Zlatko Ivanković, who has also coached various teams in the Middle East. [28]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 19 November 2024 [29] [30]
TeamFromToRecord
GWDLWin %
Varteks July 1991June 1995116443438037.93
Rijeka August 1996March 19983013710043.33
Hannover 96 July 1999February 20003412814035.29
Iran February 2002September 200210442040.00
Iran U-23 September 2002October 20026420066.67
Iran October 2003July 2006422877066.67
Dinamo Zagreb November 2006January 2008110781418070.91
Shandong Luneng April 2010July 20113621105058.33
Ettifaq July 2011April 201242181212042.86
Al-Wahda July 2012April 20133418313052.94
Dinamo Zagreb September 2013October 20135212040.00
Persepolis April 2015June 2019175984928056.00
Al-Ahli June 2019September 20195212040.00
Oman January 2020January 202446221014047.83
China February 2024Present10325030.00
Total69736715716952.65

Honours

Manager

Iran U23

Iran

Dinamo Zagreb

Shandong Luneng

Ivankovic receiving IFF best manager award Branko Ivankovic at IFF's annual awards ceremony 01.jpg
Ivanković receiving IFF best manager award

Persepolis

Individual

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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Iran Pro League Winning Manager
2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
Succeeded by