Tomislav Piplica

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Tomislav Piplica
2022-11-11 Borussia Dortund II gegen FC Erzgebirge Aue (3. Liga 2022-23) by Sandro Halank-300 (cropped).jpg
Piplica in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth (1969-04-05) 5 April 1969 (age 56)
Place of birth Bugojno, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Youth career
Iskra Bugojno
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1981–1989 Iskra Bugojno
1989–1991 NK Zagreb
1991–1992 Istra 15 (0)
1993–1997 Segesta 115 (4)
1997–1998 Samobor 14 (0)
1998–2009 Energie Cottbus 248 (0)
2012–2015 FC Eilenburg 28 (0)
International career
1987 Yugoslavia U20
2001–2002 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 (0)
Managerial career
2009–2011 Energie Cottbus (gk coach/scout)
2010–2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina (gk coach)
2012–2013 FC Eilenburg (Co-Manager)
2012 → Hartenfels Torgau 04 (Interim)
2013–2015 FC Eilenburg
2016–2017 FSV Wacker 90 Nordhausen
2020–2021 SpVgg Bayreuth II
2024 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig (caretaker)
Medal record
Representing Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg FIFA U-20 World Cup 1987
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tomislav Piplica (born 5 April 1969) is a Bosnian football manager who formerly played as goalkeeper. His nickname is "Pipi" and he is considered to be a cult-goalkeeper, in Germany as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [1]

Contents

Playing career

Club

Piplica has played in his career for NK Iskra Bugojno, NK Zagreb, NK Istra 1961, HNK Segesta, NK Samobor and FC Energie Cottbus. [1] [2]

He is famous not only as a cult-goalkeeper. [1] but also for well known goalkeeping blunders. [3] He is especially well remembered for his own goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2002, in which he appeared to head the ball into his own net, after standing rooted to his line. [4] In this particular game Energie Cottbus was leading 3–2, but with four minutes to go, Piplica's howler leveled the game at 3–3, and it finished that way.

Nevertheless, Piplica has a cult status with Energie fans, who nicknamed him "Pipi", and for the club president Ulrich Lepsch who claims that he was always special with special status in Cottbus. [1]

He is also remembered for saving a penalty against legendary Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn in 2002. Bayern was leading 6-0 against Cottbus when Bayern was awarded a penalty. Kahn stepped up and attempted to score the first ever goal of his career but he was denied by Piplica and later retired without a scored goal. [5]

Until the end of 2012, Piplica held the post of sports director of SC Hartenfels Torgau 04 and he also helped as a coach. [6] On 9 November 2012, Piplica announced at the age of 43 years his playing comeback as a goalkeeper in the sixth division side FC Eilenburg, [7] as their goalkeeper had broken his arm in an accident.

International

As a teenager Piplica was part of the Yugoslavian squad that won the 1987 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. However, as a backup goalkeeper to Dragoje Leković, he didn't get a single minute of action throughout the six matches.

Piplica made his senior debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a March 2001 World Cup qualification match against Austria in Sarajevo and has earned a total of 8 caps. His final international was an August 2002 friendly match against Serbia and Montenegro. [8]

Coaching career

After retiring he was named as scout and goalkeeper coach of his last club FC Energie Cottbus on 24 June 2009. [9] On 12 February 2010, he was additionally named as the new goalkeeper coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team. [10] On 15 October 2013, Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for FIFA World Cup 2014.

On 5 January 2010, Piplica received his UEFA Pro Licence in Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina's educational facility in Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. [11]

Besides Bosnia, as a head coach, he coached FC Eilenburg, SC Hartenfels Torgau 04, FSV Wacker 90 Nordhausen as well as the reserves of SpVgg Bayreuth. [12] He also worked as a youth team coach at Carl Zeiss Jena. [13] In February 2024, he became caretaker manager of 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. [14]

Personal life

He holds dual Bosnian and Croatian citizenship. His son Zak Paulo Piplica is footballer and plays for 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. [15]

Honours

Player

Iskra Bugojno

Zagreb

Yugoslavia Youth

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Kult-Keeper wird Torwart-Trainer, Scout und Klub-Repräsentant" (in German). bild.de. 24 June 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "Tomislav Piplica – "hautnah" bei torwart.de (20.10.07)" (in German). torwart.de. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "Tomislav Piplica has a Habit of Making Goalkeeper Blunders". theoffside.com. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  4. ↑ ""Unheimlicher Bock" von Piplica" (in German). spiegel.de. 7 April 2002. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  5. ↑ "Als Kahn gegen Cottbus-Legende Piplica einen Elfmeter verschoss" (in German). Watson. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Braune, Marcel (8 January 2013). "Piplica tritt zurück". Torgauer Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  7. ↑ Brenner, Helmut (8 November 2012). "Pipi bleibt weiter unser Trainer". Torgauer Zeitung (in German).
  8. ↑ "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Tomislav Piplica bleibt Energie treu" (in German). goal.com. 24 June 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Tomislav Piplica wird Co-Trainer in Bosnien" (in German). Focus Online. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  11. ↑ "Profesionalne licence Barbarezu, Piplici i kolegama" (in Bosnian). 5 January 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  12. ↑ German career stats - FuPa
  13. ↑ Lehmann, Jan; Noack, Frank (26 May 2020). "Energie Cottbus: Das machen die Aufstiegshelden heute". Lausitzer Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  14. ↑ 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig trennt sich von Almedin Civa - 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig
  15. ↑ André Schmidt (3 March 2024). "Sohn von Kult-Keeper trifft für Lok Leipzig: Darum sprang ich meinem Papa in die Arme" (in German). Bild.de . Retrieved 13 April 2024.
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