Željko Buvač
 Željko Buvač (centre), sitting between Stephan Kuhnert and Jürgen Klopp | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Željko Buvač | ||
| Date of birth | 13 September 1961 | ||
| Place of birth | Prijedor, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 3 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Liverpool (assistant manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1985–1986 | Rudar Ljubija | 2 | (1) |
| 1986–1991 | Borac Banja Luka | 100 | (14) |
| 1991–1992 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 21 | (8) |
| 1992–1995 | Mainz 05 | 90 | (13) |
| 1995–1998 | Neukirchen | 98 | (11) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1998–2001 | Neukirchen | ||
| 2001–2008 | Mainz 05 (assistant manager) | ||
| 2008–2015 | Borussia Dortmund (assistant manager) | ||
| 2013– | Republika Srpska | ||
| 2015– | Liverpool (assistant manager) | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Željko Buvač (Serbian Cyrillic: Жељко Бувач; born 13 September 1961) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Premier League club Liverpool. Current Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp described Buvač as "the brain" in his coaching team, and he has been credited for developing the high-speed attacking style that brought success at Borussia Dortmund.[1]
Club career
Born in Omarska,[2] SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, still within Yugoslavia, Buvač played for Borac Banja Luka[2] in the Yugoslav First League. While playing for this club, in 1988, he won the Yugoslav Cup.
In 1991 he moved to Germany and played with FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt and 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the 2. Bundesliga[3]
Management career
After retiring, he became a manager. Buvač finished his playing career with SC Neukirchen in 1998, and he took charge of the club soon after hanging up his boots. In 2001, after three seasons at SC Neukirchen, he became assistant manager of another of his former clubs, 1. FSV Mainz 05, where he joined friend, former teammate, and Mainz manager Jürgen Klopp. During his seven years at the club they achieved promotion to the Bundesliga, and later earned European qualification.
In 2008 he moved with Klopp to become assistant manager at Borussia Dortmund.[4] Described by Klopp as his "right hand" Buvač helped lead Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga wins in 2011 and 2012, as well as the DFB-Pokal in 2012, the DFL-Supercup in 2008, 2013 and 2014, and their second appearance in a Champions League final in 2013.[5] In 2013, while still at Dortmund, Buvač also became the head coach of Republika Srpska.[2]
In October 2015 he joined newly appointed manager Klopp, and took up the role of assistant manager at Premier League club Liverpool.[6][1]
References
- 1 2 "Jurgen Klopp assistant Zeljko Buvac joins coaching staff at Liverpool". 14 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 "A" national team at Football Association of Republika Srpska official website, retrieved 26-5-2015 (Serbian)
- ↑ Željko Buvač profile at Fussballdaten
- ↑ "Željko Buvač". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ↑ "Borussia Dortmund" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ↑ "Klopp dines out with staff after signing three-year deal". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 12 October 2015.