Juan Pablo Vojvoda Rizzo (born 13 January 1975) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a central defender. He is the manager of Racing Club.
Playing career Born in General Baldissera but raised in Cruz Alta, Vojvoda joined Newell's Old Boys' youth setup at the age of 14. He made his senior debut with the main squad in 1995, and went on to feature regularly in the following seven seasons, never establishing himself as a regular starter.
In 2002 Vojvoda moved abroad, after signing for Segunda División side SD Compostela on loan for one year. He stayed in the country for the following six seasons, representing Algeciras CF, Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa and CD Baza.
Vojvoda returned to his home country on 15 July 2009, joining Tiro Federal of the Primera B Nacional. He subsequently played for Sportivo Belgrano and Sarmiento de Leones, retiring with the latter in 2013 at the age of 38.
Managerial career Newell's Old Boys
Shortly after retiring, Vojvoda took up coaching, being in charge of the youth categories of his first club, Newell's. On 10 July 2015, he was named manager of the club's reserve side. He was also an interim manager of the first team for two occasions: in 2016 and in 2017.
Defensa y Justicia On 7 October 2017, Vojvoda was named manager of Defensa y Justicia. He left the club on 28 May 2018, after receiving an offer from fellow league team Talleres de Córdoba.
Talleres de Córdoba Vojvoda was announced as manager of Talleres on 28 May 2018, just hours after leaving Defensa. On 23 May 2019, he agreed to leave the club on a mutual agreement.
Huracán In May 2019, Vojvoda was appointed manager of Club Atlético Huracán for the 2019–20 season.Se presentó Juan Pablo Vojvoda en el Palacio, cahuracan.com, 3 June 2019 He was sacked on 15 September, after a 4–0 loss to River Plate and only one win in seven matches.
Unión La Calera
Vojvoda took over the Chilean Primera División side Unión La Calera on 30 December 2019. He led the club to the second position of the 2020 Chilean Primera División, qualifying the club to the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history.
On 18 February 2021, Vojvoda left La Calera by mutual agreement.
Fortaleza
On 4 May 2021, Vojvoda was appointed head coach of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fortaleza. He won the first title of his career late in the month, as the club defeated rivals Ceará to lift the 2021 Campeonato Cearense.
Vojvoda led Fortaleza to their first ever qualification to the Copa Libertadores, after finishing in an impressive fourth position in the 2021 Série A. He lifted a second consecutive title of the Cearense in 2022, and also won the year's Copa do Nordeste.
Vojvoda led Fortaleza to a second consecutive Libertadores qualification after finishing eighth in the 2022 Série A, despite ending the first round of the tournament in last position. He renewed his contract with the club until 2024 on 18 November 2022, and won the 2023 Campeonato Cearense, his fourth accolade while in charge of Leão.
On 14 July 2025, Vojvoda was sacked from Fortaleza after a nine-winless match run.
Santos On 22 August 2025, Vojvoda was announced as head coach of fellow Brazilian top-tier side Santos on a contract until December 2026. He avoided relegation with the club, but was sacked on 19 March 2026, hours after a 2–1 home loss to Internacional which led him to a run of seven winless matches.
Personal life Born in Argentina, Vojvoda is of Croatian and Italian descent and holds an Italian passport.
Career statistics ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsNewell's Old Boys1995–96Primera División80———801996–9780———801997–98200———2001998–99241———2411999–2000192———1922000–01251———2512001–02220———220Subtotal1264———1264Compostela (loan)2002–03Segunda División28010——290Algeciras2003–04Segunda División21010——2202004–05Segunda División B34010——350Subtotal55020——570Cultural Leonesa2005–06Segunda División B320———320Baza2006–07Segunda División B342———3422007–08350——2Appearance(s) in relegation play-offs03702008–09Tercera División379———379Subtotal10611——2010811Tiro Federal2009–10Primera B Nacional340———340Sportivo Belgrano2010–11Torneo Argentino A440———4402011–1236120——381Subtotal80120——8212012–13Torneo Argentino B241———241Career total4851750002049217
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure TeamNatFromToRecordNewell's Old Boys (caretaker)16 February 201622 February 2016Newell's Old Boys (caretaker)4 June 201727 June 2017 Defensa y Justicia12 October 201730 June 2018 Talleres1 July 201823 May 2019 Huracán1 June 201915 September 2019Unión La Calera1 January 202018 February 2021Fortaleza5 May 202114 July 2025Santos22 August 202519 March 2026Racing Club22 June 202628 September 2026Total —
Honours Manager Fortaleza Campeonato Cearense: 2021, 2022, 2023 Copa do Nordeste: 2022, 2024
References
External links