Tomislav Ivić (; 30 June 1933 – 24 June 2011) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport proclaimed him as the most successful football manager in history, due to his seven league titles won in five countries. He is also one of six managers—along with Carlo Ancelotti, José Mourinho, Giovanni Trapattoni, Ernst Happel and Eric Gerets—to have won top-flight domestic league championships in at least four countries.
Playing career Tomislav Ivić played as a midfielder and joined the youth team at RNK Split in 1950, before being promoted to the senior team in 1953, where he made 125 league appearances before leaving in 1957.
He then joined Hajduk Split but only recorded eleven league appearances between 1957 and 1963.
Managerial career Ivić managed teams in 14 countries along with four national teams, and he won titles and cups in seven countries: Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and France. Ivić never won the league title in Greece.ο μεγάλος Τόμισλαβ Ίβιτς 25 June 2011, ag sport-fm.gr (in Greek)
Ivić won seven top flight championships (three in Yugoslavia and one each in the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and France); six national cups (four in Yugoslavia and one each in Spain and Portugal); an UEFA Super Cup and an Intercontinental Cup.
In Croatia, Ivić coached RNK Split, Hajduk Split, Dinamo Zagreb and (in one match replacing suspended Miroslav Blažević) the Croatia national team; in the Netherlands, Ajax; in Belgium, Anderlecht and Standard Liège; in Turkey, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe; in Italy, Avellino; in Greece, Panathinaikos; in Portugal, Porto and Benfica; in France, Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille (the latter, his last club before retiring in 2002); in Spain, Atlético Madrid; in the United Arab Emirates, Al Wasl and the UAE national team; and in Iran, Persepolis and the Iran national selection.
Early years Ivić's coaching career began with a year-long engagement in RNK Split from 1967 to 1968. In that season, his team finished 8th in the Yugoslav Second League West Division. From 1968 to 1972, he was the coach at the Hajduk Split Academy. At the end of the 1971-72 season, he replaced Slavko Luštica as Hajduk Split's first team manager. His first and only game was a 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the 1972 Yugoslav Cup Final. The season after, he was coaching the then second division team HNK Šibenik, finishing 5th.
Hajduk Split In 1973, Ivić came back as coach. He knew what potential lay in the youngsters who had been in his charge at the academy, and immediately gave many of them a taste of first-team action. The talented youngster such as Vedran Rožić, Šime Luketin, and Slaviša Žungul developed to be key players under Ivic.
In the 1973-1974 season, Hajduk Split won the double for the first time in their history. The team finished 1st in the league with the same points collected with Velež Mostar but a better Goal difference. Hajduk Split defeated Red Star Belgrade in the final of the 1973 Yugoslav Cup. Hajduk Split successfully defended both titles and won the double for 2 years in a row. In the European Cup, they were eliminated in the Second Round by Saint-Étienne.
In the 1975-1976 season, the title race was very intense and emotional. On matchday 27th, there was a match between Hajduk Split, second in the league, and Partizan, the league leader at the time. Ivić's team dominated the game and managed to crush them 6-1 on their home ground. That game represents "the Hajduk Split golden generation" and Ivić's total football tactic. Hajduk Split and Partizan battled it out until the last match of the season, in which Hajduk Split unexpectedly drew with OFK Beograd but that was enough for them to qualify as champion as Partizan still could not beat Olimpija in the 90th minute. However, the referee extended the game until Partizan ultimately scored and was crowned champion. The team's performance in the European Cup was improved, Hajduk Split beat Floriana and Molenbeek on their way to face PSV Eindhoven in the quarter final. They got eliminated in extra time. Ivić left Hajduk Split at the end of the season.
Ajax
Ivić joined Ajax in 1976, he guided them to their 17th Eredivisie in his first season. Ajax was eliminated from the UEFA Cup in the first round after a 2-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford, despite winning 1-0 at home. In the 1977-78 season, Ajax finished second in Eredivisie and lost the final of the KNVB Cup to AZ. Ajax returned to compete in the European Cup, eliminated by Juventus in the quarter final. During his 2 seasons with Ajax, Ivić had his team play counter-attack style which was against the club's culture.Tomislav Ivic Ajax.nl A group of players led by Ruud Krol initially opposed his style but later believed in his approach. He left Ajax at the end of the season to rejoin Hajduk Split.
Third stint at Hajduk Split Ivić returned to Hajduk Split for the third time in 1978. He won another yugoslav league title in his first season back, the club first league title since he done it in the 1974-75 season. Ivić's team stayed strong in the second half of the season after Slaviša Žungul left for the United States in December 1978. In the 1979-80 season, Hajduk Split was underperforming. They were knocked out in the first round of the Yugoslav Cup, and after seven winless games from April to June, the team sat in fifth of the table and ended the season there. Ivić left Hajduk Split, marking the end of their golden generation.
Anderlecht Ivić joined Anderlecht in the summer of 1980. He introduced a defensive style of football as he had done with Ajax, but with high pressing. Anderlecht lost multiple key players that summer, including Rob Rensenbrink, Gilbert Van Binst, François Van der Elst and Nico de Bree. Ivić brought in Morten Olsen and transformed him to become a libero.Steegen, D. & Van Loock, S. (2008) 100 jaar Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht. Leuven: Uitgeverij Van Halewyck In his first season, Anderlecht became champions for the first time in seven years, with an eleven-point lead over second place Lokeren.
The following season, Anderlecht lost their first Belgian Super Cup to Standard Liège. They finished second in the league, two points behind Standard Liège. In the European Cup, Ivić's team made an impressive performance. They beat Trapattoni's Juventus in the second round and Red Star Belgrade in the quarter final, then was eliminated in the semi-final by the event champion, Aston Villa.
In the summer of 1982, chairman Constant Vanden Stock brought the Belgian national team's striker duo, Erwin Vandenbergh and Alexandre Czerniatynski to Anderlecht. However, Ivić did not agree because he thought the duo would not suit his system.Van Loock, S. (2004) Michel Verschueren: De zilveren vos van Anderlecht. Leuven: Uitgeverij Van Halewyck Anderlecht has struggled to deliver good results, they lost 4-1 to Standard Liège on the seventh matchday and dropped to seventh in the table. After a 2–1 defeat against Waregem on the eighth matchday, Ivić was dismissed and replaced by Paul Van Himst.
Galatasaray Ivić joined Galatasaray in 1983, He coached them for one season. Galatasaray finished third in the Turkish First Football League and were eliminated in quarter final of the Turkish Cup. He parted ways with the club at the end of the season.
Brief spell at Benfica Ivić arrived on July 17, 1984, to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson. However, he left on August 1 without signing a contract because the board refused to pay him in dollars. During that brief spell, he managed only one friendly match and Pál Csernai named to be his successor.
Dinamo Zagreb Ivić returned to Yugoslavia in 1984, this time to join Dinamo Zagreb. Unfortunately, Dinamo Zagreb finished outside the top five, meaning they did not qualify for European football. After a poor result, Ivić was dismissed before the season ended. Zdenko Kobešćak took over as an interim coach and reached the 1984–85 Yugoslav Cup final.
Avellino On July 11, 1985, Avellino presented Tomislav Ivić as the club's technical director. Despite his role, he would be on the bench in every match like a coach. He was supported by the Italian Enzo Robotti, who was officially a coach. After a poor start to the season, he was accused of having issues with the players and a lack of knowledge of Italian football. Avellino was fighting hard to avoid relegation, they earned some good results against big teams such as a 1-0 win over Inter and Roma and a draw with AC Milan and Juventus. The two defeats in February and a draw against Pisa, the other relegation battle team, resulted in Avellino being fourth-last on the table with one point over the relegation zone. Ivić was sacked on 24th February 1986 and Robotti continued his role until the end of the season. There was a report that Ivić did not expect to be sacked and Avellino's fans were furious with the board's decision.
Panathinaikos On June 10, 1986, Panathinaikos announced that Tomislav Ivić had been appointed as the club's new manager. After one win in six matches in the league, and being knocked out in the first round of the European Cup, he was dismissed on November 2 after about five months in the job.
Fourth stint at Hajduk Split Ivić returned for a brief spell as Hajduk Split manager in 1987, following the end of the 1986–87 season, succeeding Josip Skoblar, who had moved to HSV Hamburg. However, before the start of the 1987–88 season, Ivić left to join Porto. Marin Kovačić was appointed as his successor.
Porto FC Porto appointed Tomislav Ivić as their new manager for the 1987–88 campaign, succeeding Artur Jorge, who had just led the club to a European Cup victory the previous season. Under Ivić, Porto began the season by winning the European Super Cup against Ajax. The team continued their international success by beating Peñarol 2-1 to claim the Intercontinental Cup for the first time in club history. In the Primeira Divisão, the Dragons finished first with a 15-point lead over second place Benfica, suffering only a single defeat. They also managed to win the 1987–88 Taça de Portugal, defeating Vitória de Guimarães in the final. Despite their domestic and global dominance, FC Porto was eliminated by Real Madrid only in round of 16 of the European cup. Ultimately, the team finished the season with a total of four trophies, first time of the club's history. FC Porto's forward at that time, Fernando Gomes, considers him as one of the best coaches of his career.
Paris Saint-Germain After Paris Saint-Germain's disastrous 1987–88 season, the club made a managerial change by appointing Ivić as their new manager. The team performed well in the league, spending most of the season in first or second place. However, their performance dropped after entering the new calendar year of 1989; the team managed only 4 wins from their remaining 14 matches, ultimately finishing second at the end of the 1988–89 campaign. The 1989 summer transfer window featured several high-profile signings, including 1984 Euro winners Yvon Le Roux and Daniel Bravo. Additionally, Zlatko Vujović arrived from Cannes to reunite with Ivić, following their time together at Hajduk. Despite an impressive transfer window, the team enjoyed less success than the previous year, finishing fifth in the league and being knocked out of the 1989–90 UEFA Cup in the second round. As a result, Ivić left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.
Atlético Madrid