Blaž "Baka" Slišković (; born 30 May 1959) is a Bosnian professional

football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...

and former player. He is regarded as one of the most successful Bosnian football managers. As a player, Slišković was capped 26 times for

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After retiring from playing, he became a successful manager. In July 2011, French football manager and former player,

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...

, named Slišković as one of his idols while growing up and included him in his "''All Time Best 11''" of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

Club career

During his playing days, Slišković was considered one of the most technically gifted players of his generation. In 1985, he was named the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year. He had the most success while playing for hometown club Velež Mostar and Croatian club

Hajduk Split Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, ...

. With Velež, Slišković won the

1980–81 Yugoslav Cup The 1980–81 Yugoslav Cup ( sr, Куп Југославије; hr, Kup Jugoslavije; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија); also known as " Marshal Tito Cup" (''Kup Maršala Tita''); was the 33rd season of the top ass ...

and the 1980–81 Balkans Cup, while with Hajduk he won the 1983–84 Yugoslav Cup and was also part of the Hajduk team that made it all the way to the

semi-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

of the

1983–84 UEFA Cup The 1983–84 UEFA Cup was the 13th season of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It was won by English club Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Belgian side Anderlecht ...

. Slišković was most famous while playing for French

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

club

. Even though he played only one season for the club, he showed what an unbelievable player he was and showed what a great football technician can do with a ball. After Marseille, Slišković played in Italy with

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxi ...

, before returning to France and playing for

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace af ...

and

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departmen ...

. In 1992, he returned to Italy and came back to Pescara. In 1993, Slišković left Italy and joined Croatian club Hrvatski Dragovoljac, where he stayed until 1995. Finally, in 1996 he joined Bosnian club Zrinjski Mostar, where he eventually finished his career in 1997 at the age of 38. In 2011, for the 100th anniversary of Hajduk Split, Slišković was chosen in the "''Hajduk Split Best 11 of all-time''".

International career

Although most experts expected Slišković to make a great international career, he was only capped 26 times for

. He scored three goals in the process. Slišković was prevented from playing in the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...

due to an injury, sustained in the second half during a 1981–82 Yugoslav First League match between

OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma ...

and

. He then lost his place in the

UEFA Euro 1984 The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France from 12 to 27 June 1984. It was the seventh UEFA European Championship, a competition held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. At the time, only eight countries ...

Yugoslav squad after, allegedly, a Yugoslav-printed newspaper journalist quoted Slišković incorrectly after an interview after a

friendly game Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

between Yugoslavia and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(0–2) and caused the national team head coach,

Todor Veselinović Todor "Toza" Veselinović (, ; 22 October 1930 – 17 May 2017) was a Serbian footballer and coach. He was one of the most renowned goalscorers in Yugoslavian history. Veselinović was the last surviving member of Yugoslavia's 1954 World Cup sq ...

, to drop him from the squad. His final international was a November 1986 European Championship qualification match away against England. Slišković began to play for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team after the

breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

in the early 1990s. He played three unofficial friendly games for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993 as the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in all three games.

Managerial career

Right after ending his playing career, Slišković became the new manager of Hrvatski Dragovoljac in 1997. He managed Dragovoljac until 1998, after which he joined Zrinjski Mostar. In January 1999, Slišković joined Brotnjo and won the Herzeg-Bosnia Cup with the club in May of that same year. Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team in 2002

Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team in 2002

In the winter of 2000, he left Brotnjo and became an assistant manager to

Mišo Smajlović Drago "Mišo" Smajlović (; born 28 October 1938) is a Bosnian retired professional football manager and former player. Playing career Club Smajlović began his career in Sloga, a small amateur club from Sarajevo. In 1955 he moved to the youth t ...

in the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Slišković became the head coach of the national team in March 2002, after Smajlović left the team because of his contract expiring. Slišković stayed as the head coach until 2006. In 2004, he won the award "Best Bosnia and Herzegovina Coach" by ''

Dnevni avaz ''Dnevni avaz'' (; English: Daily Voice) is the most influential and best-selling daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is published in Sarajevo. Their web portal Avaz.ba is the third most visited website in Bosnia and Herzegovina, afte ...

'' and the "Bosnia and Herzegovina Man of the Year" also in 2004. While Bosnia and Herzegovina head coach, on 24 August 2004, Slišković replaced

Ivan Katalinić Ivan Katalinić (born 17 May 1951) is a former Croatian footballer and former manager who had a successful playing career with Hajduk Split and Southampton in the 1970s and 1980s. As a member of Hajduk's famous "golden generation" of the 1970 ...

and simultaneously became the new

manager. On 10 April 2005, he got sacked at Hajduk. From 2005 until 2007, Slišković once again managed Zrinjski Mostar, making decent results. By the summer of 2008, he was appointed manager of

Albanian Superliga The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compe ...

club

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, but shortly after left the club in December of that year. In March 2010, Romanian club Unirea Alba Iulia hired Slišković until the end of the season, replacing Adrian Falub. In April 2011, he again came back to Bosnia and Herzegovina taking the manager position at Bosnian Premier League club

Široki Brijeg , , nickname = , motto = , image_map = BiH municipality location Široki Brijeg.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location o ...

, reaching the fourth position in the 2010–11 Bosnian Premier League season and qualifying for the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. On 19 January 2012,

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...

side

Qingdao Jonoon Qingdao Hainiu Football Club (, known as Hai-niu or literally Sea Bull) is a professional Chinese association football, football club that currently participates in the China League Two division under licence from the Chinese Football Associatio ...

announced that they signed a contract with Slišković to replace South Korean manager Chang Woe-ryong. From April to June 2015, he once again managed Široki Brijeg. In March 2017, Slišković again took the manager position at Zrinjski Mostar for the third time in his career, eventually leading the team to win the Bosnian Premier League in the 2016–17 season. In the 2017–18 season, he won his second league title in a row with Zrinjski. After winning two league trophies, Slišković left Zrinjski in June 2018. However, after the sacking of new manager Ante Miše, the club asked Slišković to return, which he agreed to on 13 August 2018. After the end of the 2018–19 Bosnian Premier League season, it was announced on 7 June 2019 that Slišković did not come to an agreement with the board of directors of Zrinjski on a contract extension and that he was leaving the club. Shortly after leaving Zrinjski, on 3 July 2019, Slišković became the new manager of

Hong Kong Premier League The Hong Kong Premier League () is a Hong Kong professional football league organised by the Hong Kong Football Association. It is currently sponsored by BOC Life and officially known as BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League (). The inaugural seaso ...

club Kitchee, signing a two-year contract. On 23 March 2020, he stepped down and transitioned to a consultancy role with the club. After Amar Osim got sacked as manager by Bosnian Premier League club Željezničar on 11 April 2021 due to poor results, three days later, on 14 April, Slišković was named as its new manager. In his first game as manager, Željezničar drew against Radnik Bijeljina on 18 April 2021. Slišković oversaw his first loss as Željezničar manager on 25 April 2021, in a league game against Olimpik. In his first ever Sarajevo derby, Slišković's Željezničar lost against

FK Sarajevo Fudbalski klub Sarajevo (; English: Sarajevo Football Club) is a professional football club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is one of the most successful clubs in the country. Founded on 24 October 1946, FK Sara ...

away in a league match on 1 May 2021. Slišković left Željezničar after his contract with the club expired in June 2021.

Personal life

Slišković was born in

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha M ...

FPR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Y ...

, present day Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 30 May 1959 to

Bosnian Croat The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats () are the third most populous ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnic group in the country after Bosniaks and Serbs of Bosnia and H ...

parents. He was married to

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...

handball player Svetlana Kitić. Slišković's father Vladko played for Velež Mostar for 15 years. Blaž's son Vladimir is also a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ca ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, most recently managing

China League Two The Chinese Football Association Division Two League (Simplified Chinese: 中国足球协会乙级联赛), or China League Two, is the third tier league of the People's Republic of China. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football As ...

club

Hunan Billows Hunan Billows Football Club () is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the China League Two division under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Changsha, Hunan and their home stadium is th ...

in 2017.

Career statistics

International goals

:''Scores and results list Yugoslavia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sušić goal''.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Velež Mostar *

Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...

: 1980–81 *

Balkans Cup The Balkans Cup was an international football competition for clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. It was introduced in 1961 and was very popular in the 1960s (the 1967 final attracted 42,000 spectators), being t ...

: 1980–81 Hajduk Split *

: 1983–84 Yugoslavia U21 * UEFA Euro U-21 Championship:

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 � ...

Yugoslavia *

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Individual

* Yugoslav Footballer of the Year: 1985 *

all-time first 11: 2011

Manager

Brotnjo * Herzeg-Bosnia Cup: 1998–99 Zrinjski Mostar * Bosnian Premier League: 2016–17, 2017–18

Individual

* Bosnia and Herzegovina Manager of the Year:

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

Man of the Year: 2004 * Bosnian Premier League Manager of the Season: 2017–18 *Best

Coach by ''

'': 2004

References

External links