Elvir Baljić (born 8 July 1974) 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 Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

. As a player, Baljić's biggest success was winning the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

with Spanish giant Real Madrid in the 1999–2000 season. Apart from the UEFA Champions League success, he also won the Turkish

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

with Fenerbahçe in the 2000–01 season. After ending his playing career, he became an assistant manager of Safet Sušić at the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, with whom he qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was then, the manager of back then

TFF First League The TFF 1. Lig, officially known as Spor Toto 1. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2001 as the ''Turkish Second League Category A'' after the reorganization of the ...

club Karabükspor in 2015. After Karabükspor, Baljić was also an assistant of Sušić at

Alanyaspor Alanyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Alanya in Antalya Province. Formed in 1948, the club colours are orange and green. Home matches are played at Kırbıyık Holding Stadium. The most recent club ma ...

in 2017 and at Akhisarspor in 2018. On 1 October 2019, he was named the new manager of

Bosnian Premier League The m:tel Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, m:tel Premijer liga Bosne i Hercegovine / м:тел Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), also known as Liga 12, is the top tier football league in Bosnia and He ...

club Tuzla City, officially taking over that position a day later. He left the club on 9 March 2020, terminating his contract.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

, SFR Yugoslavia, Baljić began his career with hometown club Željezničar, but in 1993, during the Bosnian War, he signed for FK Sarajevo. During his time with Sarajevo, he played eleven games, and scored eight goals. Later, he moved to Turkey where he played for

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği (), commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, the club colours are green and white, with home kits usually featuring both colours in a striped pattern. In t ...

. Baljić was the best player at the club for several seasons, which made him an interesting target for the best Turkish clubs.

Fenerbahçe

In the summer of 1998, Baljić signed a contract with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe for a €9.3 million transfer fee. He spent a season at the

Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium () (Known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi, or Ülker Stadium for short) is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is t ...

scoring 18 goals in 30 appearances as the club finished the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

in third place.

Real Madrid

Baljić's stellar performances at Fenerbahçe made the 25-year-old a target for various European clubs. Still, his €26 million transfer to Real Madrid under club president

Lorenzo Sanz Lorenzo Sanz Mancebo (9 August 1943 – 21 March 2020) was a Spanish businessman who was the 14th President of Real Madrid and a former owner of Málaga CF. Early life He was born in August 1943 in a humble family in Madrid, being the eldest ...

during summer 1999 caused a major surprise. The signing was initiated by Real Madrid's head coach

John Toshack John Benjamin Toshack (born 22 March 1949) is a Welsh former professional football player and manager. He began his playing career as a teenager with his hometown club Cardiff City, becoming the youngest player to make an appearance for the ...

who knew Baljić well from

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

as the Welshman coached Beşiktaş while the Bosnian starred for Fenerbahçe. For more than a decade, the transfer fee paid by Real to Fenerbahçe for Baljić stood as the biggest sum of money paid for a player from

ex-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 Yugo ...

, until

Edin Džeko Edin Džeko (; born 17 March 1986) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan and captains the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Džeko was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year for three years in a ...

's January 2011 move from

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...

to Manchester City for £27 million (€32 million). Just before the start of the 1999-2000 season in Spanish top flight, Baljić suffered rupture of both pairs of cruciate ligaments in his left knee, anterior (ACL) and posterior (PCL), after which he underwent surgery and was put off the field for prolonged rehabilitation. Subsequent loss of form caused Baljić's Real stint to turn sour pretty much immediately. Throughout the 1999–00 season, he made only 11 league appearances (8 of them as substitute), scoring just 1 goal. He never managed to secure a first team place, and the November 1999 sacking of Toshack followed by the arrival of new head coach

Vicente del Bosque Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...

, marginalized Baljić even further. At the season's end, del Bosque included Baljić in the 18-man squad he took to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

for the 2000 Champions League Final, but did not give him a single minute of action as Real beat compatriots

Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...

. During the 2000 summer transfer window, Baljić was sent back to Fenerbahçe on a loan deal.

Loan spells at Fenerbahçe and Rayo Vallecano

Baljić spent the entire 2000–01 season back at his old stomping grounds with Fenerbahçe. He simultaneously managed to recover some of his old form with 5 goals in 27 league appearances as Fenerbahçe won the Turkish

. In the following 2001–02 season, he got a chance to showcase his abilities closer to the club that still held his rights as he got loaned to

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Li ...

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

, based within the city of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

. Baljić actually insisted on joining Rayo due to its proximity to Real as he had his eye on getting a fresh opportunity with the big club in the future. For their part, Real Madrid obliged and managed to hammer out a loan deal with Rayo. Also, there he joined countrymen and friends

Elvir Bolić Elvir Bolić (; born 10 October 1971) is a Bosnian former footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his 18-year professional career in Turkey, appearing for seven clubs including Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. He also played three ye ...

and

Emir Granov Emir Granov (born 17 February 1976 in Sarajevo) is a retired Bosnian-Herzegovinian footballer. International career He made his debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in an August 1999 friendly match away against Liechtenstein and has earned a total o ...

, which Baljić cited as another reason he wanted to be at Rayo. At times they formed a forward line 'Baljić, Bolić and Bolo' along with a Basque who also had a similar name. However, the move did not do much to improve Baljić's standing at the Bernabéu as more injuries, poor form, and even disciplinary issues followed with only one league goal from 10 appearances. During the 2002 summer transfer window, Baljić's Real contract was terminated and he again transferred back to Turkey - this time to

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

. Due to his substantial price tag and the subsequent high-profile failure at Madrid, Baljić's acquisition by Real features consistently and prominently on various "worst-ever signing" lists.

Galatasaray and later career

Baljić turned just 28 years of age when he began his

stint, but it soon became clear his best days were far behind him. His form was average at best and his overall interest in football seemed to be decreasing by the day. He said that he would retire on several occasions, but every time he would come back. In December 2004, he left Galatasaray and in January 2005, signed with

Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya. They are better known as Konyaspor. In 1922 Konyaspor were founded with the name Konya Gençlerbirliği and have played at their current home stadium ...

. After only half a season at Konyaspor, Baljić left the club and took a break from football at only the age of 31. Baljić came back to the sport in January 2006, when he signed for Turkish side

MKE Ankaragücü MKE Ankaragücü or fully Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Ankaragücü (), is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Ankara. The football team wears a yellow and navy kit and plays its home matches at Eryaman Stadium following the closure of t ...

. In the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, he played for

İstanbulspor İstanbulspor is a Turkish football and sports club founded by Istanbul High School students in 1926. In 2004–05 they were relegated from the Turkish Süper Lig (Super League) to TFF 1. Lig. For many decades it was the fourth most famous and ...

, before deciding to finish his career in July 2008 at the age of 34.

International career

Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team in 2002

Baljić's international career was prolific. He made his debut for

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 H ...

in an April 1996

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

and has earned a total of 38 caps, scoring 14 goals. He will be remembered as the first, and for now only, player who scored four goals in a single official match for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an away game of the Group 9, during the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifications, between

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 9 October, just a couple of weeks after he signed a contract with Real Madrid. The final result was 1–4. His final international was a March 2005 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Lithuania.

Managerial career

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Almost two years after finishing his playing career, in February 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina's national team manager Safet Sušić revealed that Baljić would be one of his assistants. While as an assistant, Baljić was part of the historic achievement of the national team, which was qualification to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Baljić left the national team in 2014 with Sušić's departure.

Karabükspor

On 2 October 2015, Baljić became the new manager of Turkish

club Karabükspor. Less than three months later, on 21 December 2015, he resigned from the position of Karabükspor manager after a 3–0 loss against

Adanaspor Adanaspor is a Turkish professional football club based in Adana, currently performing at the TFF First League. The club is founded in 1954 by the middle-class merchants and artisans in response to the alienation within city's then most popular c ...

, which was the club's third loss in a row in all competitions and second in a row in the league.

Konyaspor and Akhisarspor

During 2017 and 2018, Baljić had a roll as assistant manager of Safet Sušić again, and during that period, was the assistant at

club

in 2017 and one more Süper Lig club Akhisarspor in 2018.

Tuzla City

On 1 October 2019, it was announced that Baljić became the new manager of

club Tuzla City. The next day, on 2 October, Baljić officially took over the role of manager of Tuzla City, signing a three-year contract with the club. In his first game as Tuzla City manager, the club beat Zvijezda 09 at home 3–0 in a league match on 5 October 2019. He suffered his first loss with Tuzla on 19 October 2019, after the club lost to Radnik Bijeljina at home 0–3 in another league match. In his first

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, e ...

derby, Baljić's team drew against city rivals Sloboda Tuzla 1–1 on 30 November 2019. On 9 March 2020, Baljić decided to terminate his contract with Tuzla City because of poor results, which culminated with an away 1–0 league loss against Željezničar the day earlier.

Career statistics

International goals

:''Scores and results list Bosnia and Herzegovina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Baljić goal.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Real Madrid *

: 1999–2000 Fenerbahçe *

: 2000–01

Individual

Awards * Bosnian Footballer of the Year: 1998, 1999 * Turkish Footballer of the Year: 1998

References

External links