Ivan Jurić (; born 25 August 1975) is a Croatian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

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 i ...

who is the manager of Italian Serie A club

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

. During his playing career, he usually operated as

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, and after starting his career at

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

, he later played for

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

and

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

. He was also called up for

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

five times in 2009. As a coach, he has spent the majority of his managerial career in Italy, leading Genoa,

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

and

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

in Serie A. He moved to

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

in December 2024, before leaving the club in April 2025. He returned to Serie A as Atalanta manager in June 2025.

Playing career

Club career

Born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

, Jurić started his career with

, where he made his debut in 1993. He then moved to Spain to join

in July 1997. Following promotion from the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

in 1998–99, he made his

debut on 7 November 1999 as a 68th-minute substitute for

Nicolás Olivera Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

in a goalless home draw with

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

, and was sent off. His first goal in the division came on 19 March 2000, in a 4–0 home win over Numancia, played in

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Sp ...

due to crowd trouble at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. He totalled 12 games that season as his team were relegated in last place, his other goal coming on the final day in a 3–2 home loss 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 the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish foot ...

. In January 2001, Jurić joined fellow second-tier Spanish club

Albacete Albacete ( , , ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the area around the city is known as Los Llan ...

, who beat

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...

to his signature. He played 20 games in his one season at the

Estadio Carlos Belmonte Estadio Carlos Belmonte is a multi-purpose stadium in Albacete, Spain. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Albacete Balompié. History The stadium holds 17,524 and was built in 1960. It replaced the ageing Campo de ...

, scoring on 18 February to open a 2–1 home win over

Real Murcia Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in , playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condo ...

. After a short time back in Croatia with

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

, he moved to Italy in 2001 to join

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

team

Crotone Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...

, and then moved to Genoa in 2006, following his mentor Gian Piero Gasperini, his former head coach at Crotone. He announced his retirement in June 2010, at the age of 34, and announced his interest in becoming a football coach.

International career

Jurić made his international debut for

in a friendly match against

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

on 11 February 2009, when he was 33. He played for the national team five times, without scoring any goals. His final international was a September 2009 World Cup qualification match against

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Coaching career

Early career

After retiring as a footballer, Jurić stayed at Genoa as a youth team coach for the 2010–11 season. He passed the UEFA A coaching exam in June 2011. On 5 July 2011, new

Inter Inter may refer to: Association football clubs * Inter Milan, an Italian club * SC Internacional, a Brazilian club * Inter Miami CF, an American club * Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club * FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club * FC Inter Turku, ...

manager Gian Piero Gasperini unveiled Jurić as one of his first team coaches, but by September of that year, Gasperini's entire staff, including Jurić, was sacked. He reunited with Gasperini in September 2012, working alongside him at

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

as assistant coach. On 17 June 2014, Jurić became head coach of Mantova on a two-year contract. His

side won promotion in 2015–16 season to the top flight

for the 2016–17 season for the first time in the club's history.

Genoa

On 28 June 2016, Jurić was appointed as head coach of

. Despite victories against

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

and

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

, he was sacked on 19 February 2017, after a 0–5 defeat against bottom-placed

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

. He was reinstated as Genoa manager on 10 April 2017, after the sacking of

Andrea Mandorlini Andrea Mandorlini (born 17 July 1960) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. Playing career Mandorlini made his playing debut on 4 February 1979 with Torino. He left Torino in 1980 to join then-Serie B team Atalanta. Aft ...

. Jurić guided Genoa to safety with one game to spare, following a 2–1 victory against

. The following season, he was dismissed again on 5 November 2017, following a 2–0 defeat in the

Derby della Lanterna The , Italian for the "Derby of the Lighthouse", is Genoa's local derby, played by Genoa and Sampdoria. It takes place at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, which both clubs share. Background The derby's name is derived from the Torre della Lanterna, ...

. On 9 October 2018, he was appointed manager of Genoa for a third time. On 6 December 2018, he was sacked again after losing to third tier

Virtus Entella Virtus Entella, commonly referred to as Entella, is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in Chiavari, Liguria. Founded in 1914, the club currently competes in the . Entella will play in Serie B 2025/26 after winning ...

on penalties in the

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

Hellas Verona

In July 2019, he was appointed manager at newly promoted

club

. During his tenure, he guided the club to back-to-back top-half finishes in the league. On 28 May 2021, Hellas Verona released him from contract.

Torino

On the day of his departure from Hellas Verona, Jurić was unveiled as the new head coach of

, effective 1 July 2021. After three mid-table seasons with Torino, Jurić amicably parted ways with the club at the end of the 2023–24 campaign.

Roma

On 18 September 2024, Jurić became the new head coach of

, following the sacking of

Daniele De Rossi Daniele De Rossi (; born 24 July 1983) is an Italian football manager and former professional player. As a football player, he is known for his long career with hometown club Roma, as well as winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy. De Ros ...

who had secured mere three points in the first four games of the season. Jurić failed to turn the team's fortunes and was regularly criticized for his management style and poor results. He was eventually dismissed on 10 November 2024, after a 2–3 home loss to

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

which left Roma 20th in the Europa League table and only four points above the relegation zone in Serie A.

Southampton

On 21 December 2024, Jurić was named manager of

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

and signed an 18-month contract. His first game in charge was a 0–1 home defeat against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

on 26 December. On 12 January 2025, Jurić secured his first competitive victory in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

with a 3–0 win against

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. He secured his first Premier League victory on 1 February with a 2–1 away win against Ipswich Town, which, ultimately, ended up being his only win in the Premier League. Following a 3–1 defeat against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

on 6 April, Southampton were relegated to the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

with seven games remaining, becoming the earliest team to suffer relegation in Premier League history. Upon reaching an agreement with the club, Jurić stepped down as manager on 7 April.

Atalanta

On 6 June 2025, Jurić was appointed manager of

, signing a contract until 2027.

Managerial style

Jurić is often considered a coaching disciple of Gian Piero Gasperini, having played under him and started his coaching career as his assistant. He displays a similar tactical philosophy consisting of a high-intensity, aggressive approach both with and without the ball, overlapping full-backs and quick transitions. Tactically, he prefers the 3–4–2–1 formation, with an emphasis on discipline.

Personal life

Jurić is a self-described metalhead, with a passion for

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

music in particular. In a 2010 interview with the Italian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', he cited

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...

Obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...

Carcass Carcass or Carcase (both pronounced ) may refer to: * Dressed carcass, the body of a livestock animal ready for butchery, after removal of skin, visceral organs, head, feet etc. *Carrion, the decaying dead body of an animal or human being, also c ...

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

, Ministry,

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially ...

, and

Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 1996. To date the band has release ...

as some of his favourite artists. He occasionally goes to rock and metal live shows.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Coach

Individual * Panchina d'Argento: 2015–16

References

External links

* *
Ivan Jurić at AIC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juric, Ivan 1975 births Living people Footballers from Split, Croatia Men's association football midfielders Croatian men's footballers Croatia men's youth international footballers Croatia men's under-21 international footballers Croatia men's international footballers HNK Hajduk Split players Sevilla FC players Albacete Balompié players HNK Šibenik players FC Crotone players Genoa CFC players Croatian Football League players La Liga players Segunda División players Serie A players Serie B players Croatian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Croatian football managers Mantova 1911 managers FC Crotone managers Genoa CFC managers Hellas Verona FC managers Torino FC managers AS Roma managers Southampton F.C. managers Atalanta BC managers Serie A managers Serie B managers Premier League managers Croatian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Italy Croatian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate football managers in England Inter Milan non-playing staff