Vahid Halilhodžić
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Vahid Halilhodžić (; born 15 May 1952) 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 beg ...
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 ...
. He is regarded as one of the most controversially successful Bosnian football managers, due to his successful tenure in coaching various national teams yet having problematic relations with his teams and players due to different approaches. Regarded as one of the best Yugoslav players, Halilhodžić had successful playing spells with Velež Mostar and French clubs
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
and
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
before retiring in 1987. During that time, he earned 15 full international caps for
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
and was part of national squads who won the 1978 European Under-21 Championship and played at 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 from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national footbal ...
. He was top scorer of the French league in 1983 and 1985. In the early 1990s, Halilhodžić turned to coaching and, after a short stint as a sporting director at Velež, permanently moved to France in 1993 after fleeing war-torn Bosnia with his family. Since then, he managed a number of teams in French-speaking countries and his achievements include winning the
1997 CAF Champions League The 1997 CAF Champions League was the 33rd season of Africa's premier club association football, football tournament organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF, and the inaugural season under the revamped ''CAF Champions League'' title a ...
with Moroccan side
Raja Casablanca Raja Club Athletic, widely known as Raja Casablanca or simply Raja, is a Football team, football club based in Casablanca, Morocco, that competes in Botola, the top flight of Moroccan football league system, Moroccan football. Founded on 20 M ...
, leading French side
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
from second level to third place in Ligue 1 in less than three years, winning the 2003–04 Coupe de France with Paris Saint-Germain, and winning the Croatian league in 2011 with
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
. Halilhodžić also qualified for the 2010 World Cup with
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
(although he was sacked only months before the final tournament) and the 2014 World Cup with
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, with whom he reached the round of 16, Algeria's best result in history. Later, he qualified for the 2018 World Cup with
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, but again was fired just prior to the tournament. After a short stint with Nantes in 2018, where he helped avoid relegation to
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...
, Halilhodžić became head coach of the Morocco national team, whom he qualified for the
2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. Like with Ivory Coast and Japan, he was also sacked by Royal Moroccan Football Federation on August 11, 2022, after Morocco's poor performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and his fallout with star player Hakim Ziyech.


Playing career


Early life and Velež

Born in Jablanica, Halilhodžić started playing football in his early teens at local minnows Turbina Jablanica, as the club's ground was located some 100 metres from his family home. According to his admission, he did not consider becoming a professional footballer at the time and instead chose to continue his formal education, moving to the nearby city of
Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
at age 14 to study at the local electrotechnical high school, without ever appearing for Turbina in an official match. Nevertheless, it was in Mostar that he first started taking football seriously as he went on to join
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
side Velež Mostar academy at age 16, in part on the insistence of his brother Salem, who at the time played for the club as a striker. Halilhodžić then went on to play there at youth levels for the next two and a half years, and, upon signing a professional contract with the club, was sent on a six-month loan to second-level side Neretva Metković to gain some experience. Upon his return from loan, he quickly broke into the first-team squad in the 1972–73 season, forming a successful attacking partnership with
Dušan Bajević Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
and helping Velež finish the season as league runners-up behind
Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
. Halilhodžić then went on to become one of the club's key players throughout the 1970s, appearing in a total of 376 matches and scoring 253 goals for the club (including 207 appearances and 103 goals in the Yugoslav First League) before leaving the country in September 1981 to join French side
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
. Earlier that year, he was instrumental in winning the club's first major silverware, scoring two goals in their 3–2
Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...
final win against Željezničar.


Nantes and PSG

At Nantes, he struggled in his first year although he quickly became a first-team regular, scoring 7 goals in 28 appearances in the 1981–82 season. He also got sent off in the first round of the UEFA Cup vs. Lokeren and received a 4 matches suspension from UEFA. The following season, he helped Nantes win their sixth French championship title and was the league's top scorer with 27 goals in 36 appearances. Halilhodžić went on to spend five years at La Beaujoire, appearing in a total of 163 league matches and scoring 92 goals for the club, also becoming league top scorer in the 1984–85 season with 28 goals. In 1986, Halilhodžić decided to return to Mostar so he could spend more time with his father, who in the meantime fell seriously ill. While negotiating a new contract with Nantes, he intentionally asked for a salary bigger than anything the club could afford so that he could be released and return home. However, Francis Borelli, chairman of
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
, stepped in and made him a "fantastic offer" to sign a one-year contract, with the intention of bringing Halilhodžić to
Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...
in order to strengthen the team for their upcoming 1986–87 European Cup campaign. Halilhodžić accepted the offer and went on to appear for the club in the first 18 games of the 1986–87 season, scoring eight goals. However, his mother back home died during the season, and it was then that Halilhodžić decided to finally retire from active football.


International career

Halilhodžić was capped 15 times for the Yugoslavia national team, scoring eight goals. After debuting as a full international in June 1976, he also appeared in a few matches for Yugoslavia under-21 team in 1978, helping them win the 1978 European Under-21 Championship where he claimed the Golden Player award for the best player in the tournament. Halilhodžić, who was 26 at the time, took advantage of the rule that allowed two players over the age of 21 to participate – hence him and
Velimir Zajec Velimir Zajec (born 12 February 1956) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the current president of Dinamo Zagreb. Club career Zajec began his career at Dinamo Zagreb in 1974, aged 18. In ten years at the c ...
(who had also already debuted for Yugoslavia full squad in 1977) were the two senior players brought in to strengthen the under-21 squad. Spanning nine years, Halilhodžić's time with the national team was marked by frequently alternating ups and downs, periods of automatic inclusion followed by years-long omissions and frustrating substitute stints. He made his debut as a substitute at
UEFA Euro 1976 The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA and the first and only tournament that was held in a socialist state. The ...
under head coach Biće Mladinić during the third place match versus Holland that Yugoslavia lost 2–3 at
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
's
Maksimir Stadium Maksimir Stadium (, ) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. Named after the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir, it is one of the largest stadiums in the country with a current seating capacity of 25,912 and a maximum possible capacity ...
. The 23-year-old Halilhodžić came on for Slaviša Žungul. Over the next couple of years, he recorded two more substitute appearances – first in September 1976 in a friendly against
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and in November 1977 at home against
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
(the infamously violent qualifying home loss at
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's Marakana that ended Yugoslavia's chances of going to the 1978 World Cup).


Euro 80 qualifying

It was not until October 1978 that now 26-year-old Halilhodžić (riding high from his under-21 European championship win) got his first national team start – the opening Euro 80 qualifying clash versus Spain at home in Maksimir. With his first inclusion in the starting lineup by returning coach Mladinić also came his first goal – Yugoslavia was down 0–2 in the first half when Halilhodžić pulled one back in the 44th minute for 1–2, which ended up being the final score as Yugoslavia again lost at home to Spain. With his performance versus Spain, Halilhodžić's stock was somewhat raised and as a result he got to start the next qualifier away at Romania that Yugoslavia also lost, this time 2–3. The second consecutive qualifier loss prompted the end of Biće Mladinić's time as head coach – he got replaced by interim coach Dražan Jerković. Halilhodžić played the next friendly match under Jerković, scoring a hat-trick against
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. The resumption of Euro 1980 qualifying five months later in April 1979 saw the return of
Miljan Miljanić Miljan Miljanić ( sr-Cyrl, Миљан Миљанић; 4 May 1930 – 13 January 2012) was a Yugoslav and Serbian football administrator, coach and player who played as a defender. He was the all-powerful President of the Football Association ...
to the Yugoslav bench as the FA's permanent solution at the head coaching position. Miljanić made major changes to the team he inherited from Mladinić with Halilhodžić one of the many casualties. The changes worked as Yugoslavia won its remaining four qualifiers (including a win away at Spain) as well as its two friendlies versus Italy and Argentina (none of the six matches featured Halilhodžić), but the opening two losses still proved too much to overcome as ''Plavi'' finished a point behind Spain in the group and did not progress to Euro 1980.


1982 World Cup

Halilhodžić made two substitute appearances at the 1982 World Cup: playing the last 15 minutes of the controversial group match versus Spain as well as the entire second half against
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
. For the position of forward at the tournament, Miljanić preferred Safet Sušić, and in his later interviews, Halilhodžić often expressed dismay and disappointment with head coach Miljanić for not giving him a more prominent role in the Yugoslav team at the 1982 World Cup. On multiple occasions in the 2000s and 2010s, looking back on his playing days, retired-from-playing-football Halilhodžić expressed bitterness over not getting a bigger part in the national team during the 1970s and 1980s, sarcastically citing his surname being "too long for Belgrade scoreboards" as the reason, thus insinuating that discrimination against Muslims was behind his lack of playing time in the Yugoslavia national team. In a 2023 interview, Halilhodžić claimed that Yugoslav politics had a strong influence on the country's 1982 World Cup squad selection, adding non-specifically that "certain players had to make that team" and that " Hajduk Split and
Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
players were privileged" over those from comparatively smaller sides.


Managerial career


Raja Casablanca

In July 1997, he signed with Moroccan side
Raja Casablanca Raja Club Athletic, widely known as Raja Casablanca or simply Raja, is a Football team, football club based in Casablanca, Morocco, that competes in Botola, the top flight of Moroccan football league system, Moroccan football. Founded on 20 M ...
. In his first season with the club, he won the
1997 CAF Champions League The 1997 CAF Champions League was the 33rd season of Africa's premier club association football, football tournament organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF, and the inaugural season under the revamped ''CAF Champions League'' title a ...
in December 1997, and the 1997–98 Moroccan Championship in May 1998. These successes raised his international profile.


Lille

In October 1998, he returned to France to coach
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
, which at the time was struggling to survive in the French Division 2. His first season at the club ended with Lille finishing fourth, missing a promotion spot on goal difference. In the 1999–2000 season, Halilhodžić's club dominated the competition and finished top of table, 16 points clear of second-placed Guingamp, earning promotion to the French
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
. Lille's strong performances on the pitch continued the following season, and they finished third in the 2000–01 French Division 1, only seven points behind champions
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
, thus qualifying for the
2001–02 UEFA Champions League The 2001–02 UEFA Champions League was the 47th season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the 10th since its rebranding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The tournament was won by ...
for the first time in club's history. The following season, after knocking out
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
in qualifying, Lille finished third in group stage behind
Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña () or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, that competes in the Segunda División, the ...
and
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, progressing to the 2001–02 UEFA Cup where they reached the Round of 16 before being knocked out by
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
on
away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
.


Rennes

On 14 October 2002, he was hired by another Ligue 1 club,
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
, to save them from relegation after the club had picked up only eight points in the opening ten matches of the season under Philippe Bergeroo. Halilhodžić then managed to take the club to a 15th-place finish in the 20-club league, avoiding relegation zone by two points. After his successes with Lille and Rennes, he started to become one of the most sought after coaches in Europe, and whilst receiving offers from several German and Spanish clubs, he joined Paris Saint-Germain in June 2003.


Paris Saint-Germain

During his first season at the helm of PSG, the club experienced one of the greatest and unexpectedly successful seasons in its history by winning the 2003–04 Coupe de France and arriving second in the
2003–04 Ligue 1 Olympique Lyonnais won Ligue 1 season 2003–04 of the French Association Football League with 79 points. Participating teams * AC Ajaccio * Auxerre * Bastia * Bordeaux * Guingamp * Le Mans * Lens * Lille * Lyon * Marseille * Metz * Monaco ...
, just three points behind
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, qualifying for the 2004–05 Champions League. Halilhodžić's second season at the club, however, was not a success. From their opening Champions League
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
0–3 home loss versus Chelsea, to their French league struggles, PSG never succeeded in replicating the winning form of the previous season. Going into the final round of Champions League group stage fixtures in December 2004, Halilhodžić's team still had a chance of advancing as beating
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
at home would have seen PSG move on to the knockout stage. Even just a draw combined with group leaders Chelsea winning or drawing away at
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
would have ensured progress while a draw regardless of the other match outcome guaranteed at least a spot in the
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round of 32. The club, however, suffered a disappointing 1–3 defeat at its home stadium, courtesy of a Sergei Semak hat-trick, which meant straight elimination from Europe. It was a bitter loss that even prompted club president Francis Graille to publicly relay his disappointment at the "lack of pride" shown by the squad, though remaining guardedly coy when explicitly asked about Halilhodžić's future at the club. Now with only domestic competition to worry about, PSG began the calendar year 2005 looking to improve its league standing. Sluggish form continued, however, and on 8 February 2005, following a 0–2 defeat at home versus
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that 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'') ...
that saw PSG drop to 12th spot in the 2004–05 Ligue 1 table, the club's management decided to sack Halilhodžić. He was replaced by the coach of the reserves team, Laurent Fournier, under whom the club was knocked out of 2004–05 Coupe de France by
Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
in March and eventually finished ninth in the league.


Trabzonspor

On 2 October 2005, Halilhodžić was signed by Turkish
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...
side
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...
. Although he led the club to fourth place in the
2005–06 Süper Lig The 2005–06 Süper Lig season began with Turkcell signing a 5-year sponsorship deal with the Turkish Football Federation to name the league Turkcell Süper Lig. Since Turkey dropped from tenth to eleventh place in the UEFA association coefficie ...
, just behind
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
's " Big Three", thus qualifying for the
2006–07 UEFA Cup The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th edition of the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup, Europe's second-tier club association football, football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla FC, Sevilla won their second consecu ...
, Halilhodžić decided to leave Turkey in June 2006 after just one season with the club.


Ivory Coast

In May 2008, Halilhodžić was hired to train the Ivory Coast national team, captained by
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...
and including the likes of Yaya and
Kolo Touré Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He most recently managed then-Championship club Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic. Beginning his career as a ...
, Salomon Kalou, Emmanuel Eboué and the young Gervinho. In a two-year unbeaten run in African qualifiers, the team qualified for both the
2010 Africa Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2 ...
tournament in Angola and the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
in South Africa. In January 2010 in the
quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
of the continental championship against
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, however, the Ivory Coast were eliminated after Madjid Bougherra scored a 2–2 equaliser in injury time, with Hamer Bouazza adding Algeria's third goal in the opening minutes of extra time. The defeat came as a huge disappointment for many Ivorians, for whom the national football team played a central social role and a source of national pride and unity, especially as the country was recovering from the 2002–07 civil war and preparing for its first post-war elections in October that year. As a consequence, Halilhodžić was fired on 27 February 2010, less than four months before the 2010 World Cup finals tournament in South Africa.


Dinamo Zagreb

Back in Europe, Halilhodžić was announced as the new manager of Croatian champions
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
on 16 August 2010, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract and replacing club legend
Velimir Zajec Velimir Zajec (born 12 February 1956) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the current president of Dinamo Zagreb. Club career Zajec began his career at Dinamo Zagreb in 1974, aged 18. In ten years at the c ...
who had been fired after the team was knocked out of the Champions League qualifying on penalties by the Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol. Although eliminated from the Champions League, Dinamo had the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League to compete in, and Halilhodžić was tasked with guiding Dinamo's European campaign while expected to continue their dominance in the national championship. Club fans immediately took to Halilhodžić, as Dinamo started playing an attractive and more attacking style of football. On 16 September 2010, exactly one month after signing his contract, he led Dinamo to a somewhat improbable 2–0 victory over Spanish side Villarreal at the start of the Europa League group stage. Despite some encouraging results early in the season, Dinamo eventually failed to progress past the group stage, losing the deciding match in December 2010 at home against Greek club
PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
. Despite the setback, Halilhodžić stayed on due to support of both the fans and club management. In the 2010–11 Croatian First League, the club was a runaway leader without any real competition, managing to clinch the domestic league title months prior to season's end. Simultaneously, issues arose over the renegotiation of terms of Halilhodžić's contract and, on 6 May 2011 two matches short of the end of the season, he abruptly left the club following a vicious shouting incident with Dinamo's president Zdravko Mamić in the team dressing room at
Maksimir Maksimir () is one of the districts of Zagreb, Croatia, population 48,902 (2011 census). Maksimir stadium and Maksimir Park are located in it. It was named for Bishop Maksimilijan Vrhovac. The urban center of the Maksimir district is located a ...
during half-time of the league match versus Inter Zaprešić.


Algeria

On 22 June 2011, the Algerian Football Federation announced that Halilhodžić would take over the vacant Algeria national team manager position starting on 1 July. On 2 July, the deal was made official with Halilhodžić signing a three-year contract. He successfully led Algeria through the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification and in preparation for the finals tournament to be held in January 2013 in South Africa, the team invited
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
(Halilhodžić's country of birth) for a friendly match in November 2012. Algeria lost 0–1 in injury time on a rainy night in
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
. Despite arriving at the final tournament with plenty of confidence and with the emergence of young stars Islam Slimani and El Arbi Hillel Soudani, as well as the addition to the squad of talented
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
winger Sofiane Feghouli, Algeria finished bottom of their group, losing their opening two matches to
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
and
Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
without scoring a single goal. Although the result was widely regarded as a disappointment, the Algerian Football Federation decided to keep Halilhodžić in charge and allow the team to gain more experience. Now focusing on the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Algeria under Halilhodžić secured a spot at the finals tournament on 19 November 2013 having beaten the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
in a two-legged tie on
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
following a 3–3 aggregate score in the African qualifying play-offs. This was only the fourth time the country qualified for a World Cup in 32 years. Algeria's performance at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was a significant surprise as they beat
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
4–2 and drew with
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
1–1 to progress past the group stage for the first time in the team's history. In the round of 16, ''Les Fennecs'' had to face a very strong
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
side. Although Algeria put up a very spirited resistance, they lost the game after a goalless 90 minutes, followed by extra time in which Germany scored twice through André Schürrle and
Mesut Özil Mesut Özil (, ; born 15 October 1988) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his ball control, technical skills, creativity, passing skills, and vision, he is widely re ...
, with substitute Abdelmoumene Djabou pulling back one in the dying moments of the game to make it 1–2. Germany later went on to deliver a historic 7–1 thrashing of hosts Brazil and win their fourth
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
title. Despite the exit, Algeria's performance was the team's biggest success in history and Halilhodžić was frequently praised for his strategic counter-attacking tactics, calm yet motivating influence on the players, and skillful game management. Although he was offered a contract extension after the tournament, on 7 July 2014 he left the team.


Japan

On 7 March 2015, in the wake of Halilhodžić being shortlisted for and eventually—following two November 2014 meetings with the Bosnian Football Association (FSBiH) representatives—rejecting the Bosnia and Herzegovina manager job offer, press reports appeared about Halilhodžić being set to take over as the Japan national team's new manager. He was officially appointed on 12 March 2015, thus replacing
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...
who had been sacked by the
Japan Football Association The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the Sport governing body, governing body responsible for the administration of Association football, football, futsal, beach soccer and Esports, efootball in Japan. It is responsible for the Japan national ...
(JFA) over his involvement in a 2011 match-fixing investigation in Spain. In June 2016, Halilhodžić's Japan hosted Bosnia and Herzegovina in a
Kirin Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan national football team, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (Internatio ...
friendly, losing 1–2. In September 2016, the 2018 World Cup qualifying final round kicked off with six teams including Japan,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and Australia men's national soccer team, Australia fighting for two direct qualifying spots. In their opening match, Japan were unexpectedly beaten 1–2 by the United Arab Emirates national football team, UAE, a contest that featured a controversially disallowed Japanese goal. Nevertheless, the Japanese media raised a number of questions regarding Halilhodžić's squad selection. Since then, media criticism of Halilhodžić's strategy and squad selection continued, and would follow him throughout his time at the job. He abandoned the decade-long Japanese traditional playing style of short passes, instead, he emphasized intense fighting for the ball (as he called it in French, "duel") and quick pace football. His most controversial decision was to drop Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Dortmund) and Shinji Okazaki (Leicester). Another controversial call was to put Hotaru Yamaguchi, a player in the domestic second division, to his starting lineup. Finishing the group with 6 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses with 7 conceded goals, Japan's performance was inconsistent, yet it secured crucial victories at critical moments to earn itself the top spot. The two critical moments was first, winning 2–1 against Saudi Arabia in November 2016 to end the first half of the group matches in the first place; second, beating Australia 2–0 in August 2017 to secure top spot and qualified to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It is at these two moments the Japanese media temporarily admitted Halilhodžić is right on his strategy and his selection of squad. Yet they were called into questions once again after Japan's poor performance in the international friendlies in October and November against Haiti, Brazil and Belgium. In December, Halilhodžić summoned his second and third team to 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, 2017 East Asian Cup. Half of the team were uncapped. This unconventional inexperienced Japan team lost to South Korea 1–4. The Japanese media saw this as a humiliating defeat. Without realizing the Japan–South Korea football rivalry, Halilhodžić comments "I was amazed by South Korea's explosiveness of power, technique and control of the game. South Korea dominated us in every way." His comments made himself under siege by the Japanese media for weeks. Halilhodžić was dismissed in early April 2018, following friendlies with non-World Cup teams—last minute draw with Mali and 1–2 loss to Ukraine, with former international Akira Nishino (footballer), Akira Nishino named the new head coach. At a news conference, Japan Football Association, JFA President Kozo Tashima told reporters that poor results and a lack of "communication and trust with the players" were the reasons for Halilhodžić's dismissal. Halilhodžić's spiky personality frequently ruffled feathers after arriving in Japan to take over from Javier Aguirre in March 2015, and rumors of his impending dismissal swirled throughout his three-year reign. Soon after Halilhodžić's dismissal, Japan's midfielder Keisuke Honda, who had had an increasingly fractious relationship with the Bosnian throughout 2017 over the head coach's rigid tactics, came out publicly against the fired coach by saying: "To submit myself to the kind of football Halilhodžić played in order to get picked, that would be shameful for me. I'm proud that I've stayed true to myself". On 24 May 2018, Halilhodžić launched a lawsuit in a Tokyo district court against the JFA president Kozo Tashima, contending he was Wrongful dismissal, dismissed wrongfully—specifically that Tashima failed to consult the JFA board when deciding to fire Halilhodžić. In July 2018, Halilhodžić made a 4-man shortlist for the vacant Egyptian national team manager job alongside Quique Sánchez Flores, Jorge Luis Pinto, and
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...
. Aguirre ended up getting hired.


Nantes

In October 2018, Halilhodžić became the new manager of FC Nantes, a club he had played for as a striker. His first win came on 22 October when Nantes beat FC Toulouse, Toulouse 4–0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire. On 5 May 2019, Nantes beat Dijon FCO, Dijon at home 3–0 and Halilhodžić made a club record, winning five
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
matches in a row, a venture which was not done in over 18 years in the club. Halilhodžić's Nantes beat
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
,
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
, Amiens SC, Amiens, Olympique de Marseille, Marseille and at the end Dijon to capture that record. On 2 August 2019, Halilhodžić decided to leave Nantes after disagreements with the club's owner and president Waldemar Kita.


Morocco

In August 2019, it was confirmed that Halilhodžić would take over as the Morocco national football team, Morocco national team's new manager. His first win came on 10 September when Morocco beat Niger national football team, Niger 1–0 at the Stade de Marrakech. On 29 March 2022, Halilhodžić qualified Morocco for the
2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, eliminating DR Congo national football team, DR Congo in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round, CAF Third round qualifiers. On 11 August 2022, Halilhodžić was officially sacked by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation over disagreements with its president on how the team should move forward. This marked the third time—the other two being Ivory Coast and Japan—Halilhodžić was sacked before a World Cup tournament after prior successful qualification.


Personal life

During the Bosnian War in 1992, Halilhodžić was wounded in Mostar but recovered within a few months. He acquired French nationality law, French nationality by naturalization on 13 June 1997. When visiting
Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
with a France 3 crew in 2001, he said: On 23 July 2004, during his tenure as the manager of PSG, Halilhodžić was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic. Halilhodžić is married and has two children. His primary residence is in Lille, where his family lives. Vahid described himself as a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav, and was deeply saddened by the disintegration of Yugoslavia when the war started. He speaks Bosnian language, Bosnian and French language, French, the result of spending most of his time in France.


Career statistics


International goals

:''Scores and results table. Yugoslavia's goal tally first.''


Managerial statistics


Honours


Player

Velež Mostar *
Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...
: 1980–81 Yugoslav Cup, 1980–81 Nantes *Ligue 1, Division 1: 1982–83 French Division 1, 1982–83 Yugoslavia U21 *UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1978 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, 1978 Individual *UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 1978 *
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
Foreign Player of the Year: 1984, 1985


Manager

Raja Casablanca *CAF Champions League: 1997 CAF Champions League, 1997 *Botola: 1997–98 Botola, 1997–98 *CAF Super Cup runner-up: 1998 Lille *Ligue 2, Division 2: 1999–2000 French Division 2, 1999–2000 Paris Saint-Germain *Coupe de France: 2003–04 Coupe de France, 2003–04 Dinamo Zagreb *Croatian First Football League, 1. HNL: 2010–11 Croatian First Football League, 2010–11 Individual *Division 2 Trainer of the Year: 1999 *France Football#Manager of the year, French Manager of the Year: 2001


Orders

*Knight of the Legion of Honour: 2004


References


External links


Vahid Halilhodžić
at sport.becka-raja.at *
archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halilhodzic, Vahid 1952 births Living people People from Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Footballers from Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Footballers from Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers Yugoslav men's footballers Men's association football forwards NK Neretva players FK Velež Mostar players FC Nantes players Paris Saint-Germain FC players Yugoslav Second League players Yugoslav First League players Ligue 1 players Yugoslavia men's under-21 international footballers Yugoslavia men's international footballers UEFA Euro 1976 players 1982 FIFA World Cup players Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in France Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate men's footballers Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in France Naturalized citizens of France Bosnia and Herzegovina football managers French football managers FK Velež Mostar managers AS Beauvais Oise managers Raja CA managers Lille OSC managers Stade Rennais FC managers Paris Saint-Germain FC managers Trabzonspor managers Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah) managers Ivory Coast national football team managers GNK Dinamo Zagreb managers Algeria national football team managers Japan national football team managers FC Nantes managers Morocco national football team managers Botola managers Ligue 1 managers Süper Lig managers Saudi Pro League managers Croatian Football League managers 2010 Africa Cup of Nations managers 2013 Africa Cup of Nations managers 2014 FIFA World Cup managers 2021 Africa Cup of Nations managers Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate football managers French expatriate football managers Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Morocco Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Japan Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Algeria French expatriate sportspeople in Morocco French expatriate sportspeople in Turkey French expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia French expatriate sportspeople in Croatia French expatriate sportspeople in Japan French expatriate sportspeople in Algeria Expatriate football managers in France Expatriate football managers in Morocco Expatriate football managers in Turkey Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia Expatriate football managers in Ivory Coast Expatriate football managers in Croatia Expatriate football managers in Algeria Expatriate football managers in Japan Knights of the Legion of Honour 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen