Željko Petrović

Club

International

Managerial

As of match played 21 November 2025

On 21 August 2006, Petrović was appointed as the new manager of Portuguese team Boavista. In his first match as manager, Boavista won 3–0 against Benfica. However, he resigned in October 2006 after only a month and a half in charge. The following 2007–08 season, Petrovic led RKC Waalwijk to a second place finish in the Dutch second division, but ultimately failed to gain promotion to the Eredivisie. In the 2008–09 season, he was Martin Jol's assistant at Hamburger SV. On 28 July 2010, West Ham United confirmed Petrović as the assistant manager to manager Avram Grant. On 23 November 2010, West Ham parted company with Petrović after less than four months. Upon his departure he made controversial comments about the Premier League questioning its quality. In February 2010, Petrovic was named as assistant to manager Guus Hiddink at Anzhi Makhachkala. On 17 March 2015, Petrović was named the assistant to manager Dick Advocaat at Sunderland, but was sacked on 4 October later that year. He became an assistant to manager Advocaat once more when he joined him at Utrecht in 2018.

Botev Plovdiv

In the beginning of June 2019, Botev Plovdiv introduced Petrović as the new manager of the club. Following his recommendations, the club signed Marko Pervan, Philippe van Arnhem and Rodney Klooster. After a long run of poor results, on 16 October, Petrović was sacked. Shortly after that, van Arnhem and Klooster were also released. In 12 games under his guidance, Botev Plovdiv won only…

Budućnost

Petrović made his professional debut with Budućnost in 1986 under manager Milan Živadinović. In Petrović's second and third season at Budućnost under manager Stanko Poklepović, the team included the likes of Dejan Savićević, Branko Brnović, Anto Drobnjak, Predrag Mijatović and Niša Saveljić. During Petrović's time at Budućnost, the team finished in seventh place in the 1986–87 season, in ninth place in the 1987–88 season, fourteenth in the 1988–89 season, and tenth in the 1989–90 season.

Dinamo Zagreb

Petrović moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 1990, where he played as a right-back. In June 1991, Dinamo changed their name to HAŠK Građanski. In HAŠK Građanski's short 1991–92 UEFA Cup campaign, Petrović scored all three of HAŠK Građanski's goals over two legs played against Trabzonspor. He scored two penalties in the first leg played on 17 September 1991, which HAŠK lost 3–2 to Trabzonspor. He scored another goal in the second leg played on 2 October 1991, which HAŠK tied 1–1. In spite of Petrović's goalscoring form, HAŠK were eliminated from the UEFA Cup losing to Trabzonspor on aggregate.

Sevilla

Petrović joined Sevilla in November 1991, with his transfer from HAŠK Građanski costing the Spanish team 500,000 DM. HAŠK Građanski had agreed on Petrović's transfer as part of a package with Davor Šuker, who joined Sevilla simultaneously. At the time, La Liga teams could field only up to four foreigners on the pitch, and Sevilla already had two foreign…

Petrović made his debut for the national team of Yugoslavia on 12 September 1990 in a match against Northern Ireland. Yugoslavia was subsequently banned from the Euro 1992, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the Euro 1996 due to FIFA suspending Yugoslavia following the international sanctions against Yugoslavia. Petrović would play for Yugoslavia again five years after his debut, for the qualification to the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Death threat

Petrović was a regular of the Yugoslavia national team throughout the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification. On 28 October 1997, the night before the first leg of the qualifying play-off against Hungary, Petrović received a death threat by an anonymous phone caller. The caller gave Petrović twelve hours to leave Yugoslavia before being killed. In the time preceding the death threat, Petrović had been subject to a whispering campaign that suggested he once played for the Croatia national team during the breakup of Yugoslavia, before Croatia became an official FIFA member. Petrović strongly denied this, and teammate Savo Milošević accused some journalists of jeopardizing Petrović's life by spreading fake news about him. Petrović went on to play for Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After the rumors were spread, Petrović took several opportunities to explain how the media identified him. When a Dutch journalist asked Petrović about his nationality considering the breakup of Yugoslavia, Petrović insisted on his identity as a Yugoslav.…