Ivan Leko

Футболист

▸ Источник: Wikidata

ИИ

Ivan Leko is a Croatian association football manager and former player.

He is currently the head coach of Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge.

Leko started his career with HNK Hajduk Split before moving to Málaga CF in Spain.

На основе: Wikidata, Wikipedia

Биография

Early Life and Playing Career

Ivan Leko is a Croatian professional football manager and former player, known for his role as a midfielder. He began his football journey with his hometown club, HNK Hajduk Split, where he played from 1995 to 2001. Leko then moved to Spain to join Málaga CF, where he enjoyed a successful stint until 2005, including winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2002. After a brief return to Hajduk Split, he signed with Club Brugge K.V., marking the start of a significant chapter in his career. Leko also played for several other clubs, including Germinal Beerschot and K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen, before retiring in 2014.

International Career

Leko represented Croatia at various youth levels, including the under-17, under-19, under-20, and under-21 teams. He made his senior debut for the Croatian national team in June 1999 during the Korea Cup and earned a total of 13 caps until 2006, including a call-up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, although he did not play in the tournament.

Managerial Career

Transitioning into management, Leko began his coaching career with OH Leuven in 2014. He later served as an assistant manager at PAOK and took charge of Sint-Truiden for the 2016–17 season. His most notable tenure was with Club Brugge from 2017 to 2019, where he led the team to win the Jupiler Pro League and the Belgian Super Cup in his first season, earning the title of Professional Manager of the Year. After a brief period at Al Ain, he returned to Belgium to manage Royal Antwerp, leading them to their first Belgian Cup victory since 1992 and a successful run in the UEFA Europa League.

Legacy

Leko's career is marked by numerous honors both as a player and manager, including multiple league titles and cups. His ability to lead teams to success has established him as a respected figure in football management, with a promising future ahead.

Собрано из открытых источников (3) · факты со ссылками · обработка ИИ

Wikidata

Галерея

Карьера и клубы

International career

Leko made his debut for Croatia in a June 1999 Korea Cup match against Egypt, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Mario Cvitanović, and earned a total of 13 caps, scoring no goals. He was called up to the squad to participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but played no part in the tournament, as Croatia exited in the group stage. His final international was a June 2006 friendly against Spain.

▸ Источник: Wikipedia

Managerial career

Leko made his debut as a manager in 2014, with OH Leuven. In 2015, he became an assistant manager of Greek side PAOK under the coaching staff of Croatian manager Igor Tudor, who was sacked in 2016. For the 2016–17 season, he managed Sint-Truiden; for the next two seasons, 2017–18 and 2018–19, Leko was the manager of Club Brugge. He celebrated Jupiler Pro League and Belgian Super Cup in his first season in Brugge. Also, Leko won the title of Professional Manager of the Year. In October 2018, Belgian police interrogated him for corruption investigation. In May 2019, Club Brugge and Leko parted ways. The 41-year-old coach had been with the club since 2017. On 1 June 2019, he was appointed at his new club, Al Ain. In December 2019, Leko left Al Ain after a disastrous home defeat against Al Dhafra. Both sides had agreed to end their cooperation after five months of poor play. On 20 May 2020, Leko was appointed the manager of Royal Antwerp. Taking over the team from Laszlo Bölöni, he led the team to win their first Belgian Cup since 1992, with a 1–0 win against his former side Club Brugge in the final. This earned Antwerp a qualification in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time in the club's history, where they were drawn in Group J against Tottenham Hotspur, LASK Linz and Ludogorets Razgrad. Leko led the team to a surprising second-place finish in the group, with four wins and two losses, culminating in a 1–0 home victory against Tottenham on 29 October;…

▸ Источник: Wikipedia

Club career

Leko started his career with his hometown club Hajduk Split and played there for several seasons, before moving to Spain to join Málaga. In his early senior years, he was loaned to HNK Trogir. In January 2005, Leko returned for a brief stint with Hajduk; in the summer he joined Club Brugge. On 15 January 2009, he decided to sign a contract for Germinal Beerschot. After his spell in Antwerp, he ended his career at Lokeren.

▸ Источник: Wikipedia