Nenad Bjelica
Encyclopedia
Nenad Bjelica is a former Croatia
n football
player and currently coach who played for Albacete Balompié
, Real Betis
and Kaiserslautern
. Bjelica played as midfielder
.
and spent almost four seasons there, before moving abroad to Spain
.
He played for Albacete Balompié
for four years, during which time the team reached the Copa del Rey
semi-final. In 1996, he moved to Real Betis
and was in the team that was the runner-up in the Copa del Rey
. The next season he spent at UD Las Palmas
, but returned to Real Betis
a year later. Due to injuries, he played very few games in this period, and would again spend a season at UD Las Palmas
until the end of 1999.
Bjelica then returned home to NK Osijek
for two seasons and recovered his form, playing with the team in three stages of the UEFA Cup. He then moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern
in 2000, where he spent four seasons until semi-retiring top-tier football in 2004. During the 2004–05 season he played for VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
. After that he played for the Austrian club FC Kärnten
in the Austrian Football First League
(Austria's second division), before retiring on 31 June 2008.
, as player-caretaker manager. On 1 July 2008, he signed a full managing contract, just a day after ending his playing career.
was replaced.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and currently coach who played for Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
, Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
and Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
. Bjelica played as midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Career
Nenad Bjelica started playing for a small club Metalac Olt in the 1989–90 season. He quickly moved to NK OsijekNK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...
and spent almost four seasons there, before moving abroad to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
He played for Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
for four years, during which time the team reached the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
semi-final. In 1996, he moved to Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
and was in the team that was the runner-up in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
. The next season he spent at UD Las Palmas
UD Las Palmas
Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the autonomous community of Canary Islands...
, but returned to Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
a year later. Due to injuries, he played very few games in this period, and would again spend a season at UD Las Palmas
UD Las Palmas
Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the autonomous community of Canary Islands...
until the end of 1999.
Bjelica then returned home to NK Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...
for two seasons and recovered his form, playing with the team in three stages of the UEFA Cup. He then moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
in 2000, where he spent four seasons until semi-retiring top-tier football in 2004. During the 2004–05 season he played for VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
FC Admira Wacker Mödling is an Austrian football club from Mödling. The club was originally formed in 1905 as SK Admira Vienna in the Austrian capital...
. After that he played for the Austrian club FC Kärnten
FC Kärnten
FC Kärnten was an Austrian association football club based in Klagenfurt, Carinthia. It was founded in 1920 under the name of KSK Klagenfurt. They last played home games at the Sportzentrum Fischl.- History :...
in the Austrian Football First League
Austrian Football First League
The Austrian Football First League is the second highest professional division in Austrian football. It contains 10 teams and is run in the same fashion as the Austrian Bundesliga...
(Austria's second division), before retiring on 31 June 2008.
Coaching career
He began his coaching career on 15 September 2007 at FC KärntenFC Kärnten
FC Kärnten was an Austrian association football club based in Klagenfurt, Carinthia. It was founded in 1920 under the name of KSK Klagenfurt. They last played home games at the Sportzentrum Fischl.- History :...
, as player-caretaker manager. On 1 July 2008, he signed a full managing contract, just a day after ending his playing career.
International
He played for Croatia from 2001 (nine matches, no goals) until 2004. He took part in the UEFA Euro 2004 but retired from the team in that year, at the same time the manager Otto BarićOtto Baric
Otto Barić is a Croatian-Austrian football manager.-1970s to 1980s:Barić started his coaching career in 1969 at West German club Germania Wiesbaden and moved after one season to Austrian club Wacker Innsbruck, where he spent next two seasons and won two consecutive league champions titles before...
was replaced.
External links
- Nenad Bjelica profile at transfermarkt.de
- Nenad Bjelica national team appearances at the Croatian Football Federation official website