Croatian football visionary Tomislav Ivić has been internationally recognized yet again.
The esteemed French football magazine France Football has published a list of the 50 top football coaches in history, which also includes a Croatian representative, reports Gol.hr on March 19, 2019.
Namely, in the 43rd place is Tomislav Ivić, a legendary Croatian coach, football visionary and a tactician ahead of his time.
In his celebrated career, Ivić led clubs in 14 different countries and won many trophies, including titles in five different countries – Yugoslavia (Hajduk), Netherlands (Ajax), Belgium (Anderlecht), Portugal (Porto) and France (Marseille). With Porto, he won the Intercontinental Cup and European Super Cup, and with Atletico Madrid, the Copa del Rey.
In Croatia, he is best known as the coach of one of the greatest Hajduk eras, namely from the 70s, with whom he won three titles (1973/74, 1974./75, 1978/79) and cups in 1972, 1973,1974, and 1975/76.
The France Football winner is Dutchman Rinus Michels, the creator of total football and Ivić’s contemporary. Interestingly, Michels named Ivić as his successor, and the Croatian expert succeeded him at the Ajax club in 1976 and immediately won the championship title.
France Football’s selection criteria included the number of trophies, influence on the game, personality and impact on future generations of trainers.
In second place is Alex Ferguson, in third Arrigo Sacchi, in fourth Johan Cruyff, and fifth Pep Guardiola. Ukrainian Valeri Lobanovski takes sixth, Helenio Herrera seventh, Carlo Ancelotti eighth, Ernst Happel ninth, and Bill Shankly closes out the top ten.
Of the currently active trainers on the list are Jose Mourinho (13), Zinedine Zidane (22), Jürgen Klopp (27), Diego Simeone (31st), Rafa Benitez (37th), Marcelo Bielsa (48th) and Antonio Conte (49).
Romania’s Mircea Lucescu is located above Ivić, who has recently completed his career after leaving the Turkish national team. In 44th place, just one under Ivić is another Romanian Stefan Kovacs, who was also Michels’ successor at Ajax, but after his first term which finished in 1971.
Top 50 Managers | France Football’s full classification of the top 50 managers of all time. pic.twitter.com/WjpNWGPgRJ
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 18, 2019
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