| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ivan Gudelj | ||
| Date of birth | (1960-09-21)21 September 1960 (age 65) | ||
| Place of birth | Imotski,FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975–1976 | NK Mračaj | ||
| 1976–1979 | Hajduk Split | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1986 | Hajduk Split | 180 | (38) |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1986 | Yugoslavia | 33 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| Croatia U-16 | |||
| 1992 | Primorac Stobreč | ||
| Uskok | |||
| 1993 | Zadar | ||
| NK Dubrovnik | |||
| Vorwärts Steyr | |||
| 2005–2013 | Croatia U-17 | ||
| 2005–2006 | Croatia U-17 | ||
| 2013–2014 | Croatia U-19 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ivan Gudelj (born 21 September 1960) is aCroatian retired football midfielder who representedYugoslavia. A full international, his career was cut short at age 25 after collapsing during a match againstRed Star Belgrade. It turned out to be a hepatitis infection.[1]
Zmijavci-bred Gudelj started his player career in a club from the neighbouring village ofRunovići – NK Mračaj. There, he was coached by Marinko Boban, the father of future football starZvonimir Boban. A few years later, Gudelj went to play forHajduk Split, for which he played 362 games in total, scoring 93 goals,[2] in the 1976-1986 period. He quickly marked himself out as a dependable and elegant defensive midfielder, earning the moniker "Beckenbauer from Zmijavci" in the Yugoslav press.
The rising career of a new European football star ended suddenly. Gudelj was forced to end his career cause of health problems, more specifically,hepatitis B. The twenty-six-year-old played his last game againstRed Star Belgrade in Split on 23 September 1986 at the start of the1986–87 league season. His precontract withGirondins de Bordeaux has never been realized.
In 1979, eighteen-year-old Gudelj had a busy summer.
First, in June 1979, he played for Yugoslavia at theUEFA European Under-18 Football Championship in Vienna, leading his country to the championship trophy, beatingBulgaria in the final. Gudelj got named the tournament's best player.
Later that summer in August 1979, Gudelj made the Yugoslavia squad that participated at theFIFA World Youth Championship held in Japan. Playing in a tough group featuring Argentina with 18-year-oldDiego Maradona, Yugoslavia failed to progress to the next stage.
Gudelj's excellent outings for the national youth team drew the attention national team head coachMiljan Miljanić who called Gudelj up for the full squad the following year.
He made his senior debut forYugoslavia in a September 1980World Cup qualification match away againstLuxembourg, coming on as a 85th-minute substitute forZoran Vujović, and Gudelj quickly became Miljanić's favourite who soon made him the national team captain at the age of 21. In the end, Gudelj made 33 national team appearances, scoring three goals. He was a participant in the1982 FIFA World Cup andEuro 1984. Because of his excellent games, French magazineL’Équipe put him on their list of ideal team of 1982 World Cup. His final international was a May 1986friendly match away againstBelgium.[3]
He was also named theYugoslav Footballer of the Year in 1982.
He began his coaching career in 1990. As a coach, he led Croatian priests' national team and Croatian cadets national team. With the latter, he won the bronze medal in the Eurochamps 2001 in England (generation ofNiko Kranjčar).
Later, he led various clubs. He made it with Primorac from Stobreč, bringing it to Croatian top league. He also led Uskok from Klis, Zadar, Dubrovnik, Austrian club Vorwärts Steyr[4] and Hajduk (replacingMiroslav Blažević in 2005).[5] Before taking charge at Hajduk, Gudelj was manager of the Croatia U17 National Team and successfully led them to a 4th-place finish in the2005 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Italy.
Born in the town ofImotski, he grew up in the nearby village ofZmijavci. As a child, Gudelj considered becoming aCatholic priest.
Also during childhood, he was anextra in theTV Zagreb-produced, 1972 Yugoslav television seriesProsjaci i sinovi [hr] based onIvan Raos [hr]' novel and filmed in Gudelj's home village Zmijavci. In the escape scene, the youngster distinguished himself from the rest of the kids as the fastest one.
Hajduk Split
Ivan Gudelj international tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
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