- Nenad Bjelica
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Nenad Bjelica Personal information Date of birth 20 August 1971 Place of birth Osijek, SFR Yugoslavia Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) Playing position Midfielder Youth career Osijek Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1991–1993 Osijek 28 (7) 1993–1996 Albacete Balompié 79 (19) 1996–1998 Real Betis 30 (2) 1998–1999 Las Palmas 24 (3) 1999–2001 Osijek 30 (16) 2001–2004 1. FC Kaiserslautern 65 (5) 2004–2006 Admira Wacker Mödling 52 (12) 2006–2008 FC Kärnten 58 (17) Total 366 (81) National team‡ 1993 Croatia U21 1 (0) 2001 Croatia B 1 (0) 2001–2004 Croatia 9 (0) Teams managed 2007–2009 FC Kärnten 2009–2010 Lustenau 07 2010– WAC St. Andrä * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:28, 16 December 2009 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:28, 16 december 2009 (UTC)Nenad Bjelica (born 20 August 1971 in Osijek) is a former Croatian football player and currently coach who played for Albacete Balompié, Real Betis and Kaiserslautern. Bjelica played as midfielder.
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Career
Nenad Bjelica started playing for a small club Metalac Olt in the 1989–90 season. He quickly moved to NK Osijek 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.
Coaching career
He began his coaching career on 15 September 2007 at FC Kärnten, as player-caretaker manager. On 1 July 2008, he signed a full managing contract, just a day after ending his playing career.[1]
International
He played for Croatia from 2001 (nine matches, no goals) until 2004.[2] He took part in the UEFA Euro 2004 but retired from the team in that year, at the same time the manager Otto Barić was replaced.
References
- ^ "Nenad Bjelica: „Austria Kärnten ist ein Thema für mich"" (in German). transfermarkt.de. 23 March 2010. http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/news/37134/nenad-bjelica-austria-kaernten-ist-ein-thema-fuer-mich.html. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Mamrud, Roberto (16 July 2009). "Croatia – Record International Players". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/kroa-recintlp.html. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
External links
- Nenad Bjelica – FIFA competition record
- Nenad Bjelica at National-Football-Teams.com
- Nenad Bjelica profile at transfermarkt.de
- Nenad Bjelica national team appearances at the Croatian Football Federation official website
Croatian Footballer of the Year Croatia squad – UEFA Euro 2004 Categories:- 1971 births
- Living people
- Yugoslav footballers
- Croatian footballers
- Croatia international footballers
- Croatian expatriate footballers
- La Liga footballers
- Real Betis footballers
- Fußball-Bundesliga players
- 1. FC Kaiserslautern players
- Albacete Balompié footballers
- UD Las Palmas footballers
- NK Osijek players
- FC Kärnten players
- UEFA Euro 2004 players
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in Austria
- People from Osijek
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