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The biography of Nenad Bjelica, the Union Berlin manager
Ciku Njuguna
updated at February 13, 2024 at 11:54 AM
In this article:
Nenad Bjelica is a retired professional soccer player turned football manager. The former central midfielder made news in late January 2024 after getting into an altercation with Leroy Sane following a 0-1 loss against Bayern Munich. Dive into this article for comprehensive details of the football manager’s personal and professional career.
Source: Getty Images
Who is Union Berlin's manager? On April 18, 2023, the Montenegrin football legend was appointed to Bundesliga's Die Eisernen in an effort to prevent relegation for the club that holds the fifteenth place in the league. Scroll down to follow the life and career of the Union Berlin head coach who was voted Best Coach in HT Prva Liga in 2021.
Nenad Bjelica’s profile summary
Full name | Nenad Bjelica |
Nickname | Gladiator |
Date of birth | 20 August 1971 |
Age | 52 years old as of January 2024 |
Place of birth | Osijek, Croatia |
Nationality | Croatian-Montenegrin |
Height | 181 centimetres (5'9") |
Weight | 76 kilograms (167.6 lbs) |
Mother | Mirjana Bjelica |
Father | Božo Bjelica |
Siblings | 1 |
Relationship status | Married |
Spouse | Senka Bjelica |
Children | 2 |
Profession | Football manager, former professional football player |
Playing debut | July 1991 |
Years active as a player | 1991 - 2008 |
Coaching debut | September 2007 |
Years active as a coach | 2007 - present |
Net worth | $5 million |
Social media |
Nenad Bjelica's brief bio
Bjelica (age 52 as of January 2024) was born on the 20th of August 1971 to Mirjana and Božo Bjelica in Osijek, Croatia. He has one sister, Snježana.
Nenad is a Croatian-Montenegrin national. His father, Božo, is a Montenegrin national who was born in Baranja in the village of Barbican along the Montenegro-Bosnia-Herzegovina border. On the other hand, his mother is a Croatian national.
Source: UGC
During his prime, Nenad's father was a prolific striker who played for the Second League and later for Osijek. According to Vijesti, Božo’s football career was cut short by a knee meniscus injury.
Growing up, the player-turned-trainer looked forward to one day playing for Osijek, his father's former team. In an interview with Goal, he spoke of his childhood desires that came true. He said,
As a boy, my wish was to play football. I dreamed of playing for the Osijek senior team. I never thought that I would be a firefighter, policeman, lawyer or doctor, only a football player. When I graduated from high school of economics, I did not think of enrolling in college, only how to get the desired jersey.
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Nenad Bjelica's family
The three-time Manager of the Year is married to Senka Bjelica. The couple's love story began in 1995. Two years after their initial meeting, the Nenad and Senka wedded.
Source: Getty Images
Bjelica and his wife have two sons, Luka and Luan. Like his father, Luka Bjelica opted for a career in soccer as a coach after a short stint playing football for Austria Klagenfurt. Until October 2023, he worked alongside his father as a mental coach for Trabzonspor.
Career
The former central midfielder began his football career at the NK Osijek Under-19 before joining the senior team in July 1991. Sports Brief prepared a comprehensive summary of his playing and coaching career from 1991 until 2023, when he assumed his current role as head coach for Union Berlin, using data from Transfermarkt and other credible sources.
Which teams did Nenad Bjelica play for?
According to Transfermarkt, Nenad Bjelica was an active football player for approximately seventeen years, playing in eight teams across Europe. Here is a summary of his teams as well as club and international career statistics as a football player as per Transfermarkt:
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Team | Date joined | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
FC Kärnten | July 1, 2006 | 61 | 17 | 6 |
FC Admira Wacker Mödling | July 1, 2004 | 53 | 12 | 11 |
Croatian national football team (senior) | February 28, 2001 | 9 | - | - |
1.FC Kaiserslautern | January 1 2001 | 70 | 5 | 9 |
UD Las Palmas | July 1, 1998 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
Real Betis Balompié | July 1, 1996 | 34 | 3 | - |
Croatian national football team (Under-21) | March 17, 1993 | 1 | - | - |
Albacete Balompié | January 1, 1993 | 74 | 19 | - |
NK Osijek | July 1, 1999 July 1, 1991 | 6 | 3 | - |
NK Osijek Under-19 | - | - | - | - |
Which teams have Nenad Bjelica coached?
The former central midfielder, who is coaching Union Berlin, has a proven track record that includes leading Dinamo Zagreb to win titles and appearances in the UEFA Europa League and the Champions League. Nenad Bjelica, who prefers the 4-2-3-1 tactic, led Wolfsberger AC to promotion from Austria's third division to the first tier and Austria Vienna to the Champions League.
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Nenad Bjelica’s coaching tenure at Union Berlin began on November 27, 2023. According to various sources, he is tasked with helping return Union Berlin to its former glory.
Source: Getty Images
As of January 2024, Nenad had coached over 580 matches in various training positions. Have a look at the Croatian manager's coaching teams and statistics:
Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Points per Match |
1.FC Union Berlin | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 1.50 |
Trabzonspor | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 1.50 |
NK Osijek | 87 | 49 | 23 | 15 | 170 | 1.95 |
GNK Dinamo Zagreb | 100 | 72 | 15 | 13 | 231 | 2.31 |
Lech Poznan | 78 | 41 | 21 | 16 | 144 | 1.85 |
Spezia Calcio | 61 | 25 | 18 | 18 | 93 | 1.52 |
Austria Vienna | 35 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 1.31 |
Wolfsberger AC | 124 | 56 | 29 | 39 | 197 | 1.59 |
FC Lustenau | 31 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 44 | 1.42 |
FC Kärnten | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 1.44 |
FC Kärnten (player coach) | 25 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 1.56 |
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Awards
Nenad has bagged many awards, including the 2000 Croatian Footballer of the Year. Here is a summary of his awards and titles:
- 2020/21, 2019/20, 2018/19 Manager of the Year
- 2018/19,2017/18 SuperSport HNL Croatian Champion
- 2017/18 Croatian Cup Winner
- 2018/19 Croatian Super Cup Winner - SuperSport Super Cup
- 2011/12 Austrian Second League Champion
- 2009/10 Austrian Central Regionalliga Champion
Source: Getty Images
Frequently asked questions
Since his appointment to 1.FC Union Berlin on November 27, 2023, the club has had four Süper Lig wins and three in the Bundesliga as of January 2024. Here are more facts about the football manager.
1. What happened between Nenad Bjelica and the Rangers?
In October 2023, The Scottish Sun suggested that Nenad was the third bid in the search for the next Rangers manager. Other prospective coaches at the time were Philippe Clement and Kevin Muscat.
2. How much is Nenad Bjelica's salary?
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Details of Bjelica’s salary at Union Berlin have not been released. However, reports suggest that he is set to receive a $108,800 bonus from the team if it avoids relegation. While playing for Dinamo Zagreb, Nenad reportedly received an annual salary of $1.3 million.
3. What happened between Nenad Bjelica and Leroy Sané?
Union Berlin and Bayern Munich clashed on January 24, 2024. The match ended in favour of Bayern, with Raphaël Guerreiro scoring the only goal.
In the 74th minute, the Croatian coach was red-carded for shoving a player of the opposing team twice. Condemned for unsportsmanlike behaviour by the German FA, Nenad Bjelica has been banned for three matches between January and February 2024 following the incident.
He later spoke with Sky Sport citing a turned-down penalty appeal as one of the reasons for the altercation. He added that,
“It is not to be tolerated, what I did. Do I understand the red card? Obviously. He came into my space to provoke me, but I did not react as I should as a coach.”
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Source: Getty Images
Final word
Nenad Bjelica has had an impressive run as a coach, leading his teams to 295 wins against 149 losses in 581 football matches. Given his track record, Union Berlin fans, players, and stakeholders are hopeful for a promotion rather than relegation in the coming season.
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