Niko Kovač

Croatian association football player and manager

Niko Kovač (born 15 October 1971) is a former Croatian football player. He has played for Croatia national team.

Niko Kovač
Personal information
Full name Niko Kovač
Date of birth (1971-10-15) 15 October 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth West Berlin, West Germany
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder (retired)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990-1991
1991-1996
1996-1999
1999-2001
2001-2003
2003-2006
2006-2009
Hertha Berlin-Zehlendorf
Hertha Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen
Hamburg
Bayern Munich
Hertha Berlin
Red Bull Salzburg
National team
1996-2008 Croatia
Teams managed
2009 - 2011
2011-2012
2013
2013-2015
2016-2018
2018-2019
2020-2022
Red Bull Juniors (headcoach)
FC Red Bull Salzburg (assistance coach)
Croatia U21
Croatia
Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich
AS Monaco
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

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Last match of Niko Kovac vs. Bayern Munich

He was born in Berlin (Germany) and so he started his career with his local club Hertha Zehlendorf. There he became member of its first team at the age of 17. 1991 he went to Hertha BSC and started his professional career in the Second German League. 1996 he went to Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga, where he played together with his younger brother Robert. The next clubs were Hamburger SV, Bayern Munich, where he was again teammate of his brother and again Hertha BSC. After the 2006 FIFA World Cup he signed with F.C. Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. On 29 May 2009 he resigned from professional football. His last match was a friendly match of Red Bull Salzburg against Bayern Munich. During his career he played 454 matches and scored 56 goals.

International career

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He played from 1996 (versus Monaco) till 2009 for the Croatian national team. He played 83 matches and scored 15 goals. He was part of the Croation team for the FIFA World Cup 2002 and 2006 and the UEFA Euro 2004 and 2008.

Coaching career

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First match as assistance coach of FC Red Bull Salzburg

2009 he became coach of the second squad of FC Red Bull Salzburg (Red Bull Juniors). In April 2011 he became assistance coach of Ricardo Moniz with the first squad. Then he went on to Croatia where he became coach of the U21 and the national team. After his time with Eintracht Frankfurt he became coach of FC Bayern Munic both in the German Bundesliga. He then became coach of AS Monaco in League 1 but had to go at the beginning of 2022.

Honours

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Club career statistics

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[2]

Club statistics League
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals
GermanyLeague
1990/91 Hertha Berlin-Zehlendorf 25 7
1991/92 Hertha Berlin 2. Bundesliga 12 0
1992/93 42 1
1993/94 32 1
1994/95 31 2
1995/96 31 11
1996/97 Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga 32 3
1997/98 18 1
1998/99 27 4
1999/00 Hamburg Bundesliga 30 8
2000/01 25 4
2001/02 Bayern Munich Bundesliga 16 2
2002/03 18 1
2003/04 Hertha Berlin Bundesliga 17 1
2004/05 30 4
2005/06 28 3
AustriaLeague
2006/07 Red Bull Salzburg Bundesliga 28 6
2007/08 25 3
2008/09 12 0
Country Germany 414 53
Austria 65 9
Total 479 62

International career statistics

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Croatia national team
YearAppsGoals
1996 2 1
1997 3 0
1998 0 0
1999 1 0
2000 7 1
2001 5 1
2002 6 1
2003 9 2
2004 12 1
2005 9 2
2006 12 1
2007 7 2
2008 10 3
Total 83 15

References

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  1. "Niko Kovac - Player Profile - Football". Eurosport. Discovery. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  2. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Niko Kovač". www.national-football-teams.com.