Position Midfielder Height 1.78 m | Years Team Role Football manager Playing position Name Dragan Skocic | |
 | ||
Date of birth (1968-09-03) 3 September 1968 (age 47) Team coached Foolad F.C. (Manager, since 2014) | ||
Dragan Skočić (born 3 September 1968) is a Croatian football manager and former professional player. He formerly managed Rijeka, Interblock Ljubljana, Al-Arabi, Al-Nassr, Malavan and Foolad.
Contents
- Playing career
- Early career
- Rijeka
- Interblock Ljubljana
- Al Arabi
- Al Nassr
- Return to Rijeka
- Malavan
- Foolad
- Managerial honours
- References
Prior to his coaching career, Skočić started his playing career with his local club NK Rijeka, and became this first Croatian footballer to go abroad when he signed for UD Las Palmas in Spain.
Playing career
Skočić, a midfielder, played professional club football in Croatia for Rijeka and NK Novalja, in Spain for Las Palmas and Compostela, and in the UAE for Al-Ittihad Kalba. He was the first player from the Croatian football league who went abroad to play professionally.
Early career
After his playing career, Skočić went on to complete the Football Academy at the Croatian Football Academy and the Coach Education and Training Department at the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, receiving a UEFA-PRO Coach diploma and a Professional Bachelor of the Coaching Profession.
Rijeka
He became manager of his home club, Rijeka in 2005. Skočić secured two trophies for Rijeka, both times by winning the Croatian Cup for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons.
Interblock Ljubljana
In 2007, he became the head coach of the Slovenian club Interblock Ljubljana. While the club was in a difficult situation on the league scale. Only two years after the club was founded and under the management of Skočić, the club achieved outstanding results in the Slovenian PrvaLiga. Not only did they manage to stay in the first league, but they also won two trophies in the 2007–08 season, the Slovenian Cup and a Super Cup.
Al Arabi
Skočić took a year long sabbatical from coaching following his time at Interblock Ljubljana, and in the 2009–10 season, he took over the management of the Al Arabi club in Kuwait. Under his leadership as head coach, Al Arabi played in two finals, the Crown Prince Cup and the Federation Cup. Also under Skočić, Al Arabi played in the AFC Cup quarterfinals.
Al Nassr
Following Kuwait, in the 2010–11 season, Skočić was engaged by the Al Nassr football club from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the most prominent football clubs in the Arab world. Under Skočić, Al Nassr qualified for the third round of the AFC Champions League, after having played a successful season of competitions within the group. Skočić was sacked after a disappointing 4-1 loss to 2010 AFC Champions League finalists Zob Ahan, and was replaced by Portuguese boss Eurico Gomes
Return to Rijeka
In March 2012, Skočić returned to take over the management of his home club Rijeka by replacing Ivo Ištuk as head coach, and became the third coach to take charge of the club in the 2010–11 Prva HNL season. Skočić inherited a defensively frail side that was 2 points off the relegation zone and was tasked with saving the team from relegation. Upon a 2-0 defeat to HNK Cibalia, the club fell to 12th place in the league. After just 43 days in charge, Skočić was relieved of his position, following a series of poor results, and was replaced by his assistant, Mladen Ivančić.
Malavan
On 26 May 2013, Skočić was announced as the head coach of Malavan for the upcoming season. He signed a two years contract with the club. He led the club to the seventh place, their best league finish since 2005.
Foolad
On 23 May 2014, Skočić was named as new head coach of Iran Pro League title-holders Foolad on a one-year contract, replacing Hossein Faraki who resigned on the following day. In May 2015, Skočić received the award for coach of the month and signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club util July 2017. In November 2015 after poor scores with Foolad, Skočić was linked with the vacant head coach position at Sepahan F.C. but the job went to his compatriot Igor Štimac. After unsuccessful transfer saga to Sepahan, he remained as Foolad's head coach according to his contract. He left the club on 1 June 2016.