Full name Zeljko Buvac Name Zeljko Buvac | Years Team Height 1.92 m | |
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Date of birth (1961-09-13) 13 September 1961 (age 54) Similar People Jurgen Klopp, Wolfgang de Beer, Stephan Kuhnert | ||
Playing position | ||
Željko Buvač (Serbian Cyrillic: Жељко Бувач; born 13 September 1961) is a Bosnian Serb football manager and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Premier League club Liverpool. Current Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp labelled Buvač as "the brain" in his coaching team, while describing himself as "the heart" and the second assistant coach, Peter Krawietz, as "the eye". Buvač has been credited for developing the high-speed attacking style that brought success at Borussia Dortmund.
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Club career
Born in Omarska, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, still within Yugoslavia, Buvač played for Borac Banja Luka in the Yugoslav First League. While playing for this club, in 1988, he won the Yugoslav Cup.
In 1991 he moved to Germany and played with FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt and 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the 2. Bundesliga
Management career
After retiring, he became a manager. Buvač finished his playing career with SC Neukirchen in 1998, and he took charge of the club soon after hanging up his boots. In 2001, after three seasons at SC Neukirchen, he became assistant manager of another of his former clubs, 1. FSV Mainz 05, where he joined friend, former teammate, and Mainz manager Jürgen Klopp. During his seven years at the club they achieved promotion to the Bundesliga, and later earned European qualification.
In 2008 he moved with Klopp to become assistant manager at Borussia Dortmund. Described by Klopp as his "right hand" Buvač helped lead Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga wins in 2011 and 2012, as well as the DFB-Pokal in 2012, the DFL-Supercup in 2008, 2013 and 2014, and their second appearance in a Champions League final in 2013. In 2013, while still at Dortmund, Buvač also became the head coach of Republika Srpska.
In October 2015 he joined newly appointed manager Klopp, and took up the role of assistant manager at Premier League club Liverpool.
Honours
Borac Banja Luka
Yugoslav Cup: Winners (1): 1988