On 30 April 2008, Bilić agreed to extend his contract for a further two years. The new deal is worth 1.2 million kuna ($340,000) a year and will take the former Croatia defender up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa. The National Team coach rankings has long recognised Bilić as the second best national team manager in the world, behind Dunga of Brazil. Being the youngest manager Croatia has ever had, he also became the youngest manager to lead his side to the knockout stages of a major competition. He did this at UEFA Euro 2008.
Bilić began his career at his hometown club Hajduk Split, whom he joined at the age of nine. He rose through the youth ranks at Hajduk and as part of his football schooling he was loaned out to lower level sides Primorac and Šibenik. First he spent a half-season at Primorac in 1988 and then a season and a half at Šibenik, who were at the time one of the top teams in the Yugoslav Second League. Bilić played there as a centre-back and went on to score 7 goals in 33 appearances. Yugoslav regulations allowed for a player to be dually registered (and eligible to play for both clubs) so players would normally play most of the season at smaller clubs where they were loaned to, but were at the same time allowed a maximum of five appearances for the club they were loaned from during a season. Hajduk manager Petar Nadoveza used this rule and called him up from Šibenik for three matches in the 1988–89 season. He appeared in away games against Vardar, Radnički Niš and Velež, where he scored two goals and was named man of the match in all three appearances.
Bilić began his career at his hometown club Hajduk Split, whom he joined at the age of nine. He rose through the youth ranks at Hajduk and as part of his football schooling he was loaned out to lower level sides Primorac and Šibenik. First he spent a half-season at Primorac in 1988 and then a season and a half at Šibenik, who were at the time one of the top teams in the Yugoslav Second League. Bilić played there as a centre-back and went on to score 7 goals in 33 appearances. Yugoslav regulations allowed for a player to be dually registered (and eligible to play for both clubs) so players would normally play most of the season at smaller clubs where they were loaned to, but were at the same time allowed a maximum of five appearances for the club they were loaned from during a season. Hajduk manager Petar Nadoveza used this rule and called him up from Šibenik for three matches in the 1988–89 season. He appeared in away games against Vardar, Radnički Niš and Velež, where he scored two goals and was named man of the match in all three appearances.
No comments:
Post a Comment