Vladimir Ivić
Serbian football manager and player
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Vladimir Ivić (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Ивић; born 7 May 1977) is a Serbian football manager who is the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al-Ain. A former Serbia and Montenegro international footballer, Ivić spent hundreds of matches with Partizan and PAOK at club level. After retirement, Ivić won back-to-back championship titles as Maccabi Tel Aviv manager in 2019 and 2020.
.png) Ivić in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 May 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Zrenjanin, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al Ain (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Proleter Zrenjanin | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1998 | Proleter Zrenjanin | 67 | (7) |
| 1998–2004 | Partizan | 133 | (64) |
| 2004 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 4 | (1) |
| 2004–2007 | AEK Athens | 56 | (9) |
| 2007–2008 | Aris | 29 | (5) |
| 2008–2012 | PAOK | 103 | (20) |
| Total | 392 | (106) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1999 | FR Yugoslavia U21[a] | 4 | (2) |
| 2001–2004 |
FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro | 8 | (0) |
| 2001 | FR Yugoslavia XI | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2017 | PAOK | ||
| 2018–2020 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||
| 2020 | Watford | ||
| 2022–2023 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||
| 2023–2024 | Krasnodar | ||
| 2025– | Al Ain | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Ivić began his career with Proleter Zrenjanin, making his senior debut in the 1994–95 season. He was transferred to Partizan in the summer of 1998. Over the next six years, Ivić helped the side win three championship titles and two domestic cups. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut in the 2003–04 campaign. After Saša Ilić's departure from the club in early 2004, Ivić became the team's captain. He scored a total of 64 league goals in 133 appearances with the Crno-beli.[1]
In July 2004, Ivić signed a three-year contract with German club Borussia Mönchengladbach.[2] He made just four league appearances and scored once in the team's 3–1 home victory against Werder Bremen.[3] On 21 December he was transferred to the Greek side, AEK Athens,[4] where his brother, Ilija was the technichal director. On 31 August 2007 Ivić was released from AEK and signed with fellow Super League club, Aris.[5] He spent one year there, before switching to crosstown rivals PAOK in June 2008. Over the following four seasons, Ivić made 133 appearances and scored 24 goals across all competitions.[6]
International career
At international level, Ivić was capped eight times by Serbia and Montenegro between 2001 and 2004, making his debut as a substitute for Dejan Stanković in a World Cup 2002 qualifier against Switzerland, an eventual 1–1 draw.[7] His final international was an April 2004 friendly match against Northern Ireland.[8][better source needed]
Ivić was previously a member of the team that represented his nation at the Millennium Super Soccer Cup, winning the tournament.[9]
Managerial career
2010s
In June 2013, Ivić started working with PAOK's under-20 team. He led them to the league title in his first year for the role. In March 2016, Ivić was appointed manager of PAOK until the end of the season, following the departure of Igor Tudor.[10][11] He won the Greek Cup in May 2017, before leaving the following month.[12]
On 31 May 2018, Ivić officially took charge of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, penning a two-year deal with an option for a third season.[13] He won the national championship in his debut season with a record 31-point margin and only one loss. In his second season, Ivić led the team to another championship title, only losing in the final league fixture.[14]
2020s
On 15 August 2020, Ivić was appointed as manager of Watford on a one-year contract with an option for a further year.[15] He was sacked by the club on 19 December when they finished fifth in the league.[16] Ivić returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv on 12 June 2022 on a two-year contract.[17]
On 4 January 2023, Ivić was appointed manager of Russian Premier League club Krasnodar on a two-year deal.[18] He was dismissed by the club on 13 March 2024.[19] On 4 February 2025, Ivić was appointed coach of UAE Pro League club Al-Ain.[20]
Personal life
Ivić is the younger brother of fellow footballer Ilija Ivić.[21]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[b] | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Proleter Zrenjanin | 1994–95 | First League of FR Yugoslavia | 5 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| 1995–96 | 16 | 1 | — | 16 | 1 | |||||
| 1996–97 | 20 | 1 | — | 20 | 1 | |||||
| 1997–98 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 71 | 7 | ||||
| Partizan | 1998–99 | First League of FR Yugoslavia | 20 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 32 | 11 |
| 1999–00 | 30 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 39 | 21 | ||
| 2000–01 | 30 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 22 | ||
| 2001–02 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 10 | ||
| 2002–03 | First League of Serbia and Montenegro | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 5 | |
| 2003–04 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 6 | ||
| Total | 133 | 64 | 16 | 4 | 27 | 7 | 176 | 75 | ||
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | |
| AEK Athens | 2004–05 | Alpha Ethniki | 17 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 |
| 2005–06 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2006–07 | Super League Greece | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 3 | |
| Total | 56 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 74 | 11 | ||
| Aris Thessaloniki | 2007–08 | Super League Greece | 29 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 8 |
| PAOK | 2008–09 | Super League Greece | 28 | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | 32 | 7 | |
| 2009–10 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 10 | ||
| 2010–11 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 38 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| Total | 103 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 133 | 24 | ||
| Career total | 392 | 106 | 44 | 8 | 62 | 12 | 498 | 126 | ||
- Includes FR Yugoslavia Cup, Serbian Cup, Greek Football Cup
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslavia | 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 | |
| Serbia and Montenegro | 2003 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Managerial statistics
- As of 23 April 2026
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| PAOK U20 | 9 March 2014 | 5 March 2016 | 59 | 40 | 9 | 10 | 67.80 |
| PAOK | 9 March 2016 | 10 June 2017 | 70 | 41 | 12 | 17 | 58.57 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 31 May 2018 | 7 July 2020 | 91 | 61 | 22 | 8 | 67.03 |
| Watford | 15 August 2020 | 19 December 2020 | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 45.45 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 12 June 2022 | 3 January 2023 | 23 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 69.57 |
| Krasnodar | 4 January 2023 | 13 March 2024 | 48 | 27 | 11 | 10 | 56.25 |
| Al Ain | 4 February 2025 | Present | 54 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 62.96 |
| Total | 365 | 227 | 74 | 64 | 62.19 | ||
Honours
Player
Partizan
Manager
PAOK U20
- Greek Superleague U19: 2013–14
PAOK
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Krasnodar
- Russian Cup runner-up: 2023
Individual
- Super League Greece Manager of the Season: 2016–17
- EFL Championship Manager of the Month: November 2020[23]
- Russian Premier League Manager of the Month: July/August 2023,[24] September 2023.[25]
