Miroslav Blažević

Overview

Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević (Croatian pronunciation: [mîroslaʋ tɕǐːro blǎːʒeʋitɕ] ; 9 February 1935 – 8 February 2023) was a Bosnian and Croatian professional football manager and player. A former right winger, his professional playing career spanned from 1954 to 1966, during which he played for Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva Zagreb, Sarajevo, Rijeka as well as Swiss clubs Sion and Moutier. As a manager, his most successful period was with the Croatia national team, which he led to the quarter-finals in the 1996 European Championship and won third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He went on to manage the following national teams: Switzerland, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China Olympic. Blažević also had successful spells at Vevey, Sion, Lausanne-Sport, Rijeka, Dinamo Zagreb, Grasshopper Zürich, Priština, Osijek, Varteks, Zagreb, Shanghai Shenhua and Sloboda Tuzla. From 29 March 1993 to 23 February 1995, he was president of Dinamo Zagreb. Blažević's public persona and managerial career has him known as trener svih trenera (the "coach of all coaches") within Southeast Europe.