Mladen Mladenović
Mladen Mladenovic (* September 13 1964 in Rijeka ) is a former Croatian footballer and current coach.
The multi-way player was during his active career as one of the strongest players of his generation, but was in any top European team under contract. Due to the resembling game, he was often referred to as " Croatian Matthew ".
As an international, he ran to the first independent international match of a Croatian national team, and participated in the European Football Championship 1996.
Since 2002 he has worked as a coach and sporting director, but was to Dato (October 2010) recorded no achievements.
Club career
Mladenovic started his career in the youth of his home club NK Rijeka, where he made his debut in the season 1981/82 in the first team. In the following three seasons he was only sporadically used, before he made his breakthrough in Rijeka after a six-month loan at NK Zadar. From then on he became the pivotal point in the game the team and shone as a specialist in standard situations, with an above average strike rate. After seven years as a professional in the middle of the 1st Yugoslav football league and losing a cup final against Hajduk Split as a highlight, Mladenovic for Rijeka was no longer tenable and was sold to the wholesale club Dinamo Zagreb.
Dinamo he received under the then young coach Josip Kuže immediately secured a regular place and evolved alongside players such as Kujtim Shala, Davor Šuker and Zvonimir Boban for service providers and, therefore, of national team of Croatia. Although the team of the strongest applies beginning of the 90s until today as one in the club's history, it was behind the then major rivals Red Star Belgrade and its miracle team with players like Vladimir Jugović, Siniša Mihajlovic, Robert Prosinečki, Dragan Stojkovic and Dejan Savićević, only twice runner-up and was able to record even a cup win. Simultaneous to the disintegration of Yugoslavia followed then a sell the team, after which all service providers, including Mladenovic, who scored 16 league goals in two seasons, the club left.
After a transfer to Austria failed to precisely acquired by Otto Barić SV Salzburg due to high transfer fee, he took part in a financially lucrative offer from relegated straight from the excellence of the Spanish club CD Castellón. In Valencia, he should compensate for the fall -related disposal of Igor Dobrovolskiy advance and the leading figure for its chances of promotion. Although Mladenovic presented in a row as the hoped-for leading players and acted as a towering figure in the game of Castellón, the squad was too mediocre reception to meet the high expectations. Although he had in his debut season with Gaizka Mendieta, who had just managed to climb from youth to professional players, a talented midfield partner who was sold to the result season at city rivals Valencia. After two years División as requested under players in the middle of the Segunda, he asked for a change in the home that was granted him because of his high salary, which could be saved.
For the season 1993/94 he then went back to his hometown club NK Rijeka, where he was able to increase its strong performance in previous years. In heimatlicher environment Mladenovic played unleashed on, shot as a midfielder scored 20 goals and was voted the best player in the Croatian top flight.
As a result, he joined with three years late but still to Austria for SV Austria Salzburg. Was the player in 1991 still failed to change the transfer fee, the club had after reaching the UEFA Cup Final now have the necessary financial means to lift the transfer. As an absolute desire of players coach Otto Barić he celebrated with ten goals in preparation for a spectacular debut season, and formed in a row together with Tomislav Kocijan, Dean Računica and Nikola Jurčević a strong block in the Croatian team. In his debut season he celebrated then winning the OFB Supercup, the league title and the first Austrian team a place in the Champions League.
The start of the season was a result of the success-spoiled Salzburg with the failure of Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League qualification and a veritable false start in the league unusually weak, which led to internal strife until the disposal of success coach Barić. Regardless of the problems, Mladenovic was further improved and achieved in the fall of seven goals in 15 games before he. Together with Jurčević and Računica, due to the disposal of Barić, pushed for a change In order to realize the long avisierten change of the Norwegian striker Tore Andre Flo, gave club boss Quehenberger then his agreement for a sale.
As a result of a transfer to Dinamo Zagreb still failed to release the requirement of Salzburg before he surprisingly followed the call of his former coach Josip Kuže and surprisingly joined Gamba Osaka for four million shillings to Japan. Flo settled for an in-country move to Brann Bergen, which Salzburg was delivered by Mladenovic, of a total of 25 goals advanced in the previous year and a half to the scorer of the club, the best offensive player and had to play to end the season without adequate replacement.
Mladenovic, with a bandied annual salary of eight million shillings, top earners at the former Japanese underdog, formed in succession Vjekoslav Škrinjar, another old friend from earlier Dinamo times, a well- discordant midfield and was promoted with 11 goals this season again top scorer of his team. With the standings 12 However, the association fell short of expectations, prompting Kuže was replaced by his assistant coach the Austrian Friedrich Koncilia.
Consequently, he still went with Gamba in the season in 1997, but came to no use due to injury. After the commitment of Nebojša Krupnikovic he received in a row at his own request the release and moved back to Croatia for Hajduk Split. In Hajduk he played as a hedge for the offensively oriented Ivan Leko and Josip Skoko half a year the leaders in the league for the championship before he came home to the second round switched to Rijka that had slipped in the meantime to the lower third of the table and the " relegation Play-Off " had. After he won this with the club, he ended his playing career at the age of 33 years.
National
Mladenovic debuted on 17 October 1990 at the first independent international match of Croatia against the United States in the national team. He came with the score at 2-0 in 58 minutes for the shooter of the first goal, Aljoša Asanović into play.
As a result, he was always in the expanded group of national and shot on 18 May 1994 in a friendly against Hungary 's first two goals to the final score of 2:2.
After the association waived in the United States after the re- admission to FIFA to participate in the qualification for the 1994 World Cup, followed over a period of two years only friendly matches before he on 9 October 1994 at the qualifier for the 1996 European against Lithuania for the first time in a allowed to accumulate official competition game for Croatia.
Croatia managed in a row as group winners ahead of Italy to qualify for the final tournament, which he threatened to miss in a row. This followed the announcement by coach Miroslav Blažević no player outside Europe was to convene the national team. The statement arose from the fact that the mid-90s on several occasions the Croatian national team, including Mladenovic, due to princely salaries to Japan were transferred to the J. League, and thus had to overcome in getting to an international match multiple time zones. Furthermore scented Blažević the missing competition in the weaker league, whereby the level of performance of his players would fall.
Notwithstanding the statement by his national coach Mladenovic joined anyway to Japan and was at last becoming, convened in the final squad for the European Championship due to its importance for the team, as the only non active player in Europe. There he came in the two group matches against Denmark and Portugal in the quarter -finals of the 1-2 defeat against Germany for use. After the lost game, he finished after 19 games with three Torerfolgen his international career.
After the active career
After his playing career, he trained as a referee, but before he moved to the opposite side as manager of NK Žminj again. From 2002 he worked as a coach at his youth club NK Rijeka, but was discharged because of a losing streak in March 2003.
After a short stint as a sports director Rijkas coach stations followed in small clubs NK Halubjan Viškovo, NK Cres and last Orijent NK Rijeka. He is currently without a club.
Achievements
Association
As a player
National
Participation:
- European Football Championship 1996