Slaven BiliÃÂ (; born 11 September 1968) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player.
BiliÃÂ, who played as a defender, began his career in 1988 with his hometown club Hajduk Split, later having successful spells with Karlsruher SC in Germany, and West Ham United and Everton in England before retiring from active football in 2001. At the international level, Biliàserved as one of Croatia's most consistent defenders during the tenure of coach Miroslav Blaà ¾eviÃÂ, earning 44 caps between 1992 and 1999.
Following his retirement as a player in 2001 at Hajduk Split, Biliàcoached the team in the second half of the 2001âÂÂ02 season. Between 2004 and 2006, he managed the Croatia national under-21 team, before taking over the senior national side. He led the team to the quarter-finals of the 2008 European Championship and left after the next edition four years later. He was praised for his long-standing service to the national side and credited with successfully overseeing the introduction of a series of young players from the under-21 squad to the senior side. He then managed Lokomotiv Moscow, Beà Âiktaà Â, West Ham United, Al-Ittihad, West Bromwich Albion, Beijing Guoan, Watford and Al Fateh.
Almost all Hajduk juniors attended local high schools. As there were no classical grammar schools in Split, BiliÃÂ enrolled in an information, journalism and documentary (INDOK) studies program. All throughout high school, BiliÃÂ was a top student in his class and graduated by completing Matura. His favorite subjects were mathematics and history. The year he enrolled in a university program, he already had excellent prospects to build a career as a football player. However, he still decided to attend university and later graduated from the where his father acted as dean.
As a Hajduk player, he was on loan for half a year at NK Primorac, and for 18 months at HNK Ã Â ibenik, which, that season, finished fifth in the Yugoslav Second League, barely missing promotion to the top flight BiliÃÂ, as centre half, scored seven goals in the championship. He also played for the Yugoslavia national team, having been called up by Petar Nadoveza for three matches in which he then scored two goals and was declared man of the match in all three.
Biliàwas then targeted by other clubs in the league, including Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade and Partizan. However, he decided to stay with Hajduk which finished third in the 1989âÂÂ90 season and won the 1990âÂÂ91 cup competition. During the first season of the newly founded Croatian First League, Hajduk won both the league and the Super Cup. The following season, the club also secured its first Croatian Cup title.
In January 1996, Harry Redknapp, manager of Premier League club West Ham United, brought Biliàto the club for a fee of ã1.3 million, setting the new club record for highest fee paid for an incoming player. Biliàmade his debut on 12 February 1996 in a 0âÂÂ1 away win against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The goal for West Ham came after BiliÃÂ's shot had been saved by Tottenham goalkeeper Ian Walker and the ball then diverted into Tottenham goal by another West Ham debutant, Dani.
He played 13 games in the 1995âÂÂ96 season and 41 in the 1996âÂÂ97 season in which he scored three goals (two in the Premier League, against Liverpool and Sunderland, and one in the League Cup, against Barnet) and was voted runner-up, to Julian Dicks, for the Hammer of the Year award.
In March 1997, Joe Royle brokered BiliÃÂ's ã4.5 million move to Everton, with Biliàrequesting to stay with West Ham until the end of the season and help club's efforts to avoid relegation. West Ham finished the season in 14th place, two points outside the relegation zone.
BiliÃÂ first played for Everon in August 1997, with full support of the new manager Howard Kendall. He initially brought some class to the Toffees' backline, but his season was marred by bookings that saw him miss several games due to suspensions.
After the 1998 World Cup, BiliÃÂ developed a nagging groin strain, and returned to Croatia for treatment. After missing the first quarter of the season, he was left wondering if he would get back into Everton's first eleven, now managed by Walter Smith. He did so and showed some good form, but never fully re-established himself due to injuries and suspensions. Subsequently, Everton released BiliÃÂ in July 1999.
Two days after being released by Everton, BiliÃÂ signed for his home club Hajduk Split, where he played briefly before retiring. He led Hajduk as team captain to their first trophy in five years, winning the Croatian Cup.
On 5 July 1992, Biliàmade his international debut for the Croatia national football team in a friendly match against Australia at the Olympic Park Stadium, where Croatia lost lost 0âÂÂ1. At the UEFA Euro 1996, he played in all four matches as Croatia secured a respectable spot in the Top 8, losing to Germany 1âÂÂ2 in the quarterfinals.
At the 1998 World Cup, Croatia became the biggest surprise of the tournament. The team only lost two matches, against Argentina in the group stage (0âÂÂ1) and France in the semifinals (1âÂÂ2). After winning the play-off match against the Netherlands, Croatia finished the tournament in third place. Biliàplayed in all seven matches and was involved in a controversy for the role he played in the dismissal of Laurent Blanc in the semifinal against France. With Croatia behind, a free-kick was awarded, which saw Biliàmarking and holding the French defender. Wanting to rescue himself, Blanc pushed BiliÃÂ, making contact with his chin and chest. Biliàfell to the ground clutching his forehead. Biliàlater admitted to overacting and going down only after encouraged to do so by teammate Igor à  timac. Blanc was sent off and missed the World Cup final due to suspension. Biliànever officially apologize, but stated: "I swear, if I could change that moment, so that Blanc could have played in the final, I would."
In, 2001, as a shareholder of his hometown club, Hajduk Split, he agreed to temporarily manage the team until the club could find a replacement manager. He stated that the adrenaline rush he experienced during this period inspired him, and reportedly sought and received guidance from Arsène Wenger and Marcello Lippi.
Biliàwas appointed head coach of the senior national team on 25 July 2006, succeeding Zlatko KranjÃÂar after the unsuccessful 2006 World Cup. His assistants included former teammates Aljoà ¡a AsanoviÃÂ, Robert ProsineÃÂki, Nikola JurÃÂeviÃÂ, and Marjan MrmiÃÂ. One of his first actions was the promotion of three players from the under-21 squad: Eduardo, Luka ModriÃÂ, and Vedran ÃÂorluka, all of whom eventually built impressive careers. The team's first official game under Biliàwas the 2âÂÂ0 win in an away friendly match against Italy, while BiliÃÂ's first competitive game was the goalless draw in Moscow against Russia in the opener of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Many criticized this result due to BiliÃÂ's suspension of Darijo Srna, Ivica Oliàand Boà ¡ko Balaban, who left the team camp three days before the match for an evening at a night club in Zagreb. They assumed no-one would find out, but that very evening a gunfight broke out at that very night club, and the police had to intervene. Even though none of the players were involved in the incident, their absence from the team camp resulted in a scandal.
In the continuation of the Euro 2008 qualifiers, BiliÃÂ led Croatia with great success. In a group consisting of England, Russia, Israel, Macedonia, Estonia, and Andorra, Croatia secured the top spot in Group E, with notable wins against England both home and away. England ended up missing Euro 2008, and their manager Steve McClaren was sacked.
At the Euro 2008 tournament itself, where he was the youngest coach, BiliÃÂ's squad had to deal with the absence of star striker Eduardo who had sustained a serious injury a few months earlier. Nonetheless, BiliÃÂ led his side to an outstanding achievement, as Croatia won all three group stage games of the competition, including the match against the eventual finalists Germany. Over night, the media labelled Croatia favourites to win the tournament, however, the team suffered an abrupt exit in the quarterfinals against Turkey. BiliÃÂ has since stated that this defeat would haunt him for the rest of his life.
At UEFA Euro 2012, Croatia won against Ireland, drew against Italy, and lost 0âÂÂ1 to Spain, exiting the tournament at the group stage. However, the team garnered widespread praise for their performance, and were greeted by a large crowd upon their return to Zagreb. Upon his formal departure as national coach, Biliàwas praised for his long-standing service and successess. Domestic media outlet Jutarnji list labelled him as Croatia's first manager to leave the team on a positive note and credited him for the team's revival during his six-year tenure.
On 14 May 2012, it was confirmed that Biliàhad signed a coaching contract with the Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow. Club chairman, Olga Smorodskaya, stated that Lokomotiv had tough competition in their attempt to signing BiliÃÂ, as he was targeted by many other clubs from across Europe. Biliàagain joined forces with former teammates and former assistants, Aljoà ¡a Asanoviàand Nikola JurÃÂeviÃÂ, who again acted as his assistants. Biliàalso immediately secured a big signing by bringing ÃÂorluka from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of ã5.5 million. His first official match as the new Lokomotiv manager came was an away 3âÂÂ2 win against Mordoviya Saransk on 20 July 2012. BiliÃÂ's first season at the club ended with Lokomotiv's worst league result (ninth place) since the establishment of Russian championship in 1992. Biliàaccepted responsibility for team's failure and was sacked on 18 June 2013.
After leaving Lokomotiv, Biliàentered talks to take over as Beà Âiktaà  manager. The deal was confirmed on 26 June 2013, and two days later, Bilàsigned a three-year contract worth â¬4.8 million. On 22 September, during the Istanbul derby against Galatasaray, Biliàwas sent-off from the bench by referee Fñrat Aydñnus, after he had complained about the amount of time added by the referee. Beà Âiktaà  president Fikret Orman announced on 21 May 2015 that Biliàwould leave the club at the end of the 2014âÂÂ15 season.
On 9 June 2015, Biliàwas appointed manager at his former club West Ham United in the English Premier League. He signed a three-year contract. In his first Premier League game on 9 August, his team beat Arsenal 2âÂÂ0 at the Emirates Stadium. Three weeks later, he became the first manager since 1963 to lead West Ham to victory against Liverpool at Anfield. On 19 September, Biliàled West Ham to a third successive 2âÂÂ1 away win against Manchester City. It was the first time the Hammers had won three successive Premier League away games since September 2007, and only three other sides had recorded away wins at Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City in the same Premier League season. In BiliÃÂ's first season as manager, West Ham finished seventh in the Premier League. Towards the end of the season, they beat Manchester United 3âÂÂ2, thereby significantly lowering United's chances of finishing in the Top 4 and securing a spot in the Champions League. The team broke several records for the club in the Premier League era, including the highest number of points (62), the highest number of goals scored in a season (65), a positive goal difference for the first time in the Premier League (+14), the lowest number of losses in a season (8), and the lowest number of away losses in a season(5).
Following Manchester United's win in the 2016 FA Cup Final, West Ham took their UEFA Europa League place and qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2016âÂÂ17 UEFA Europa League. For the second season in a row, they were eliminated in the qualifying stage of the competition. BiliÃÂ's second season with West Ham was less successful, as the club finished 11th in the Premier League with a total of 17 losses and poor goal difference (âÂÂ17). This was the first season the club played home matches at the newly constructed London Stadium. The season was marred by the acrimonious departure of star player, Dimitri Payet, who refused to continue playing for West Ham mid-season, on 12 January 2017.
In his third season, after a poor run of results in the Premier League, culminating in a 1âÂÂ4 home loss to Liverpool on 4 November 2017, Biliàwas sacked. The announcement, made two days after that match, stated that "West Ham United can confirm that Slaven Bilic has left his position with the club. West Ham United believe a change is necessary in order for the club to move forward positively and in line with our ambitions." He left the team with a record of 1.33 points per Premier League game, which was the best among all previous West Ham managers.
On 27 September 2018, BiliÃÂ joined Al-Ittihad of the Saudi Professional League. On 24 February 2019, after five months as manager of Al-Ittihad, and after winning only 6 of the 20 matches in charge, BiliÃÂ was sacked from the position.
On 13 June 2019, Biliàwas named as head coach of West Bromwich Albion on a two-year contract. On 22 July 2020, he led the club to promotion back to the Premier League, finishing as runner-up in the 2019âÂÂ20 EFL Championship.
On 22 September, Biliàwas charged with improper conduct by the FA, after remonstrating with referee Mike Dean a few days earlier, during his team's 2âÂÂ5 defeat to Everton.
On 16 December, despite a surprise 1âÂÂ1 draw against Manchester City, Biliàwas sacked by the club due to a poor start to the season. His fellow coaching staff were dismissed as well. At the time, West Brom were 19th in the league, having taken just seven points from 13 games.
On 6 January 2021, BiliÃÂ was named as head coach of Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan on a two-year contract.
On 8 January 2022, BiliÃÂ parted ways with Beijing Guoan.
On 26 September 2022, Biliàbecame manager of Watford on an 18-month contract, after the dismissal of Rob Edwards. In his first game in charge, on 2 October, Watford won 4âÂÂ0 away against Stoke City.
On 7 March 2023, BiliÃÂ was sacked, even though the club was sitting in ninth position and only four points away from the last play-offs spot. The club statement focused on the fact that Hornets had won just once in the most recent eight Championship games. He was replaced by Chris Wilder until the end of the season.
On 8 July 2023, BiliÃÂ was appointed as manager of Saudi Pro League side Al-Fateh. On 16 August 2024, BiliÃÂ and Al-Fateh to end the contract by mutual agreement.
BiliÃÂ has often stated that he and his team usually study many games of their opponents prior to playing them.
Known to be a big music fan, BiliÃÂ often motivates his players by encouraging them to listen to inspiring music before and even after each match.
Along with his native Croatian, BiliÃÂ is fluent in German, Italian and English, while he also holds a degree in law. He also plays rhythm guitar (his favourite being the red Gibson Explorer) and is a member of Croatian rock band Rawbau. In 2008, the band recorded a song for Croatia's performance at Euro 2008 called "Vatreno ludilo" (Fiery Madness).
Since early childhood, BiliÃÂ has been suffering from a slight stammer, which he has learned to control as he grew older.
Source:
As of 27 May 2024
Hajduk Split
Croatia
West Bromwich Albion