Slaven Bilić

Slaven Bilić ( born 11 September 1968) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player.

He is the current manager of Saudi Professional League side Al-Fateh.

Bilić, 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.

He helped his club win the 1990–91 Yugoslav Cup before the dismantling of the Yugoslav First League.

During the first season of the newly founded Croatian First League, Hajduk won the league and Super Cup.

One season later, they also secured the Croatian Cup.

At the international level, Bilić served as one of Croatia's most consistent defenders during the tenure of coach Miroslav Blažević, earning 44 caps between 1992 and 1999, and playing in UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, helping the team to the third place at the latter tournament.

He played 13 games in the 1995–96 season and 41 in the 1996–97 season, a season which also saw him voted a runner-up, to Julian Dicks, for the Hammer of the Year award.

In January 1996, Harry Redknapp, manager of Premier League club West Ham United, brought him to the club for a fee of £1.3 million, setting the club's record for highest fee paid for an incoming player.

He made his debut on 12 February 1996 in a 0–1 away win against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Bilić's shot was saved by Tottenham goalkeeper Ian Walker only for West Ham's Dani, another debutant, to divert the ball into the Tottenham goal.

Bilić scored three goals in his time with West Ham: two in the Premier League, against Liverpool and Sunderland, and one in the League Cup against Barnet, heading-in from a Stan Lazaridis corner, his first for the club.

In March 1997, Everton manager Joe Royle brokered a £4.5 million move, with Bilić claiming he had a debt of loyalty to West Ham to stay with the club until the end of the season to ensure they were not relegated.

Bilić turned out for Everton in August 1997 after assuring himself of new manager Howard Kendall's full support.

He initially brought some class to the Toffees' backline, but his season was marred by bookings that saw him miss several games through suspension.

After his exertions in the 1998 World Cup, Bilić revealed a nagging groin strain that required rest and treatment, which he took back home in Croatia.

After missing the first quarter of the season, Bilić was left wondering if he would get back into the Everton side managed by Walter Smith.

He did so and showed some good form but could never fully establish himself due to injuries and suspensions.

Everton released Bilić in July 1999.

Two days after being released by Everton, Bilić signed up with his home club Hajduk Split, where he briefly played until retiring.

He led Hajduk as team captain to their first trophy in five years winning the Croatian Cup.

Following his playing retirement in 2001 at Hajduk Split, Bilić coached the team in the second half of the 2001–02 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 left for the Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2012 and then spent two years apiece managing Turkish club Beşiktaş and West Ham United.

West Ham finished in 14th place, two points above the relegation places.

During the 2018–19 season he was the head coach of Al-Ittihad, and on 13 June 2019 he became the manager of West Bromwich Albion.

After this he became manager of Chinese team Beijing Guoan, before becoming manager of Watford in 2022.

Almost all Hajduk juniors went to the economics school, so Bilić wanted to go as well.

There were no classical grammar schools in Split, so he enrolled in information, journalism and documentary studies (INDOK).

All throughout high school, Bilić ended up with the highest grades, so he graduated with Matura.

His favorite subjects were maths and history.

When he was choosing where to enroll in college, he already knew he would be a footballer.

After graduating from high school, he completed his law faculty in Split, where his father was the dean.

As a Hajduk player, he was on loan for half a year at NK Primorac from Stobreč, and for one and a half a year in HNK Šibenik, which fought for the first place spot in the Yugoslav Second League.

Bilić, as centre half, scored seven goals and played for the national team.

Petar Nadoveza called him up for three matches: in Skopje, Niš and Mostar.

He scored two goals and was declared man of the match in all three matches.

Bilić became the target of clubs such as Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade and Partizan, which all wanted to acquire the young defender.