Branko Ivanković

Branko Ivanković (; born 28 February 1954) is a Croatian former football manager and player who played as a midfielder. After a 12-year playing career at Varteks, Ivanković started his coaching career at the same club in 1991. Prior to his appointment as the manager of Oman, Ivanković's most high-profile managerial positions were at the most successful Croatian and Iranian clubs respectively, Dinamo Zagreb and Persepolis as well as one of the most successful Chinese clubs Shandong Luneng. He additionally served as both assistant coach and manager of the Iran national team, leading the team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Playing career Ivanković spent his entire 12-season playing career at Varteks, appearing in a total of 263 matches and scoring 31 goals. He then continued to work at the club by first being their secretary and then starting his coaching career.

Managerial career Croatia national team Ivanković then became an assistant manager to Miroslav Blažević, who led the Croatia national team to a sensational third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup finals in France.

In the 1999–2000 season, he coached German club Hannover 96, which was playing in the 2. Bundesliga at the time. He briefly returned to the Croatia national team as the assistant to Mirko Jozić during the qualifications for the 2002 World Cup, before he took over the Iran national team, where he replaced Blažević, who had managed them since 2001.

Iran Ivanković was appointed to the head of the Iranian team on 29 January 2002. Under Ivanković, Iran's U23 football team won the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan. He remained the coach of the national team until the end of 2002, when he was replaced by Homayun Shahrokhi.

Ivanković also led Iran to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, the third time in the country's history (they had previously been eliminated in the first round in 1978 and 1998). This in turn resulted a FIFA suspension for Iran's football due to political interference.

Dinamo Zagreb On 6 November 2006, Ivanković replaced Josip Kuže as the head coach of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb. He led the club to the Double in 2007 without losing a single competitive match. On 14 January 2008, he resigned as the coach of Dinamo Zagreb, mostly due to his differences with the club's executive vice-president Zdravko Mamić.

Ivanković returned as the manager of Dinamo Zagreb on 21 May 2008. He replaced Zvonimir Soldo, who resigned immediately after Dinamo won the domestic double.

In July 2009, Ivanković was offered the role of Persepolis manager in Iran, but he rejected the offer.

Shandong Luneng On 17 December 2009, Ivanković was appointed as the new head coach of Chinese giant Shandong Luneng. He was sacked on 29 April 2012 after finishing the 2011–12 season in fourth.

Al Wahda In May 2012, UAE Pro-League side Al-Wahda said it signed a two-year contract with Ivanković and that he would take charge at the club in the 2012–13 season, but his contract was terminated on 27 April 2013, after a 3–4 loss to Ajman Club. At the time of his dismissal, Al Wahda was ranked at the 7th place.

Return to Dinamo Zagreb On 2 September 2013, Ivanković returned to Dinamo Zagreb, the club he led from 2006 to 2008. However, he was sacked on 21 October 2013, after just five games.

Persepolis

On 5 April 2015, Ivanković was confirmed as the new manager of Persepolis, signing a -year contract with the club. After good performances with the club, which left the team in the first place with six matches remaining, Ivanković extended his contract with Persepolis in April 2016 to the end of the 2017–18 season and in 2017 to the end of the 2019–20 season. After the end of the 2018–19 season, it was reported that he was signed for Ahli Jeddah before returning to Croatia for his annual vacation. Ivanković announced that he will leave Persepolis on 11 June 2019.

Al-Ahli On 18 June 2019, he was confirmed signing a two-year contract with Al-Ahli. On 16 September 2019, Ivanković was officially sacked after just five games due to poor results.

Oman On 19 January 2020, Ivanković was announced as the head coach of the Oman national team to succeed Erwin Koeman after the latter's dismissal. Under Ivanković, Oman pulled off a historic win over Japan in the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In December 2021, he extended his contract with Oman until 2023.

Following Oman's group stage exit from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup without a single win, Ivanković was sacked by the Oman Football Association.

China On 24 February 2024, Ivanković was announced as the head coach of China national football team, replacing former Yugoslav compatriot Aleksandar Janković. This disappointed some fans who were expecting Joachim Löw as the new head coach. Under his tenure, China only managed to reach the third round of the World Cup qualification by the slimmest margin, thanks to China's superior head-to-head record against Thailand after both teams were equal on points, goals scored and goal difference.

Following China’s elimination in the third round of World Cup qualification, Ivanković was sacked by the Chinese Football Association.

Retirement On 30 October 2025, Ivanković announced his retirement from management in a social media post.

Personal life Branko is the younger brother of Zlatko Ivanković, who has also coached various teams in the Middle East.

Managerial statistics

Honours Manager Iran U23 Asian Games Gold Medal: 2002

Iran WAFF Championship: 2004 AFC/OFC Cup Challenge: 2003

Dinamo Zagreb Croatian First League: 2006–07, 2007–08 Croatian Cup: 2006–07 Croatian Super Cup: 2006

Shandong Luneng Chinese Super League: 2010

Persepolis Persian Gulf Pro League: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, runner-up: 2015–16 Hazfi Cup: 2018–19 Iranian Super Cup: 2017, 2018, 2019 AFC Champions League runner-up: 2018

Individual HNS Croatian Coach of the Year: 2007, 2008 Chinese Football Association Coach of the Year: 2010 Persian Gulf Pro League Coach of the Season: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19