Ranko Popović

Ranko Popović (; born 26 June 1967) is a Serbian football manager and former player who is currently the manager of club Kyoto Sanga.

Playing career Born in Peć, SAP Kosovo, SR Serbia, Popović started out at local club Budućnost. He moved to Belgrade in 1985 due to compulsory military service and played for Kneževac in the Belgrade Zone League. After returning to Partizan, Popović made two appearances in the 1990–91 Yugoslav First League.

In 1992, Popović switched to Spartak Subotica. He led the team to the 2015 Segunda División play-offs, but fell short, losing to Las Palmas on the away goals rule. While at Zaragoza, Popović was named the Segunda División Manager of the Month by the LFP in October 2015. He was dismissed on 20 December 2015, after a 3–1 loss against Gimnàstic.

Thailand and India In August 2016, Thai League club Buriram United appointed Popović as the club manager to fill the vacant role after the dismissal of Afshin Ghotbi. He left the position in June 2017 after receiving a three-month ban by the Thai FA (FAT) for slapping his team's physio after a league game earlier that month.

In September 2017, Indian Super League side Pune City appointed Popović as new manager. He parted ways with the club in May 2018.

Vojvodina On 11 August 2023, After spending three seasons in Machida Zelvia, Popović took over Serbian SuperLiga club Vojvodina, signing a deal until the end of the season 2023–24.

Kashima Antlers On 21 December 2023, after a brief half-season at Vojvodina, Popović joined J1 League club Kashima Antlers. Popović has some mixed results at the start of the season but an 11 game unbeaten streak in the middle of the season saw Kashima solidly in the top 3 of the league. However, results started to drop off and in spite of a 4–0 league victory over Albirex Niigata, Popović was dismissed with Antlers sitting in 4th in the table and only 6 games left in the season.

Kyoto Sanga Following the departure of Cho Kwi-jae, Popović was announced as the manager of J1 League club Kyoto Sanga in June 2026, ahead of the 2026–27 J1 League season.

Personal life Popović also holds Austrian citizenship.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player Sturm Graz Austrian Bundesliga: 1997–98, 1998–99 Austrian Cup: 1998–99 Austrian Supercup: 1998, 1999

Manager Zlatibor Voda Serbian League Vojvodina: 2007–08 Buriram United Thai League Cup: 2016 Mekong Club Championship: 2016