Zlatko Kranjčar

2.1. Childhood and Education

Kranjčar was born on November 15, 1956, in Zagreb, then part of Yugoslavia. He began playing for GNK Dinamo Zagreb at the young age of 10 in 1966, an early start that marked the beginning of his long association with the club. He remained with Dinamo Zagreb throughout his youth development, joining the senior team in 1973.

2.2. Family

In 1983, Zlatko Kranjčar married. He had a son, Niko Kranjčar, who also became a professional footballer and followed in his father's footsteps by playing for the Croatia national team. Zlatko Kranjčar was also fluent in German.

3.1. Club Career

Kranjčar started his professional career at GNK Dinamo Zagreb, where he played from 1973 until 1983. He made his first-team debut on March 3, 1974, at the age of 17, in a match against HNK Hajduk Split. He quickly established himself as a popular and prolific striker for the club. During his time with Dinamo, he appeared in a total of 556 matches, including friendlies, and scored 256 goals. Of these, 98 goals were scored in the Yugoslav First League. With Dinamo Zagreb, Kranjčar won the 1981-82 Yugoslav First League, which was the club's first league title in 24 years. He also secured two Yugoslav Cups in 1980 and 1983, and the Yugoslav Youth Football Cup in 1973.

In 1983, he transferred to the Austrian club SK Rapid Wien, where he played until 1990. At Rapid Wien, Kranjčar continued his success, winning the Austrian Bundesliga twice in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons. He also won the Austrian Cup three times (1984, 1985, and 1987) and the Austrian Supercup three times (1986, 1987, and 1988). Notably, he reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 with Rapid Wien. His last club as a player was VSE St. Pölten, where he played for two months in late 1990, concluding his playing career in 1991.

3.2. International Career

Kranjčar represented both the Yugoslavia and Croatia at the international level.

He made his debut for Yugoslavia in January 1977 in a friendly match against Colombia, entering as a substitute. He earned a total of 11 caps for Yugoslavia, scoring 3 goals. His final international appearance for Yugoslavia was in November 1983 in a friendly against France.

Following Croatia's independence, Kranjčar was capped twice for the Croatia national team, scoring one goal. He is particularly remembered as the first captain of the independent Croatian team, leading them in their inaugural international match against the United States on October 17, 1990, in Zagreb. Both of these matches for Croatia were considered unofficial, as Croatia was still formally part of Yugoslavia at the time. He retired from playing in 1993.

4.1. Early Management

Kranjčar began his coaching career in 1991 as an advisor at Austria Klagenfurt. From 1992 to 1994, he coached the Croatian club Segesta. In 1994, he moved to Croatia Zagreb, where he achieved immediate success, winning the Croatian Championship and Cup in his first season. In 1996, he returned to Austria to coach FC Linz. A year later, he was back in Croatia, coaching Slaven Belupo, Segesta (for a second spell), and Samobor. In 1998, he returned to Croatia Zagreb, leading the club to another Croatian Championship and Cup double, as well as an appearance in the UEFA Champions League.

In 1999, Kranjčar took on a new challenge, coaching the Egyptian club Al-Masry, followed by a one-season spell at the Slovenian club NK Mura in 2000. He also managed NK Marsonia from 2000 to 2001. In 2002, he achieved another Croatian championship title with NK Zagreb. He later managed HNK Rijeka from 2002 to 2003 and had a second stint with NK Zagreb from 2003 to 2004. In 2007, he briefly managed NK Croatia Sesvete in the Croatian second division, leading them to promotion to the first division, but resigned due to a dispute with the club's board over player salaries. He then took over Al-Shaab in the United Arab Emirates in June 2007 but was sacked in December after a disagreement regarding player selection. On April 22, 2009, he was appointed head coach of DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda in Slovakia.

4.2. National Team Management

Kranjčar notably led two national teams during his managerial career: Croatia and Montenegro.

After the Croatia failed to advance past the group stage at UEFA Euro 2004, Kranjčar was chosen to succeed Otto Barić as the national team's coach in July 2004. He managed Croatia in 25 international matches between August 2004 and June 2006. Under his guidance, the team topped their group in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, remaining undefeated with seven wins and three draws in ten matches. However, at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany, Croatia failed to progress beyond the group stage, recording one loss and two draws in their three matches. Following this performance, the Croatian Football Federation decided not to renew Kranjčar's contract, which expired on July 14, 2006. His decision to consistently field his son, Niko Kranjčar, even when his form was questionable, drew significant criticism in Croatia.

In February 2010, Kranjčar took over the Montenegro national team from Zoran Filipović. His tenure began poorly with two defeats in friendly matches against Macedonia and Albania, followed by a third defeat against Norway. He was dismissed on September 8, 2011, shortly after Montenegro's defeat to Wales in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier. The Montenegrin Football Federation cited alcohol addiction as the reason for his dismissal.

4.3. Club Management

Kranjčar had several significant spells managing clubs, particularly in Iran.

On July 1, 2009, he was appointed head coach of Iran Pro League side Persepolis, signing a two-year contract. Despite having talented players, Persepolis struggled in the initial weeks of the 2009-10 Persian Gulf Cup season. He was briefly sacked by the club chairman Habib Kashani on September 25, 2009, after a loss against Paykan, but was reinstated five days later following support from the technical committee. His contract was renewed until the end of the half-season, and he was eventually replaced by Ali Daei on December 28, 2009, after his contract expired.

Kranjčar signed a two-year contract with Iran Pro League three-time champion, Sepahan, on October 28, 2011, replacing his compatriot Luka Bonačić. In his first match, Sepahan drew 0-0 with his former club, Persepolis. On May 11, 2012, Sepahan clinched their fourth league title, and first under Kranjčar, with a draw against Mes Sarcheshmeh. They also reached the Quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. In the 2012-13 Hazfi Cup, his side defeated Persepolis 4-2 on penalties in the final, securing their fourth domestic cup title in ten years. In his second season with Sepahan, the team finished third in the league, three points behind the eventual winner, Esteghlal. On September 8, 2014, Kranjčar resigned as Sepahan manager for an undisclosed reason and was replaced by Hossein Faraki.

On February 7, 2015, Kranjčar was named the new manager of Doha-based club Al-Ahli, signing a two-year contract. However, he was sacked in February 2016 after a series of poor results.

On March 17, 2017, Kranjčar returned to Sepahan, signing another two-year contract. However, after a period of unfavorable results, he parted ways with the club by mutual consent on January 20, 2018.

Kranjčar also had a brief return to GNK Dinamo Zagreb as manager on June 23, 2016, succeeding Zoran Mamić. However, he resigned in September 2016 due to the team's poor performance.

4.4. Youth and Other National Team Management

In addition to his senior club and national team roles, Zlatko Kranjčar also contributed to youth football development. On April 29, 2018, he became the head coach of the Iran national under-23 team, signing a contract until 2020. He had also previously managed the Iran U-23 team in 2014.

7.1. Player Statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year

International goals
Scores and results list Yugoslavia's and Croatia's goal tally first.

7.2. Managerial Statistics

8.1. Player Honours

Dinamo Zagreb

• Yugoslav First League: 1981-82
• Yugoslav Cup: 1980, 1983
• Yugoslav Youth Football Cup: 1973

Rapid Wien

• Austrian Bundesliga: 1986-87, 1987-88
• Austrian Cup: 1984, 1985, 1987
• Austrian Supercup: 1986, 1987, 1988

Yugoslavia U-21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1978

8.2. Managerial Honours

Dinamo Zagreb

• Croatian First League: 1995-96, 1997-98
• Croatian Cup: 1996, 1998

NK Zagreb

• Croatian First League: 2001-02

Sepahan

• Iran Pro League: 2011-12
• Hazfi Cup: 2012-13

8.3. Individual Honours

• Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport: 2005
• Iranian Manager of the Year: 2012
• Iran Football Federation Award Coach of the Season: 2012-13
• Dinamo Zagreb all-time XI