Ivica Kralj

Ivica Kralj (Serbian Cyrillic: Ивица Краљ, pronounced [ǐvitsa krâʎ]; born 26 March 1973) is a Montenegrin former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the current president of Serbian club Mačva Šabac.

Ivica Kralj
Kralj in 2009
Personal information
Full name Ivica Kralj
Date of birth (1973-03-26) 26 March 1973
Place of birth Kotor, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Arsenal Tivat
1987–1989 Partizan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1998 Partizan 69 (0)
1992–1993 → Zvezdara (loan)
1993–1994 → Jastrebac Niš (loan) 13 (0)
1998–1999 Porto 7 (0)
1999 → Radnički Kragujevac (loan) 3 (0)
1999–2002 PSV Eindhoven 7 (0)
2001 → Partizan (loan) 6 (0)
2003–2007 Partizan 74 (0)
2007 Rostov 0 (0)
2008–2009 Spartak Trnava 17 (0)
Total 196 (0)
National team
1996–2001 FR Yugoslavia 41 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

During his playing career, Kralj was best known for his time at Partizan, having three spells at the club and winning five major trophies. He also played for Porto and PSV, but made less of an impact.

At international level, Kralj represented FR Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, reaching the knockout stage in both tournaments.

Club career

Partizan

Born in Kotor and raised in Tivat, Kralj started out at his local club Arsenal Tivat, before joining Partizan as a trainee in the summer of 1987. He broke into their first team at the age of 16, sitting on the bench during a 4–5 away loss to Celtic in the second leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup first round on 27 September 1989. In order to gain experience, Kralj was later sent out on loan to Zvezdara (1992–93) and Jastrebac Niš (1993–94), before returning to Partizan. He made his league debut for the club in the 1995–96 season, as they won the championship title. In the 1996–97 campaign, Partizan won their second consecutive title, as Kralj became the club's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper and earned his first national team cap. He also won the FR Yugoslavia Cup in the 1997–98 season, before going abroad.

Porto

In the summer of 1998, Kralj moved to Portugal and signed with Porto. He initially established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper, helping them win the Supertaça on 9 September 1998. However, following Vítor Baía's return to Porto in the 1999 winter transfer window, Kralj completely lost his place in the starting lineup. He was subsequently loaned to Radnički Kragujevac until the end of the 1998–99 season.

PSV

In the 1999 summer transfer window, Kralj was transferred to Dutch club PSV. He featured in the UEFA Champions League of that year where PSV suffered a 1–4 defeat to Rangers in the group stage.[1] Shortly after, Kralj suffered a hamstring injury, ruling him out for five months. He returned to action in April 2000, but was mainly a backup to Ronald Waterreus and Patrick Lodewijks, as the club convincingly won the domestic league in his debut season at Philips Stadion. After failing to make any appearances in the first half of the 2000–01 season, Kralj was loaned to his former club Partizan in January 2001.[2][3] He added one more national cup trophy to his collection, despite not getting any game time in the competition. After returning to PSV, Kralj was the club's third-choice goalkeeper behind Waterreus and Lodewijks. He eventually left the club by mutual consent in 2002.[4]

Return to Partizan

In June 2003, Kralj made another return to Partizan, signing a one-year deal.[5][6] He quickly found his form and helped the team qualify for the Champions League in the 2003–04 campaign, saving two penalties in the shootout against Newcastle United at St James' Park in the final qualifying round.[7] However, Kralj failed to make any appearances in the group stage due to an injury.[8] He eventually signed a three-year extension to his contract with Partizan in May 2004.[9] After recovering from injury, Kralj was a first team regular, helping his team win the league title in 2005, with an unbeaten record.[10] He left the club at the end of his contract, stating his disappointment towards some members of the club's board.[11][12]

Rostov

In August 2007, Kralj moved to Russia as a free agent and signed with Rostov.[13] He was joined by his former teammate Albert Nađ.[14] However, Kralj failed to make any competitive appearance for the club, as they suffered relegation from the top flight after finishing bottom of the table. He was released by Rostov in December 2007, alongside Nađ and several other players.[15][16]

Spartak Trnava

In July 2008, Kralj moved to Slovak club Spartak Trnava, signed by his former manager Vladimir Vermezović, on a two-year deal.[17] He agreed to leave the club in late 2009, due to his chronic injury problems, eventually retiring from the game.

International career

Kralj made his international debut for FR Yugoslavia on 28 December 1996, coming on as a late second-half substitute for Zvonko Milojević in a 3–2 friendly win away to Argentina. He subsequently became the first-choice goalkeeper for the national team under Slobodan Santrač, helping them to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the final tournament, Kralj played the full 90 minutes in all of his team's four games, as they were eliminated by the Netherlands in the knockout stage.[18]

Despite not playing regularly at club level, Kralj was named by Vujadin Boškov in Yugoslavia's final UEFA Euro 2000 squad.[19] Kralj chose the number 22 instead of the number 1 that he wore at the 1998 World Cup, expressing an affinity for higher numbers.[20] They went on to reach the quarter-finals of the competition, where the team was eliminated by the Netherlands. The hosts achieved a convincing 6–1 victory, including a hat-trick by Patrick Kluivert and a brace by Marc Overmars.[21]

In June 2001, after a one-year absence from the national team, Kralj was selected to represent his country at the Kirin Cup.[22] He made his last appearance for FR Yugoslavia in a 1–1 home draw with Slovenia on 5 September 2001, as the country failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Post-playing career

After hanging up his boots, Kralj worked for some time as a player agent.[23] He was named the president of Mačva Šabac in January 2015.[24]

Career statistics

Club
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Zvezdara (loan) 1992–93 ————
Jastrebac Niš (loan) 1993–94 130————130
Partizan 1995–96 13040———170
1996–97 30000—00—300
1997–98 26090—20—370
Total 690130—20—840
Porto 1998–99 700000302[lower-alpha 1]0120
Radnički Kragujevac (loan) 1998–99 3000———30
PSV 1999–2000 4000—100050
2000–01 0000—000000
Partizan (loan) 2000–01 6000—00—60
PSV 2001–02 3000—100040
Total 7000—200090
Partizan 2003–04 18020—30—230
2004–05 23030—110—370
2005–06 21000—50—260
2006–07 12020—50—190
Total 74070—240—1050
Rostov 2007 0000———00
Spartak Trnava 2008–09 13020—0000150
2009–10 4000—300070
Total 17020—3000220
Career total 196022000340202540
  1. Appearances in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira

International
National teamYearAppsGoals
FR Yugoslavia 199610
1997110
1998120
199950
200080
200140
Total410

Honours
Partizan
Porto
PSV
gollark: Yes.
gollark: I don't really think that. But they cost more and have horribly diminishing returns on that extra cost, plus some negatives I don't have to deal with.
gollark: I will arbitrarily do maths at all times and cannot be stopped.
gollark: It doesn't matter; their depth is probably rounded enough that the difference in density is negligible.
gollark: Neat.

References
  1. "Mols produces double Dutch misery for PSV". The Independent. 20 October 1999. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. "Jači za Kralja" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 11 January 2001. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. "Kralj back at Belgrade". bbc.co.uk. 20 January 2001. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. "Mogu da biram klub, ali nigde ne žurim" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 4 November 2002. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. "Pehar na stolu, Kralj na golu!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 4 June 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  6. "Kralj back at Partizan". uefa.com. 5 June 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  7. "Newcastle crash out". bbc.co.uk. 27 August 2003. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  8. "Knee injury rules out Kralj". uefa.com. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  9. "Ivica Kralj produžio ugovor" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  10. "Crno-beli - šampioni bez poraza!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 28 May 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  11. "Kralj: Ne kukam, ali me boli!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  12. "Kralj: "Partizan liči na Titanik"" (in Serbian). b92.net. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  13. ""РОСТОВ" ПОДПИСАЛ КОНТРАКТ С ИВИЦЕЙ КРАЛЕМ" (in Russian). fc-rostov.ru. 6 August 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  14. "Kralj i Nađ otišli u Rusiju!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  15. "Nađ i Kralj slobodni igrači" (in Serbian). b92.net. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  16. "БЮДЖЕТ "РОСТОВА" СВЕРСТАН ПОД ЗАДАЧУ" (in Russian). fc-rostov.ru. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  17. "Ivica Kralj podpísal v pondelok 2-ročnú zmluvu so Spartakom" (in Slovak). profutbal.sk. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  18. "WORLD CUP '98; Netherlands' Davids Comes in From Cold". nytimes.com. 30 June 1998. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  19. "Under-fire Boskov announces squad". bbc.co.uk. 1 June 2000. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  20. "Ljudi i vreme" (in Serbian). vreme.com. 10 June 2000. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  21. "Six of the best for Holland". bbc.co.uk. 26 June 2000. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  22. "Ja sam Kralj!" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 23 June 2001. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  23. "Z bývalej hviezdy Spartaka Ivicu Kralja sa stal futbalový manažér" (in Slovak). trnavskyhlas.sk. 5 February 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  24. "Ivica Kralj predsednik Mačve!" (in Serbian). telegraf.rs. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
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