Željko Buvač

Željko Buvač

File:Kuhnertbuvacklopp.jpg Željko Buvač (centre), sitting between Stephan Kuhnert and Jürgen Klopp
Personal information
Full name	Željko Buvač
Date of birth	(1961-09-13) 13 September 1961
Place of birth	Prijedor, SFR Yugoslavia
Height
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Liverpool (assistant manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1985–1986	Rudar Ljubija	2	(1)
1986–1991	Borac Banja Luka	100	(14)
1991–1992	Rot-Weiß Erfurt	21	(8)
1992–1995	Mainz 05	90	(13)
1995–1998	Neukirchen	98	(11)
Managerial career
1998–2001	Neukirchen
2001–2008	Mainz 05 (assistant manager)
2008–2015	Borussia Dortmund (assistant manager)
2013–	Republika Srpska
2015–	Liverpool (assistant manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Željko Buvač (Serbian Cyrillic: Жељко Бувач; born 13 September 1961) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Premier League club Liverpool. Current Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp described Buvač as "the brain" in his coaching team, and he has been credited for developing the high-speed attacking style that brought success at Borussia Dortmund.

Club career

Born in Omarska, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, still within Yugoslavia, Buvač played for Borac Banja Luka in the Yugoslav First League. While playing for this club, in 1988, he won the Yugoslav Cup.

In 1991 he moved to Germany and played with FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt and 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the 2. Bundesliga

Management career

After retiring, he became a manager. Buvač finished his playing career with SC Neukirchen in 1998, and he took charge of the club soon after hanging up his boots. In 2001, after three seasons at SC Neukirchen, he became assistant manager of another of his former clubs, 1. FSV Mainz 05, where he joined friend, former teammate, and Mainz manager Jürgen Klopp. During his seven years at the club they achieved promotion to the Bundesliga, and later earned European qualification.

In 2008 he moved with Klopp to become assistant manager at Borussia Dortmund. Described by Klopp as his "right hand" Buvač helped lead Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga wins in 2011 and 2012, as well as the DFB-Pokal in 2012, the DFL-Supercup in 2008, 2013 and 2014, and their second appearance in a Champions League final in 2013. In 2013, while still at Dortmund, Buvač also became the head coach of Republika Srpska.

In October 2015 he joined newly appointed manager Klopp, and took up the role of assistant manager at Premier League club Liverpool.