On March 18 2024, Igor Tudor became the new Lazio manager with a contract that will cover the rest of this season plus the next.
Igor Tudor was born on April 16, 1978 in Split. He had a long footballing career and played for Hajduk Split, Juventus and Siena. With the Bianconeri he won two scudetti (2001-02 and 2022-03), a Serie B championship (2006-07), and was runner up in Champions League in 2003. He also had an extensive international career with 55 caps and 3 goals for Croatia, achieving third place in the 1998 World Cup.
As a manager he started as assistant to Edy Reja with Hajduk Split, then coached the under-17s and was handed the first team in April 2013, winning a Croatian Cup. He was then head coach for PAOK in 2015 but was sacked for unsuccessful results and disparaging comments about the quality of the team. In 2016 he became manager of Karabükspor in the Turkish top tier obtaining great results but then left in February to manage Galatasaray. After a fourth place, he was dismissed in December despite being second in the league.
In April 2018 he was chosen as new manager for Udinese in place of Massimo Oddo. They were in troubled waters but he led them to safety and survival in Serie A. Despite the success he was not confirmed. But a year later, March 2019, he was called upon again to salvage a difficult situation and he did so brilliantly. He was confirmed for the following season but was dismissed in November. So, he returned to Hajduk, achieving a fifth place.
In August 2020 he resigned to join Juventus as Andrea Pirlo’s assistant. The season did not go too well but they did win a Coppa Italia. Pirlo and his entire staff were sacked at the end of the year.
In September 2021 he was called to Verona in place of Eusebio Di Francesco. They had a fantastic year, almost reaching a European Cup qualification and nearly beating the club's points record in a season. He was fundamental for the growth of Nicolò Casale and Matteo Cancellieri.
At the end of the campionato he did not reach an agreement for the continuation of his contract and signed for Olympique Marseille. Towards the end of the season, with OM in third place, he announced he would be leaving the club.
Interviewed by Lazio Style Channel he said “Lazio is a prestigious club, one that all those who do this job would like to coach. Leading a team like Lazio is a question of prestige, a beautiful and stimulating thing. It is a prestigious team, with strong players and a special fan base. Being part of this club and this city, which are one and the same, is something you cannot help but accept”.
Tudor brings with him his collaborators: Ivan Javorcic (assistant), Tomislav Rogic (goalkeeping coach) and Giuseppe Maiuri (match analyst).
Komentáře