1. Sergej Barbarez is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
23 Facts About Sergej Barbarez
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Sergej Barbarez is considered one of the all-time greatest players of Hamburger SV where he scored 65 goals in 174 Bundesliga games.
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Mainly used as a second striker, Sergej Barbarez played as an attacking midfielder or left winger.
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Sergej Barbarez made his senior international debut for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team in 1998, earning 47 caps and scoring 17 goals until 2006.
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Sergej Barbarez was the captain of the national team between 2004 and 2006.
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Sergej Barbarez was born in Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina to a Bosnian Serb father and a half-Croat and half-Bosniak mother.
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In 1984, Sergej Barbarez took a step further and started playing football for the youth team of Velez in his native city of Mostar.
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However, briefly after, Sergej Barbarez served in the Yugoslav People's Army in Zagreb in 1991 before returning to Mostar to continue his career.
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In 1991, he returned to Velez and soon after everyone realized that Sergej Barbarez was a true talent.
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Some time later, Sergej Barbarez was preparing to return to Mostar but his uncle surprised him by extending his stay in Germany for two weeks.
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On 17 May 2006, Sergej Barbarez signed a two-year deal with Bayer Leverkusen.
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Sergej Barbarez finished his career at Bayer after his contract with the club expired in June 2008.
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On 14 May 1998, Sergej Barbarez made his debut for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team against Argentina in a friendly match.
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Sergej Barbarez scored two goals against Liechtenstein in a World Cup qualification match on 28 March 2001.
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Sergej Barbarez was denied a hat-trick as his second-half penalty was saved by Lichtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle.
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On 12 October 2006, Sergej Barbarez officially stepped down from playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team and retired permanently from professional football in June 2008.
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Sergej Barbarez's final international was an October 2006 European Championship qualification match against Moldova.
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Sergej Barbarez announced on 14 December 2009 that he wanted to be the head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers.
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On 5 January 2011, Sergej Barbarez received his UEFA Pro Licence in the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina's educational facility in Jablanica.
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On 19 April 2024, Sergej Barbarez was appointed as the new head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, signing a four-year contract with the Bosnian FA.
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Sergej Barbarez was victorious in the team's opening 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Romania on 21 March 2025.
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Sergej Barbarez is married to his high-school sweetheart Ana, who is from Mostar.
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Sergej Barbarez was a member of the board of directors of Hamburger SV between 25 January 2009 and 28 May 2010.