Vladimir Ivić
Vladimir Ivić (; born 7 May 1977) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the head coach of then EFL Championship side Watford. Club career. Ivić started out at Proleter Zrenjanin, making his senior debut in the 1994–95 season. He was transferred to Partizan in the summer of 1998. Over the next six years, Ivić helped the side win three championship titles and two domestic cups. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut in the 2003–04 campaign. After Saša Ilić's departure from the club in early 2004, Ivić became the team 's captain. He scored a total of 64 league goals in 133 appearances with the "Crno-beli". In July 2004, Ivić signed a three-year contract with German club Borussia Mönchengladbach. He made just four league appearances and scored once in the team's 3–1 home victory over Werder Bremen, before transferring to AEK Athens in early 2005. After two and a half seasons in the Greek capital, Ivić signed with fellow Superleague club Aris Thessaloniki. He spent one year there, before switching to crosstown rivals PAOK in mid-2008. Over the following four seasons, Ivić made 133 appearances and scored  24 goals in all competitions. International career. Ivić earned eight caps for Serbia and Montenegro between 2001 and 2004, making his debut as a substitute for Dejan Stanković in a World Cup 2002 qualifier versus Switzerland, an eventual 1–1 draw. He was previously a member of the team that represented the country at the Millennium Super Soccer Cup, winning the tournament. However, these caps are not officially recognized by FIFA. Managerial career. In June 2013, Ivić started working with PAOK's under-20 team. He led the side to the league title in his first year in the role. In March  2016, Ivić was appointed manager of PAOK until the end of the season, following the departure of Igor Tudor. He later won the Greek Cup in May 2017, before leaving the post the following month. On 31 May 2018, Ivić officially took charge of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, penning a two-year deal with an option for a third season. He won the national championship in his debut season with a record 31-point margin and only one loss. In his second season he led the team to another championship with one defeat only. On 15 August 2020, Ivić  was appointed as head coach of Watford on a one-year contract with an option for a further year. On 19 December 2020, he was sacked by Watford after just four months in charge. At the time Watford were 5th in the league having won nine of their 20 Championship games under Ivić. Personal life. Ivić is the younger brother of fellow footballer Ilija Ivić. Honours. Player. Partizan PAOK Manager. PAOK U19 PAOK Maccabi Tel Aviv Individual