Sergej Barbarez

Sergej Barbarez (born 17 September 1971) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Mainly used as a second striker during his playing career, Barbarez was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left winger. He started his career at hometown club Velež Mostar, before going to Germany and joining Hannover 96 in 1992. He went to Union Berlin a year later, and then played in the Bundesliga for Hansa Rostock and Borussia Dortmund. Barbarez joined Hamburger SV in 2000, and has since been considered one of the all-time greatest players of the club where he scored 65 goals in 174 Bundesliga games. In the 2000–01 Bundesliga season, he was joint top scorer with 22 goals alongside Ebbe Sand of Schalke 04 at the end of the season. Barbarez left Hamburg in 2006, and signed with Bayer Leverkusen, where he retired from professional football in 2008. Barbarez made his senior international debut for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team in 1998, earning 47 caps and scoring 17 goals until 2006. He was the captain of the national team between 2004 and 2006. In April 2024, Barbarez was appointed as Bosnia and Herzegovina's head coach. He guided the nation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking their first appearance at the finals since 2014.