Zagreb · Maribor · Celje · Budapest · Khor Fakkan

DAMIRKRZNAR

Damir Krznar

Croatian football manager. Champion as a player, champion as a coach: a domestic double with Dinamo Zagreb, the Slovenian title with NK Celje, and the only manager ever to knock José Mourinho out of the Europa League.

Born10.07.1972 · Zabok, HR
RoleHead Coach
Record152 M · 57.2% wins
01 – Profile

From Zabok
to the touchline.

Eleven trophies in Dinamo blue as a player. A double as its coach. A career built on turning chaos into titles.

Born 10 July 1972 in Zabok, Croatia, Damir Krznar made his name in midfield for Varteks, Dinamo Zagreb and Inter Zaprešić, collecting six Croatian league titles and five Croatian Cups along the way, and winning a cap for Croatia in April 1998.

Then the coach outgrew the player. A decade as one of football's most trusted assistants, from Zagreb to Riyadh to Al Ain, ended the night Maksimir needed him most. What followed: a domestic double with Dinamo Zagreb in his first months in charge, a rescue act at Maribor, a championship with Celje, the bench of Hungary's most decorated club, and a return to the Gulf with Khor Fakkan in 2026.

02 – The Journey

Every dugout, every year.

2010 – 2021

The Assistant Years

Inter Zaprešić · Dinamo Zagreb · Al Nassr · Al Ain · Al Hilal

A decade in the engine room. Assistant to Lončarević at Inter Zaprešić, then to Jurčić, Čačić, Ivanković and Mamić at Dinamo Zagreb, with spells at Al Nassr, Al Ain and Al Hilal. Twice trusted as Dinamo's interim boss, and in 2013 he won all three of his matches in caretaker charge.

  • Interim manager of Dinamo Zagreb in 2013 & 2015
  • Perfect 3/3 record in the 2013 caretaker spell
  • Title-winning staffs in Croatia and the Gulf
Damir Krznar, assistant coach era
№ 01 – The apprenticeship
March – December 2021

GNK Dinamo Zagreb

Head Coach · Prva HNL

Thrown in three days before facing Mourinho's Tottenham, 0–2 down from the first leg. Maksimir answered with a 3–0 miracle: Dinamo's first Europa League quarter-final in club history. By May he had delivered the league title and the Croatian Cup: the double, in his first months in charge.

  • Croatian First League champion 2020–21
  • Croatian Cup winner 2020–21, the double
  • 48 matches · 29 wins · 60.4% win rate
Damir Krznar celebrating as Dinamo Zagreb head coach
№ 02 – The double
January – August 2022

Dinamo Zagreb II

Head Coach · Second team

Back at the club's academy side, sharpening the next generation of Dinamo first-teamers in the Croatian second tier, the same production line he had helped polish for a decade from the first-team bench.

  • 15 matches in charge of the second team
  • Development bridge from academy to Prva HNL
Damir Krznar, Dinamo Zagreb II
№ 03 – The production line
August 2022 – October 2023

NK Maribor

Head Coach · Slovenian PrvaLiga

He inherited the reigning Slovenian champions dead last, three points from five games, and dragged them to third place and a cup final, earning a contract extension to 2026. The turnaround that defined his reputation as a fixer.

  • Last place → 3rd in the PrvaLiga
  • 2022–23 Slovenian Cup finalist
  • 55 matches · 28 wins · 13 draws · 14 defeats
Damir Krznar, NK Maribor
№ 04 – The rescue
October 2023 – July 2024

NK Celje

Head Coach · Slovenian PrvaLiga

Appointed mid-season, he delivered Celje the 2023–24 Slovenian PrvaLiga title, the club's second-ever championship, at the best win rate of his career. Champion of Slovenia, one year after arriving in the league.

  • Slovenian PrvaLiga champion 2023–24
  • 31 matches · 20 wins · only 4 defeats
  • 64.5% win rate, a career best
Damir Krznar, NK Celje
№ 05 – The champion
May – November 2025

Újpest FC

Head Coach · Nemzeti Bajnokság I

A new chapter in Budapest with Hungary's most decorated club. Krznar took the Újpest bench in May 2025 and led the lilacs through sixteen league matches in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I.

  • Head coach of Hungary's record cup winners
  • 16 NB I matches in charge
Damir Krznar, Újpest FC
№ 06 – The lilac chapter
January – June 2026

Khor Fakkan Club

Head Coach · UAE Pro League

Back to the Gulf, this time in the first chair. Appointed on 20 January 2026, Krznar took charge of Khor Fakkan in the UAE Pro League and steered the Eagles through to the end of the 2025–26 season, returning to the region he once worked in with Al Nassr, Al Ain and Al Hilal.

  • Head coach in the UAE Pro League
  • Second Gulf chapter, first as the man in charge
Damir Krznar, Khor Fakkan Club
№ 07 – The eagles
18 March 2021 · Stadion Maksimir · UEFA Europa League R16
3–0
Dinamo Zagreb crest Dinamo ZagrebvsTottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur crest

Three days after taking charge, Krznar overturned a 0–2 first-leg deficit against José Mourinho's Spurs. Dinamo's first Europa League quarter-final in club history, and the only time Mourinho has ever been eliminated from the competition.

03 – The Record

Numbers don't
negotiate.

0Matches
0Wins
0Draws
0Losses
0%Win rate
0Trophies as manager
ClubTenurePWDLWin %
Dinamo Zagreb (interim)Aug – Sep 20133300 100%
Dinamo ZagrebMar – Dec 20214829118 60.4%
Dinamo Zagreb IIJan – Aug 202215726 46.7%
NK MariborAug 2022 – Oct 202355281314 50.9%
NK CeljeOct 2023 – Jul 2024312074 64.5%
Total152873332 57.2%

Official managerial record per Wikipedia, updated 28 July 2024. The Újpest (2025) and Khor Fakkan (2026) tenures are covered in the timeline above.

04 – Silverware

What the cabinet
says.

As Manager

Croatian First LeagueDinamo Zagreb · 2020–21
Croatian CupDinamo Zagreb · 2020–21
Slovenian PrvaLigaNK Celje · 2023–24

As Player · Dinamo Zagreb

6
Croatian First League1995–96 · 96–97 · 97–98 · 98–99 · 99–00 · 2002–03
5
Croatian Cup1995–96 · 96–97 · 97–98 · 2000–01 · 2001–02
1
Croatia National TeamCap vs Poland · 22 April 1998
05 – The Method

What he's
built on.

Turnarounds & crisis management94

Maribor: from last place to third and a cup final.

Big-night preparation92

Mourinho, overturned with three days on the job.

Title-run management90

Two league titles as head coach in four seasons.

Youth development88

A decade around the Dinamo academy production line.

Adaptability across leagues86

Croatia · Saudi Arabia · UAE · Slovenia · Hungary.

I.Front foot, always

Teams that press, run and take the game to the opponent, home or away, favourite or underdog.

II.The group above the star

Dressing rooms built on standards. Egos serve the team, never the reverse.

III.Detail decides

Set pieces, restarts, the last five minutes: trophies live in the small print.