Đuro Bago

Djuro Bago - born 20 April 1961 in Zagreb (Croatia) is a football coach and sports director. He is currently sports' director of NK Inter Zaprešić (Croatian First League).

Career

He was educated at the Faculty of Physical culture of the University of Zagreb from 1992-1996, and graduated as a football coach. He started his football coaching career in 1992 working with young players U-12, U-14 and U-16 years in the Zagreb Football Association.

In 1995 he became a member of the Croatian Football Association's Team of football experts for young players under 16 years. In the 1997-98 season, he was head coach of the pro-team NK Inter Zapresic (Croatian First League). Thanks to his excellent works with young players in NK Inter Zapresic, in 1999 he received an offer and signed to lead the Croatian football club NK Dinamo Zagreb.

As head coach of Dinamo Zagreb Under 16 team, the team won the Croatian Championship in 2001. In the 2001-2002 season as head coach of Dinamo Zagreb Under 18 team, the team won the Croatian Championships and received the Croatian Cup. As head coach of Football Academy of NK Dinamo Zagreb U-16 and U-18 years he has launched/promoted young players who have become stars and great players:

• Eduardo da Silva (Arsenal),
• Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth)
• Marko Marić (Lille)

Thanks to his work with young players at Dinamo Zagreb, he became assistant coach to the famous Croatian coach Miroslav Blažević in 2002 when Blažević became head coach of first (pro) team of Dinamo Zagreb.

As assistant coach, on 2002 Đuro Bago was winner of Croatian Cup, and on 2002/2003 was Champion of Croatia as assistant coach of Miroslav Blažević and winner of the Croatian SuperCup. On the 2003/04 season as assistant coach of Dinamo Zagreb, he was the Winner of Croatian Cup and Croatian SuperCup. In the 2004/05 season he was head coach of Dinamo Zagreb for several games after his boss Nikola Jurčević was fired by the management board of Dinamo Zagreb.

In the 2005-2006 season he was head coach of Inter Zaprešić, and from 2006 until now he is sports director of NK Inter Zaprešić.

He launched the careers of three of Dinamo's famous stars Eduardo Da Silva, Vedran Ćorluka and Luka Modrić.

Eduardo Da Silva

In 1999 when Đuro Bago was coach of the juniors' team (U-16) in NK Dinamo Zagreb, he 'discovered' then unknown young Brazilian striker Eduardo Da Silva (15 years), who became a great star of Croatian football 6 years later. Now, Eduardo Da Silva is playing for Arsenal which paid for his transfer in summer 2007, the highest transfer fee in history of Croatian football, 15,000,000 euros.

In the Summer of 2002, in the training camp in Crans Montana in Switzerland, Miroslav Blažević head coach of Dinamo wanted to remove Eduardo Da Silva from Dinamo Zagreb and send him back to Brazil, because according to Blazevic: "Eduardo Da Silva is not enough of a talented player for his team Dinamo Zagreb", but fortunately for NK Dinamo Zagreb and Croatian football, Blažević's assistant coach Đuro Bago persuaded his boss Miroslav Blažević to hold Eduardo Da Silva on his team.

"This young striker Eduardo will go to Geneva tomorrow and return to Rio de Janeiro, because he is not talented enough for our club Dinamo" said Miroslav Blažević, and then he critiqued his assistant Đuro Bago: "Đuro, you have told me that this Brazilian boy Eduardo is world class talented striker, but I think that he is not good enough for our club". Then assistant coach Đuro Bago cried and answered to his boss: "Mr Blažević, I think still that he is a great talent, I trust in him. I think that he will become a great forward. Please, can you hold him in Dinamo Zagreb during this training camp and then we will send him on the loan in our 'branch club' NK Inter Zaprešić for young players where he would get his chance for playing".

Fortunately, head coach of Dinamo Zagreb Miroslav Blažević accepted the advise of his assistant Đuro Bago.

Five years later when Eduardo Da Silva signed with Arsenal, Miroslav Blažević told the Croatian press:"Really, Eduardo is great player. I have had mistake. Fortunately, my former assistant Đuro Bago has excellent eye for discover young players".

Sports' director of Dinamo Zagreb Velimir Zajec and executive-vice president Zdravko Mamić also wanted to send Eduardo da Silva back to Brazil, but fortunately assistant coach Đuro Bago supported by a few Croatian sports journalists persuaded Dinamo' coach and Management board to keep Eduardo Da Silva in Dinamo. One year later Eduardo returned from NK Inter to Dinamo Zagreb, after playing very well and then Zdravko Mamić changed his mind about him.

External links

in Croatian:

• http://www.nacional.hr/articles/view/36420/
• http://beta.24sata.hr/index.php?cmd=show_clanak&tekst_id=22320

In English:

• http://www.nacional.hr/en/articles/view/36451/18/
• http://www.onlinearsenal.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11092
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20071119/ai_n21114926/pg_2 -
• http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/israel-showed-they-are-honest-people--we-have-to-behave-in-the-same-way-400969.html

Persondata
Name	Bago, Djuro
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