The Croatian tactician belongs to the youngest generation of European football coaches. Born on 16 April 1978, he started his managerial career relatively early, as he also had to hang up his playing boots early due to recurring injuries.

In 2009, at the age of 31, he first sat on the bench of HNK Hajduk Split as assistant to Italian coach Edoardo Reja. When Reja signed for SS Lazio,Tudor left his post but remained with the Split club.

In 2011 he started coaching at the youth ranks of the club and, one year later, he was promoted to first coach of their U17 squad. Simultaneously, he served as assistant coach of the national team of Croatia, under the guidance of head coach Igor Štimac. His experience in the academies and his strong personality led HNK Hajduk Split to trust him with the reins of the senior team –a side relying on many young home-grown players due to their dire financial situation.

In his first season as head coach, he led his troops to the Croatian Cup triumph in their two-legged tie against NK Lokomotiva. He rendered his resignation in the end of 2014-15 season, after his pupils finished third in the league.

As a player, Igor Tudor started his career at HNK Hajduk Split and made the leap to Juventus FC in 1998. He remained in Turin for almost eight seasons and went on to claim two Serie A titles and two Super Cups of Italy.

In January 2005 he was shipped on loan to Robur Siena SSD and stayed there until the end of the 2005-06 season. He returned to Juventus but didn’t get to play due to injury. He went back to Hajduk in 2007 and retired one season later.

He earned 57 caps with the Croatia national team and scored three goals. He participated in 2 World Cups (1998, 2006) and in the UEFA Euro 2004.