Ante Vitaić

Ante Vitaić (born 7 June 1982) is a Croatian coach and former player who most recently coached NK Omiš.

Ante Vitaić
Personal information
Date of birth (1982-06-07) 7 June 1982
Place of birth Split, Yugoslavia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Orkan Dugi Rat
0000–2001 Hajduk Split
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2005 Hajduk Split 0 (0)
2001–2004 → Mosor (loan)
2005–2008 Osijek 59 (6)
2008 HamKam 10 (4)
2009–2014 RNK Split 100 (23)
2014–2015 Dugopolje 23 (7)
Managerial career
2016 Orkan Dugi Rat
2017 Uskok Klis
2017 Zmaj Makarska
2019–2020 Omiš
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Hailing from Dugi Rat Ante, along with his identical twin brother Frane went through the ranks of HNK Hajduk Split before being sent out on loan to NK Mosor where they would remain for the following four years. A good start of the 2004/2005 season in the Druga HNL side, when he scored 7 goals in 16 matches got him a new contract with Hajduk and he rejoined the first team. Vitaić made his debut in the 1–0 away cup loss against NK Zagreb,[1] which would prove to be his only cap for the club. Not wishing to be loaned back to Druga HNL, the brothers annulled their contracts and joined NK Osijek.

Vitaić spent the following three years in Osijek, the highlight of his career being his goal from distance in the last, 95th minute of the 1–0 win against his former club in 2006.[2]

In 2008 Vitaić joined the Norwegian side HamKam, but returned to Croatia after the club was relegated. He joined RNK Split, then in Treća HNL, achieving back to back promotions with them, first to Druga HNL, and then, in 2010 to Prva HNL, remaining a fixture in the club in the following seasons as well. He scored Split's second ever goal in European competition against Slovenian side Domžale in the 2011–12 Europa League.[3]

Managerial career

Vitaić was manager of Orkan Dugi Rat in the second half of the 2015–16 season[4] and took charge of Zmaj Makarska in summer 2017.[5] He became coach of Omiš in 2019[6] and head of the Solin footballe academu in summer 2020.[7] In summer 2021, he left Solin to take charge of the Primorac Stobreč juniors.[8]

References
  1. Pjesnici kliću at Slobodna Dalmacija
  2. Video of the goal at youtube.com
  3. Čop i Vitaić upisali su se u povijest: Split u Domžalama ostvario prvu pobjedu u Europi - Index (in Croatian)
  4. Ante Vitaić zamijenio Pekasa na klupi Orkana - Dalmacija News (in Croatian)
  5. Vitaić umjesto Marenzija na klupi Zmaja - Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian)
  6. Trener Omiša Ante Vitaić naredio igračima: Nema žestokih faula, moraju se paziti naši reprezentativci - Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian)
  7. Vitaić: Želim da Solin postane nositelj kvalitete u Dalmaciji - Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian)
  8. Ante Vitaić preuzima vođenje kadeta Primorca iz Stobreča - Dugi Rat (in Croatian)


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