Alen Peternac

Alen Peternac (born 16 January 1972) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker, and works as an assistant head coach of Croatian First Football League club Dinamo Zagreb.

Alen Peternac
Personal information
Date of birth (1972-01-16) 16 January 1972
Place of birth Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Dinamo Zagreb (assistant)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1995 Dinamo Zagreb 39 (7)
1993–1994 → Segesta (loan) 43 (20)
1995–2000 Valladolid 153 (55)
2000–2003 Zaragoza 10 (0)
2001–2002 → Murcia (loan) 21 (2)
Total 266 (84)
International career
1999 Croatia B 1 (0)
1999 Croatia 2 (0)
Managerial career
2020– Dinamo Zagreb (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He is best known for his Real Valladolid stint, spending the better part of his professional career in Spain, appearing in 206 official games in representation of three clubs.[1]

Club career

Peternac was born in Zagreb, Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1989, he started his football career at hometown NK Dinamo Zagreb, and played six years for Dinamo and HNK Segesta in the Croatian league before moving to Spain.

Peternac spent five seasons at Real Valladolid, appearing in 171 competitive games and becoming the team's all-time top goalscorer in La Liga. His goal total also made him the second-highest Croatian goalscorer in the competition, behind Sevilla FC and Real Madrid's Davor Šuker.

On 19 May 1996, in an 8–3 away win against Real Oviedo which proved crucial in helping Valladolid avoid direct relegation in 1995–96, Peternac set a club record by netting five times, four of which on penalty kicks.[2][3] He finished that campaign as the fourth top goalscorer, with 23 goals.

For 2000–01, Peternac joined Real Zaragoza, receiving limited playing time. He was then loaned to Real Murcia,[4] where he played one season in the second division before closing out his career back with the Aragonese (one match, followed by retirement due to injuries).

International career

Peternac earned his first cap for Croatia on 10 February 1999 against Denmark, in a friendly played in Split which Croatia lost 1–0. Exactly one month after he appeared in another exhibition game, a 3–2 loss against Greece; incidentally, he was replaced by Goran Vlaović in his two appearances, at half-time.[5]

Managerial career

On 22 April 2020, following the appointment of Igor Jovićević as Dinamo Zagreb manager, Peternac was named his assistant.[6]

References
  1. Leyendas del Real Valladolid C. F. – Peternac (Real Valladolid C. F. legends – Peternac); at El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish)
  2. Records Archived 14 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine; at Real Valladolid (in Spanish)
  3. El 3–8 al Oviedo (3–8 to Oviedo); El Norte de Castilla, 24 February 2010 (in Spanish)
  4. Peternac jugará el resto de la temporada en el Murcia (Peternac will play the rest of the season in Murcia); Diario AS, 17 September 2001 (in Spanish)
  5. "Player Database". EU-football. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  6. "Igor Jovićević - novi trener GNK Dinamo". gnkdinamo.hr. 22 April 2020.
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