Matjaž Kek biography
Date of birth : 1961-09-09
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Maribor, Slovenia
Nationality : Slovenian
Category : Sports
Last modified : 2010-05-10
Credited as : Fooball manager Slovenia, Maribor club, FIFA World Cup
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Club career
Kek started his professional football career at his home club Maribor in 1979, before moving to the Austrian club Spittal/Drau in 1984, where he spent 4 seasons. He then transferred to another Austrian club, GAK of the Austrian Bundesliga where he played for 5 years. After that he returned to Maribor, where from 1995 to 1999 he won 3 Slovenian league titles, before retiring. He spent most of his career playing in defense, mostly in the centre back position and was known for his leadership abilities.
Managerial career
After finishing his career as a player, Kek stayed at Maribor, serving as an assistant coach for one season, before being appointed manager in 2000. He immediately won the league title in the 2000–01 season. Under his guidance the team won the league again in 2003. In 2006 he was the coach of the Slovenian under-15 and under-16 national football teams. On 3 January 2007, Kek was appointed manager of the Slovenia national team, which he led to qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup after beating Russia in the play-offs.
