Hasan Salihamidžić

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Salihamidžić's father Ahmed and mother Šefika gave him the nickname "Braco", meaning "little brother" in Bosnian, since Hasan has an older sister, hence his current nickname "Brazzo". He finished elementary school and played for local club Turbina Jablanica. Then, Salihamidžić moved to Velež Mostar where he stayed until 1992. That year, Salihamidžić was called up to the Yugoslavia under-16 team, for a match against the CIS under-16 team in Belgrade. In November 1992, Salihamidžić moved to Hamburg, Germany, with the assistance of Ahmed Halilhodžić, who was also a Jablanica native and had emigrated to Germany. Through Ahmed Halilhodžić's help, Salihamidžić joined the youth team of Bundesliga side Hamburger SV. He remained within the club's youth system for three seasons before being promoted to the senior squad. In his first season with the seniors, Salihamidžić made nine appearances, scoring two league goals. The following season, Salihamidžić became an integral part of the squad as he would make 37 appearances and score an impressive seven goals between Europe and the league. He would go on to make 31 league appearances, scoring ten goals during the 1997–98 season, which would be his last for the club before his high-profile transfer to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. Salihamidžić's transfer to Bayern Munich was completed during the 1998 summer transfer window, for an undisclosed fee. In his first season with his new club, 1998–99, Salihamidžić was instantly inserted into the club's starting line-up and made an impressive 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals. During his first season, he came on as a substitute in the 89th minute of the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United. Salihamidžić would make an additional 46 appearances with three more goals in his second season for the Munich giants, in 1999–2000. His third season proved very successful as well, as he would score six goals in 46 appearances. Between 2001 and 2003, however, Salihamidžić lacked in appearances, mostly due to injury; he made just 50 appearances between both seasons in all competitions. For the 2003–04 season, the Bosnian international worked his way back into the starting line-up for the entire season, making 47 appearances and scoring five goals, also tallying 43 appearances and five goals the following season. Salihamidžić was limited to just 29 a

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Salihamidžić's career is one of resilience and adaptability. After leaving Bayern for Juventus on a four-year pre-deal in January 2007, he joined the Italian club that June under coach Claudio Ranieri. Despite injury lay-offs, he made 30 appearances in his first season, scoring five goals, including two in a 3–2 victory against Milan on April 12, 2008. However, subsequent seasons were marred by injuries, and new coach Luigi Delneri excluded him from the 25-man UEFA Europa League squad for 2010–11 alongside Fabio Grosso. He was released when his contract expired in June 2011. Later that year, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg on a one-year deal but suffered a broken left arm in a friendly against Bismark just two days after signing.

Reader's Guide

Hasan Salihamidžić is a Bosnian former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder or full back, known for his high work rate, crossing, and passing. He spent most of his career at Bayern Munich, winning multiple Bundesliga titles, DFB-Pokal titles, the UEFA Champions League, and the Intercontinental Cup. He also played for Hamburger SV, Juventus, and VfL Wolfsburg. After retiring, he became a pundit and later served as sporting director of Bayern Munich from 2017 until 2023.

Did You Know?

• His nickname 'Brazzo' comes from the Bosnian 'Braco', meaning 'Little Bro', given because he has an older sister.
• He scored Bosnia and Herzegovina's first goal in a friendly 2–1 win over Italy on 6 November 1996.
• In the 2006–07 Champions League round of 16, he dispossessed Roberto Carlos and set up Roy Makaay, who scored the fastest goal in tournament history at 11 seconds.
• He was sacked as sporting director of Bayern Munich on 27 May 2023.