--- title: "Igor Jovićević Returns as Ludogorets Head Coach: Croatian Manager Comes Back to the Bulgarian Giant" description: "Igor Jovićević, former coach of Shakhtar and Karpaty, has officially become the head coach of Bulgaria's Ludogorets, replacing Thomas Reis. For the Croatian, this is his second appointment at the club, with which he won a domestic treble in 2024–2025." date: 2026-09-23T15:56:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/yovichevich-returns-as-ludogorets-head-coach tags: [football, ludogorec, shakhtar, yovichevich, ukraine-football, bulgaria] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Igor Jovićević Returns as Ludogorets Head Coach: Croatian Manager Comes Back to the Bulgarian Giant ![Igor Jovichevic with Ludogorets trophies — collage for the news about the Croatian coach's return to the Bulgarian giant](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/23/yovichevich-glavny-trener-ludogorca/yovichevich-glavny-trener-ludogorca-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Igor Jovićević has been officially appointed head coach of Bulgaria's Ludogorets, replacing Thomas Reis, who moved to Trabzonspor. - For the 52-year-old Croatian, this is his second appointment at Ludogorets, with which he completed a domestic treble in 2024–2025. - Jovićević's first training session with the team is scheduled for 24 September; the club is not disclosing the deal details. - The coaching staff includes specialists with whom the Croatian worked at previous clubs. Igor Jovićević, the former manager of Donetsk's Shakhtar, Dnipro-1 and Lviv's Karpaty, has officially become the new head coach of Bulgaria's Ludogorets. The 52-year-old Croatian specialist took up the vacant post after Thomas Reis left for Turkey's Trabzonspor. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the club's official Instagram page. Thus, one of the most successful coaches of recent seasons in Ukrainian and Bulgarian football is returning to the team with which he had already achieved a domestic treble. ### Replacing Reis and First Steps Jovićević's appointment is a direct response by Ludogorets to the departure of Thomas Reis, who chose to continue his career in Turkey. The Croatian will hold his first training session with the team as early as 24 September, that is, almost immediately after the official announcement of his appointment. At the same time, the club is not yet disclosing the details of the deal — neither the contract length nor the financial terms are being published. This approach is typical for Ludogorets, which traditionally keeps the internal working conditions of the coaching staff under wraps until the team starts delivering results on the pitch. ### Second Attempt and the Previous Treble For Jovićević, this is already his second appointment as head coach of Ludogorets. In his previous stint, in the 2024/25 season, the Croatian specialist led the "Goldens" to a domestic treble — winning the Bulgarian championship, the Cup and the Super Cup. It was precisely this result that became the main argument in favour of his reappointment: the club decided to bring back the coach with whom it had already won every possible domestic trophy. In a comment on the new appointment, Jovićević emphasised his emotional connection with the team: "I am happy to be returning to my family again. I have a dream that, I believe, will come true." ### A Path Through Ukraine and Europe Jovićević's career in recent years has been closely linked to Ukrainian football. It was in Ukraine that he led Donetsk's Shakhtar to the UPL gold medals in the 2022/23 season, and he also worked successfully with Dnipro-1 and Lviv's Karpaty. The Croatian's last place of work before his return to Bulgaria was Poland's Widzew from Łódź, where he served in the 2025/26 season. In addition to Ukraine and Poland, Jovićević's coaching resume includes experience with Slovenia's Celje, Croatia's Dinamo (Zagreb) and Saudi Arabia's Al-Raed — meaning the specialist has a significant international background covering Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as the Middle East. ### Coaching Staff and Expectations Alongside Jovićević, the Ludogorets coaching staff includes specialists with whom he has already worked at previous clubs. This allows the continuity of the methodological school to be preserved and the adaptation to the new season to be accelerated: the players and the coaching corps will rely on familiar approaches. For Ludogorets fans, the return of the coach who completed a treble with the team is a signal that the club is aiming to repeat its success in the new season, rather than experimenting with a new style of play. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Second attempt: former Shakhtar coach takes over a European giant](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/druga-sproba-kolishniy-trener-shahtarya-ocholiv-1790177861.html) - Основной источник: назначение, цитата тренера, дата первой тренировки 24 сентября, состав штаба, предыдущий требл и карьера в Украине. - [Ex-Shakhtar coach officially returns to Ludogorets, with which he won a treble](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/newscommon/1790161791-yeks-trener-shahtera-oficialno-vernulsya-v-ludogorec-s-kotorym-vyigral-trebl.html) - Подтверждает официальное возвращение Йовичевича в «Лудогорец» и факт выигранного с ним требла. - [Successful Shakhtar coach returns to the equally successful Ludogorets](https://korrespondent.net/sport/football/4914299-uspeshnyi-trener-shakhtera-vernulsia-v-ne-menee-uspeshnyi-pry-nem-ludohorets) - Подтверждает связь тренера с «Шахтёром» и успешным периодом в «Лудогорце». - [Jovićević returns to Ludogorets](https://ua.tribuna.com/football/1000000378436-yovychevych-povernuvsya-u-ludohorets/) - Подтверждает факт возвращения Йовичевича в болгарский клуб. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who has become the new head coach of Ludogorets? **A:** The new head coach of Bulgaria's Ludogorets is the 52-year-old Croatian Igor Jovićević, who previously worked with Donetsk's Shakhtar, Dnipro-1, Karpaty and Poland's Widzew. ### Q: Who did Jovićević replace at Ludogorets? **A:** Jovićević replaced Thomas Reis, who moved to work at Turkey's Trabzonspor. ### Q: When will the Croatian hold his first training session with the team? **A:** Jovićević's first training session with Ludogorets is scheduled for 24 September. ### Q: What trophies did Jovićević win with Ludogorets previously? **A:** In the 2024/25 season, under Jovićević's management, Ludogorets completed a domestic treble — winning the Bulgarian championship, the Cup and the Super Cup.