Alen Peternac

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Alen Peternac

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|01|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Zagreb, Croatia

| height = 1.85 m

| position = Striker

| currentclub = Igman Konjic (manager)

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1989–1995

| clubs1 = Dinamo Zagreb

| caps1 = 39

| goals1 = 7

| years2 = 1993–1994

| clubs2 = → Segesta (loan)

| caps2 = 43

| goals2 = 20

| years3 = 1995–2000

| clubs3 = Valladolid

| caps3 = 153

| goals3 = 55

| years4 = 2000–2003

| clubs4 = Zaragoza

| caps4 = 10

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2001–2002

| clubs5 = → Murcia (loan)

| caps5 = 21

| goals5 = 2

| totalcaps = 266

| totalgoals = 84

| nationalyears1 = 1999

| nationalteam1 = Croatia B

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1999

| nationalteam2 = Croatia

| nationalcaps2 = 2

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| manageryears1 = 2020–2023

| managerclubs1 = Dinamo Zagreb (assistant)

| manageryears2 = 2025–

| managerclubs2 = Igman Konjic

}}

Alen Peternac (born 16 January 1972) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Bosnian club Igman Konjic.

He is best known for his stint at Real Valladolid, spending the better part of his professional career in Spain, appearing in 206 official games in representation of three clubs.[http://realvalladolid.elnortedecastilla.es/leyendas/peternac.html Leyendas del Real Valladolid C. F. – Peternac (Real Valladolid C. F. legends – Peternac)]; at El Norte de Castilla {{in lang|es}}

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.[http://www.realvalladolid.es/elclub/historia/records/ Records] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214211454/http://www.realvalladolid.es/elclub/historia/records/ |date=14 December 2009 }}; at Real Valladolid {{in lang|es}}[http://realvalladolid.elnortedecastilla.es/noticias/2010-02-24/123920-oviedo.html El 3–8 al Oviedo (3–8 to Oviedo)]; El Norte de Castilla, 24 February 2010 {{in lang|es}} 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,[http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2001/09/17/mas_futbol/1000677654_850215.html 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 lang|es}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=16432|title=Player Database|accessdate=19 November 2022|website=EU-football}}

Managerial career

On 22 April 2020, following the appointment of Igor Jovićević as Dinamo Zagreb manager, Peternac was named his assistant.{{cite news |url=https://gnkdinamo.hr/hr/Novosti/Clanak/igor-jovicevic-novi-trener-gnk-dinamo |title=Igor Jovićević - novi trener GNK Dinamo |website=gnkdinamo.hr |date=22 April 2020}} On 12 April 2025, he was appointed manager of Bosnian Premier League club Igman Konjic.{{cite web|url=https://sportsport.ba/fudbal/fk-igman-konjic-alen-peternac-novi-trener-zvanicno/496207|title=FK Igman predstavio novog šefa stručnog štaba: Alen Peternac stigao u Konjic!|date=12 April 2025|access-date=12 April 2025|language=bs|author=A.B.|publisher=sportsport.ba}}