In 1994, Vidaković joined Real Betis in Spain, which had just returned from the second division. In his first year in La Liga he appeared in 30 matches and netted twice as the Andalusians overachieved a third-place finish. He rarely missed a game in his first three seasons there.
Vidaković began his coaching career as an assistant to Javier Clemente, his former coach at Betis, who was appointed head coach of the Serbia national team in July 2006.[4] When Clemente became coach of Real Murcia in March 2008, Vidaković was again his assistant.[5] In the following years, Vidaković returned to Andalusia and started his head coach career with third-tier teams Écija Balompié, Cádiz and Real Betis B.[6] In 2013, he coached Honduran club Motagua.[7]
Ceres (2016–2020)
On 5 July 2016, Vidaković was appointed head coach of Filipino club Ceres for the second round of the 2016United Football League (UFL), replacing Ali Go.[8][9][10] His first match in charge was a 2–1 loss to Green Archers United on 7 August.[11] His first win as Ceres' coach was an 11–0 thrashing of Forza on 14 September.[12] In their penultimate match of the season, they defeated their title rivals Global 5–0. However, Global were still ahead by six points and Ceres finished the season as runners-up.[13][14]
In 2016, Ceres were also participating in the Singapore Cup.[15] At the time of Vidaković's appointment, the team had made it to the semi-finals.[9] In the 80th minute of the first leg, Vidaković was sent off after continually complaining to the officials.[16][17] Suspended from the second leg, technical director Ali Go filled in for him as Ceres were eliminated by Tampines Rovers on 5–3 aggregate.[18]
In the 2017 pre-season, Vidaković recruited Spanish defender Súper, who played under him at Betis B.[19] In the 2017 AFC Cup, Ceres topped their group by beating S.League runners-up Tampines Rovers and Vietnamese champions Hà Nội.[20][21] They then went on to defeat Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta'zim in the ASEAN zonal semifinal, and Singapore's Home United in the zonal final, thus winning the ASEAN Zone.[22][23] In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, they faced Tajikistan's Istiklol, winners of the Central Asia Zone, losing 5–1 on aggregate; this was the furthest the club has reached in the AFC Cup.[24][25]
In the Philippines Football League (PFL), which replaced the UFL, Ceres faced Kaya on 6 May for the new league's first ever match which ended in a 1–1 draw.[26] Before kickoff in an away match against Global Cebu on 5 July, Vidaković complained about the uneven pitch. He was later sent off in the 56th minute after expressing his frustrations at the match officials. Ceres lost the match 1–0.[27][28][29] On 14 October, in another match against Kaya, Vidaković was sent off after arguing with the officials for what he believed was an uncalled foul that led to a Kaya goal. The match ended in a 3–2 win for Ceres.[30][31] Their 24 November match against league leaders Meralco Manila ended in a goalless draw, thus failing to overcome their one-point deficit.[32] In their final match of the regular season, they were defeated by Global Cebu 2–0, sealing their second-seed finish with 57 points from 17 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses.[33] In the post-season playoffs, they defeated Kaya in the semifinals before beating Global 4–1 in the final, winning the league's inaugural title.[34]
In the 2018 pre-season, after first-choice goalkeeper Roland Müller went on leave, Vidaković recruited former Betis goalkeeper Toni Doblas.[35][36] As the previous season's league champions, Ceres were set to play in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs for the first time in their history.[37] After beating Burmese champions Shan United on penalties, Vidaković's side managed an upset away win against Australia's Brisbane Roar.[38][39] However, they failed to progress to the group stage after falling to China's Tianjin Quanjian in the final play-off round.[40] Relegated to the AFC Cup, Ceres thrashed Cambodian champions Boeung Ket 9–0 in their opening group match—one of the largest margins of victory in AFC Cup history.[41][42] In a rematch of the previous season's ASEAN zonal final, Ceres lost to Home United 3–1 on aggregate.[43]
In the PFL, Ceres–Negros started their season with a five-match winning streak, which was ended by a 2–0 home loss to Kaya on 12 May.[44] On 12 August, during a home match against Davao Aguilas, he was sent off after confronting the referee for what he saw as an uncalled foul on goalkeeper Toni Doblas by Davao's James Younghusband. Ceres lost the match 3–0.[45][46] Vidaković's Ceres side ended the season with 19 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses—successfully defending their league title.[47][48] Unlike the previous season, the 2018 PFL was a pure round-robin tournament.[49]
He later led the club in the Philippines Football League until 2020.[50]
^Murillo, Michael Angelo (6 February 2020). "Ceres and Kaya girding for run in AFC Cup". BusinessWorld. Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020. In last year's edition of the tournament, Ceres advanced to the ASEAN semifinals before losing to Ha Noi FC of Vietnam, 3-2. The year prior, it was able to reach the ASEAN finals but lost to Home United FC of Singapore, 3-1, and in 2017, it was the AZEAN Zonal champion and advanced to the Inter-zone semifinals.
^Guerrero, Bob (30 June 2018). "Kaya FC Iloilo: Football comes home". Rappler. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020. Unlike last year, the PFL is employing a pure round-robin league for the first competition of the season sans a playoff phase
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