Želimir Terkeš

Želimir Terkeš (born January 8, 1981) is a retired Bosnian-Herzegovinian footballer who played as a forward. His last club in his playing career was NK Zadar. During his career, he also played for NK Zagreb, HNK Čapljina, HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, NK Inter Zaprešić, Chongqing Lifan, and Perak FA.

Club Career

Terkeš began his career in the youth categories of his home club HNK Čapljina, after which he moved to the youth setup of NK Zagreb. As he could not secure a place in the first team, he returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina and played for Zrinjski Mostar for a year and a half, along with appearances for the U-21 national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He then returned to the First HNL by signing with NK Inter Zaprešić, but due to poor performance in 2004, he moved to NK Zadar. The club was relegated that season, but Terkeš was among the key players in the Second HNL for their return to the top league after two seasons.

The 2007/08 season was the peak of his career. He became the league's top scorer with 21 goals, ahead of Radomir Đalović (Rijeka) and Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk Split). Additionally, he recorded 7 assists and particularly stood out with a streak of ten goals and three assists in just six matches (rounds 24–29).

After surgery and injury problems, he could not regain his former form and scored 14 goals in 66 appearances over the next two and a half seasons. In March 2011, he moved to the Chinese club Chongqing Lifan, and in his last match for Zadar, he scored the winning goal against NK Lokomotiva (1:0).

In December 2013, he signed with Malaysian Perak FA, and on February 28, 2014, he moved to Indonesian Persija Jakarta.

International Career

Good performances earned him a call-up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He made his debut on June 1, 2008, in a friendly win 1:0 against Azerbaijan, which was also his only appearance for the national team.

Coaching Career

In January 2021, he was appointed as the coach of HNK Zadar, succeeding Josip Butić.