Branko Zebec

Branko Zebec

Branko Zebec in 1953
Personal information
Full name	Branislav Zebec
Date of birth	17 May 1929
Place of birth	Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Date of death	26 September 1988(1988-09-26) (aged 59)
Place of death	Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Manager (former Left Fullback, Left Winger)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1943–1945	Građanski Zagreb
	Poštar Zagreb
	Lokomotiva Zagreb
	Milicioner Zagreb
1945–1951	Borac Zagreb
1951–1959	Partizan Belgrade	131	(39)
1959–1961	Red Star Belgrade	29	(6)
1961–1965	Alemannia Aachen	71	(4)
National team
1951–1961	Yugoslavia	65	(17)
Teams managed
1965–1967	Dinamo Zagreb
1968–1970	Bayern Munich
1970–1972	VfB Stuttgart
1972–1973	Hajduk Split
1974–1978	Eintracht Braunschweig
1978–1980	Hamburger SV
1981–1982	Borussia Dortmund
1982–1983	Eintracht Frankfurt
1984	Dinamo Zagreb
Honours Men's Football Representing  Yugoslavia Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki Team European Championship 1960 France Team
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Branislav "Branko" Zebec (17 May 1929 in Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia – 26 September 1988 in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia) was a Croatian footballer and manager. In his heyday the player from FK Partizan and Red Star Belgrade fascinated the world with his performances at the World Cups in 1954 and 1958. With Partizan he won 3 Yugoslav Cups (1952, 1954, 1957). With Red Star Belgrade he won the national championship in 1960. As coach he led Hajduk Split, Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV to success. A highly versatile player noted for his physical abilities and understanding of the game, Zebec was world class whether on the left wing or in the more defensive role of left fullback, although he was capable of playing almost every outfield position on the pitch. He was particularly well known for his pace, having been able to run 100m in 11s with football boots.

In his youth days Zebec played for a number of teams in his hometown: Građanski (Dinamo), Poštar, Lokomotiva, Milicioner and Metalac. In 1951 he had the call from Partizan, one of the capital city teams dominating Yugoslav football. His quality and speed soon secured him a place on the left wing of the team, and almost as soon with the national team, in which he would feature 65 times, scoring 17 goals. In 1952 he won his first title, the national cup. In the same year the Summer Olympics in Helsinki provided a great international stage for him. Yugoslavia had to settle for the silver medal, because this tournament was also the birthplace of the Hungarian miracle team of the 1950s. With seven goals Zebec was to secure for himself the honour of top scorer of the event.