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Stjepan Bobek

Stjepan Bobek
Stjepan bobek.jpg
Personal information
Date of birth (1923-12-03)3 December 1923
Place of birth Zagreb, Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes
Date of death 22 August 2010(2010-08-22) (aged 86)
Place of death Belgrade, Serbia
Playing position Forward
Youth career
1936–1938 HŠK Derbi
1938–1942 ŠK Zagreb
1942–1944 HŠK Ličanin
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1942 Admira Wacker 8 (7)
1944–1945 Građanski Zagreb 15 (13)
1945–1959 Partizan 478 (425)
National team
1946–1956 SFR Yugoslavia 63 (38)
Teams managed
1959 Legia Warsaw
1960–1963 Partizan
1963 Legia Warsaw
1963–1967 Panathinaikos
1967–1969 Partizan
1969–1970 Olympiacos
1970 Altay
1972 Dinamo Zagreb
1974–1975 Panathinaikos
1975–1976 Panetolikos F.C.
1976–1978 Espérance
1978–1981 Vardar
Zemun
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Stjepan Bobek (3 December 1923, in Zagreb – 22 August 2010, in Belgrade) was an ethnic Croat Yugoslav football striker and later football manager. Usually a forward or attacking midfielder, Bobek was renowned for his technique, vision and goalscoring ability and is commonly regarded as one of Yugoslavia's greatest players. Ferenc Puskás once said: "Bobek's technique with the ball is unrivaled. I'm not ashamed to admit, that I tried to copy him. How God-like that guy dribbled and his back-heel pass was impeccable. He still is one of the most noble artists in football."

Bobek started playing at a very young age and had spells with several clubs in Zagreb but is mainly remembered for his time at the Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, where he moved to following the end of World War II. He played for Partizan between 1945 and 1959 helping them win two Yugoslav First League titles and four Yugoslav Cups, and was named the club's greatest player in history in 1995. Internationally, he is the all-time top scorer for the Yugoslavia national team, scoring 38 goals in 63 appearances between 1946 and 1956, and was member of Yugoslav squads which won two Olympic silver medals (in 1948 and 1952) and played in two FIFA World Cups (in 1950 and 1954). After retiring from active football in 1959, he was a successful manager, winning Yugoslav and Greek national titles with Partizan and Panathinaikos, and also had managing spells in Poland and Tunisia.

Bobek was born in Zagreb and started playing at the age of 13 for Viktorija, a lower league club, using his brother's registration papers. When he was 20 he became the center-forward of Građanski Zagreb.

He was the top scorer of the Yugoslav First League twice, in 1945 (eight goals) and 1954 (21 goals).


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