Slobodan_Santrac

Slobodan Santrač

Slobodan Santrač

Yugoslav and Serbian football manager and player


Slobodan Santrač (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Сантрач, pronounced [slobǒdan sântraːtʃ]; 1 July 1946 – 13 February 2016) was a Serbian football manager and player. He is the all-time top scorer of the Yugoslav First League with a total of 218 goals,[1] as well as the top scorer in the history of OFK Beograd. According to the Brazilian outlet Almanaque dos Artilheiros he is the fourth highest topscorer in history with 1301 goals [2] including all matches (youth and official friendlies). As a manager, Santrač reached the knockout stage at the 1998 FIFA World Cup with FR Yugoslavia.[3]

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Club career

Born in Koceljeva, Santrač grew up in Gornji Milanovac, starting out at local club Takovo.[4] He moved with his family to Valjevo in 1958 and soon joined Radnički, which merged into Metalac Valjevo in 1959. Due to his promising performances in the Serbian League, Santrač was transferred to Yugoslav First League club OFK Beograd in the summer of 1965.[5] He spent nine seasons with the Romantičari, totaling 244 league appearances and scoring 169 goals. During that time, Santrač was the Yugoslav First League top scorer on four occasions (1968, 1970, 1972, and 1973). He also won the Yugoslav Cup in 1966, scoring a brace in the final against Dinamo Zagreb.

In 1974, after completing his mandatory military service,[6] Santrač moved abroad and joined Swiss club Grasshoppers. He was their best scorer in both seasons during his stay with them,[7] before returning to OFK Beograd near the end of the 1975–76 season. Santrač was transferred to Partizan in the winter of 1978, winning the league just a few months upon arriving at the club.[8] He spent two more seasons with the Crno-beli, before switching to Yugoslav Second League side Galenika Zemun in the 1980–81 season as part of the deal for Dragan Mance. With 19 goals in 1981–82, Santrač helped the team win promotion to the top flight for the first time ever. He retired from playing in 1983.

International career

Despite being a prolific scorer during his entire club career, Santrač never established himself at international level, making just eight friendly appearances (only 110 minutes played) for Yugoslavia between 1966 and 1974.[9] His first cap for the national team came on 1 June 1966 in a 2–0 loss to Bulgaria and his only goal later that month against Sweden, in a game that ended in a 1–1 draw.[10]

Managerial career

In December 1994, Santrač started his managerial career at the helm of the national team of FR Yugoslavia, while the country was still under UN sanctions. He served as their manager for almost four years, qualifying the team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[11] Later on, Santrač moved to China and took charge of Shandong Luneng, winning the double in 1999.[12] He was also manager of Saudi Arabia (2001),[13] and Macedonia (2005).[14]

Death

Santrač died of a heart attack on 13 February 2016 at the age of 69.[15][16]

Career statistics

Club

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International

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Managerial

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Honours

Player

OFK Beograd

Partizan

Galenika Zemun

Individual

Manager

Shandong Luneng

Individual


References

  1. "Kraljevi strelaca" (in Serbian). srbija.gov.rs. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  2. Salmon, Ken (31 October 2021). "Who scored the most goals in history?". 90soccer.com.
  3. "Deseto mesto u svetu - uspeh ili ne?" (in Serbian). srbija.gov.rs. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  4. "Sportski spomenar" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  5. "INTERVJU NEDELJOM - Slobodan Santrač: Čiča je rekao da fudbal ne sme da stane!" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  6. "Zvezde u JNA - Vojnik Slobodan Santrač raportira ocu Danetu (1973)" (in Serbian). yugopapir.com. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  7. "Slobodan Santrač" (in Serbian). partizanopedia.rs. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. "Santrač Slobodan" (in Serbian). reprezentacija.rs. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  9. "Slobodan Santrač" (in Serbian). ofkbeograd.co.rs. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  10. "The Yugoslavia Squad". bbc.co.uk. 3 May 1998. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  11. "Kineski car" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 13 December 1999. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  12. "Santrac loses Saudi job". bbc.co.uk. 28 August 2001. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  13. "Santrac quits as F.Y.R. Macedonia coach". uefa.com. 23 August 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  14. "Preminuo Slobodan Santrač" (in Serbian). b92.net. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  15. "Preminuo Slobodan Santrač" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  16. "Slobodan Santrač, international football player". eu-football.info. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  17. "Saudi Team - Slobodan Santrac". ksa-team.com. Retrieved 13 November 2021.

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