Vladica Kovačević

Vladimir "Vladica" Kovačević (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир "Владица" Ковачевић, pronounced [ʋlǎdimiːr koʋǎːtʃeʋitɕ]; 7 January 1940 – 28 July 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian footballer who played as a forward.[1]

Vladica Kovačević
Kovačević lining up for Partizan at the 1966 European Cup Final
Personal information
Full name Vladimir Kovačević
Date of birth (1940-01-07)7 January 1940
Place of birth Ivanjica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Date of death 28 July 2016(2016-07-28) (aged 76)
Place of death Belgrade, Serbia
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1955–1958 Partizan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1966 Partizan 151 (73)
1966–1967 Nantes 29 (8)
1967–1969 Partizan 32 (6)
1969–1972 Angers 68 (28)
Total 280 (115)
National team
1960–1965 Yugoslavia 13 (2)
Teams managed
1972–1973 Partizan (assistant)
1981–1983 Lyon
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Ivanjica, Kovačević moved to Belgrade in 1955 and joined the youth system of Partizan.[2] He was promoted to the first team in 1958, making his official debut in a 2–1 home league win over Rijeka. During the next eight seasons, Kovačević helped Partizan win the Yugoslav First League on four occasions (1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, and 1964–65). He was also a member of the team that lost the 1966 European Cup Final to Real Madrid.[3] Two years earlier, Kovačević was the competition's joint top scorer with seven goals, along with Sandro Mazzola and Ferenc Puskás.[4]

In 1966, Kovačević moved abroad to France and signed with Nantes, spending there just one season. He subsequently returned to Yugoslavia to perform his compulsory military service and rejoined Partizan.[5] In late 1969, Kovačević moved back to France and joined Angers.

International career

At international level, Kovačević earned 13 caps for Yugoslavia between 1960 and 1965, scoring two goals. He was a member of the team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, as Yugoslavia lost to Chile in the third-place match.

International goals
Scores and results list Yugoslavia's goal tally first.
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
120 September 1964Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Luxembourg1–03–11966 FIFA World Cup qualification
29 May 1965Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia England1–01–1Friendly

Honours

Club
Partizan

Individual

References
  1. "Kovačević Vladimir" (in Serbian). reprezentacija.rs. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. "Dva asa ceo vek vernosti" (in Serbian). danas.rs. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  3. "Kada su divovi igrali u Humskoj" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  4. "European Champions' Cup and Fairs' Cup 1963-64 - Details". rsssf.com. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  5. "Sportski spomenar" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
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