Darko Pančev facts for kids
Pančev in 2020
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darko Pančev | ||
| Date of birth | 7 September 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Skopje, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vardar | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1988 | Vardar | 151 | (84) |
| 1988–1992 | Red Star Belgrade | 92 | (84) |
| 1992–1995 | Inter Milan | 19 | (3) |
| 1994 | → VfB Leipzig (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 1995–1996 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 14 | (2) |
| 1996 | Sion | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 291 | (175) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1991 | Yugoslavia | 27 | (17) |
| 1993–1995 | Macedonia | 6 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Darko Pančev (born on September 7, 1965) is a famous former footballer from North Macedonia. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal scorer. He is best known for playing with FK Vardar and Red Star Belgrade.
Darko Pančev was a key player for Red Star Belgrade when they won the European Cup in the 1990–91 season. This was a huge achievement in European football. He also won the European Golden Shoe award in 1991 for being the top scorer in European leagues.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Vardar
Darko Pančev began his football journey in 1983 at FK Vardar. He quickly became known as one of the best strikers in the Yugoslav First League. In the 1983–84 season, he was the league's top scorer. His amazing goal-scoring skills made bigger clubs want to sign him.
Success with Red Star Belgrade
In the summer of 1988, Pančev joined Red Star Belgrade. He played three full seasons for the club, scoring an incredible 84 goals in 91 league games. During this time, he helped Red Star win the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 1991.
Because he scored so many goals, he was called Kobra (the Cobra) by the sports media. Fans of Red Star Belgrade remember him for scoring the winning penalty kick in the 1991 European Cup final. This penalty brought Red Star their first major European trophy in 50 years.
Pančev was the top scorer in European football during the 1990–91 season with 34 goals. He was supposed to win the European Golden Boot award. However, the award was made unofficial that year due to some issues. Fifteen years later, on August 3, 2006, he finally received his Golden Boot in Skopje. Famous football legends like Michel Platini presented him with the award.
In March 1992, Pančev scored two goals for Red Star against Panathinaikos in a European Cup match in Athens. He famously wrote his nationality as "Macedonian" when entering Greece, which caused some discussion. After the game, he said he was happy to score two goals in front of 80,000 fans.
Time at Inter Milan
In the summer of 1992, Pančev moved to Internazionale in Italy. This was a big transfer, and many expected him to score lots of goals. Inter had finished eighth in the league the season before, so they were hoping Pančev would help them improve.
First Season (1992–93)
Pančev started well for Inter in the Coppa Italia, scoring three goals in his first game against Reggiana. He added two more goals in the next match. However, he found it hard to score in the league. The coach, Osvaldo Bagnoli, thought Pančev didn't move enough on the field.
The Italian media even changed his nickname from Il Cobra to Il Ramarro (the green lizard) because of his struggles. He scored his first league goal in January 1993. In his first season, he played in only twelve league matches, scoring one goal. He did score five goals in four Coppa Italia games.
Later Seasons and Loan
Pančev stayed with Inter for the 1993–94 season but didn't play much. In January 1994, he was loaned to the German team VfB Leipzig. He scored two goals in ten matches for Leipzig, but the team was still relegated.
He returned to Inter for the 1994–95 season and scored in two early games. However, injuries and a loss of form meant he only played seven league matches that season. He also scored twice in the Coppa Italia. His time at Inter was difficult, and fans sometimes called him bidone, which means "trashcan" and is used for players who don't live up to expectations.
End of Career
Darko Pančev finished his playing career with Sion in Switzerland in 1997.
After retiring, Pančev often talked about his time at Inter Milan. He felt that Inter didn't accept his style of play, where he only ran when he was close to the goal. He also believed that some Italian players at Inter made it harder for foreign players to fit in. He said joining Inter was his "greatest football mistake" and that his career would have been better if he had chosen another club like Real Madrid or Manchester United.
International Football
Pančev played for the Yugoslavia national team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He scored two goals in their 4–1 win against the United Arab Emirates. He was also called up for UEFA Euro 1992, but he decided not to play. The team was later banned from the tournament due to political events in the region.
Later, Pančev played in the first official match for the Macedonian national team on October 13, 1993, against Slovenia. His last international game was in June 1995.
In November 2003, UEFA honored him as the "Golden Player" of Macedonia. This award recognized him as the most outstanding player from Macedonia in the past 50 years.
Life After Football
After he stopped playing, Darko Pančev worked with the Football Federation of Macedonia. In July 2006, he became the sporting director for FK Vardar.
Personal Life
Darko Pančev is married to singer Maja Grozdanovska-Pančeva. They have two daughters named Nadica and Marija. He also owns a cafe in Skopje called Devetka, which means "Number Nine."
Honours and Awards
Red Star Belgrade
- Yugoslav First League: 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92
- Yugoslav Cup: 1989–90
- European Cup: 1990–91
- Intercontinental Cup: 1991
Inter Milan
- UEFA Cup: 1993–94
Individual Awards
- European Golden Shoe: 1990–91
- Ballon d'Or runner-up: 1991
- Yugoslav First League top scorer: 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992
- ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1991
- UEFA Jubilee Awards – Golden Player for Macedonia: 2003
See also
In Spanish: Darko Pančev para niños
