Darko Pančev facts for kids
Pančev in 2020
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darko Pančev Дарко Панчев |
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| Date of birth | 7 September 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Skopje, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1983 | Vardar | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1982–1988 | 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) |
| 1996–1997 | FC Sion | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 396 | (255) | |
| National team | |||
| 1984–1991 | Yugoslavia | 27 | (17) |
| 1993–1995 | Macedonia | 6 | (1) |
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Darko Pančev (born 7 September 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 for FK Vardar and Red Star Belgrade.
He was a key player for Red Star Belgrade when they won the European Cup in 1991. This was a huge achievement for the club. In the same year, he also won the European Golden Shoe award for being the top scorer in European leagues.
Contents
Darko Pančev's Football Journey
Starting at Vardar Skopje
Darko Pančev began his football career in 1982 at Vardar Skopje. 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 him.
Becoming a Star at Red Star Belgrade
In 1988, Pančev joined Red Star Belgrade. He played three full seasons for the team. He scored an incredible 84 goals in 91 league games.
He helped Red Star win the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 1991. Fans called him Kobra (The Cobra) because he was so good at scoring goals. He scored the winning penalty in the 1991 European Cup Final. This brought Red Star their first major European trophy.
Pančev was the top scorer in European football during the 1990–91 season with 34 goals. He should have won the European Golden Boot award then. However, UEFA made the competition unofficial for that season. He finally received the Golden Boot fifteen years later, in 2006, in Skopje.
In 1992, Pančev scored two goals for Red Star against Panathinaikos in a European Cup match. He caused a stir when he wrote his nationality as "Macedonian" in Greece. He was held for several hours before being allowed to cross the border. He later said, "I was happy to score two goals before 80,000 spectators in Athens and Red Star to win 2–0."
Challenges at Inter Milan
In 1992, Pančev moved to Internazionale in Italy. He was expected to score many goals because of his great reputation. However, he found it hard to adapt to the tough Italian league defenses.
His coach, Osvaldo Bagnoli, felt he didn't move enough on the field. Pančev also had trouble getting along with some teammates. The Italian press even changed his nickname from Il Cobra to Il Ramarro (green lizard), meaning he wasn't performing well.
He scored his first league goal for Inter in January 1993. In his first season, he played in only twelve league matches, scoring one goal. He did score five goals in the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup).
For the 1993–94 season, Pančev played even less. He was loaned to German team VfB Leipzig in January 1994. He scored two goals in ten matches there, but the team was still relegated.
He returned to Inter Milan, hoping for a fresh start. He scored in two early games of the 1994–95 season. But injuries and a loss of form meant he played only seven league games that season. His time at Inter Milan was not very successful. Fans sometimes called him bidone, which means "trashcan" in Italian, used for players who don't live up to expectations.
After his career, Pančev often talked about his difficult time at Inter Milan. He said he was a natural goal scorer who ran only when close to the goal. He felt Inter didn't accept his style of play.
Ending His Career
Darko Pančev finished his playing career with Swiss team Sion in 1997.
Playing for His Country
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. However, he decided not to play, saying it was for physical reasons. Many believed it was due to political reasons related to the Yugoslav wars. The team was later banned from the tournament.
Pančev later played in the Macedonian national team's first official match in 1993. He scored one goal for Macedonia. His last international game was in June 1995.
In 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 retiring from playing, Darko Pančev worked with the Football Federation of Macedonia. In 2006, he became the sporting director for Vardar. He also owns a cafe in Skopje called Devetka, which means "Number Nine".
Personal Life
Darko Pančev is married to singer Maja Grozdanovska-Pančeva. They have two daughters named Nadica and Marija.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | Yugoslav League | Yugoslav Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vardar Skopje | 1982–83 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 1983–84 | 31 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 19 | |
| 1984–85 | 31 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 20 | |
| 1985–86 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 14 | |
| 1986–87 | 29 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 17 | |
| 1987–88 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 23 | |
| Red Star Belgrade | 1989–90 | 32 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 26 |
| 1990–91 | 32 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 43 | 40 | |
| 1991–92 | 28 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 37 | 31 | |
| Total | 243 | 168 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 14 | 271 | 193 | |
Honours
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
- Ballon d'Or: Runner-up 1991
- Federal League top scorers: 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992
- European Golden Shoe: 1991
- ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1991
- UEFA Jubilee Awards – Greatest Macedonians Footballer of the last 50 Years (Golden Player): 2003
See also
In Spanish: Darko Pančev para niños
