Slobodan Santrač facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Slobodan Santrač | ||
| Date of birth | 1 July 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Koceljeva, FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Date of death | 13 February 2016 (aged 69) | ||
| Place of death | Belgrade, Serbia | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1959–1960 | Takovo | ||
| 1960–1965 | Metalac Valjevo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1965–1974 | OFK Beograd | 244 | (169) |
| 1974–1976 | Grasshoppers | 42 | (29) |
| 1976–1977 | OFK Beograd | 40 | (17) |
| 1978–1980 | Partizan | 63 | (29) |
| 1980–1983 | Galenika Zemun | 56 | (31) |
| Total | 445 | (275) | |
| National team | |||
| 1966–1974 | Yugoslavia | 8 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1994–1998 | FR Yugoslavia | ||
| 1999–2000 | Shandong Luneng | ||
| 2001 | Saudi Arabia | ||
| 2005 | Macedonia | ||
| 2008 | Changsha Ginde | ||
| 2009 | Qingdao Jonoon | ||
| 2011 | Shaanxi Renhe | ||
|
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Slobodan Santrač (born July 1, 1946 – died February 13, 2016) was a famous football player and manager from Yugoslavia and Serbia. He was known as a fantastic goal scorer.
Santrač holds the record for the most goals ever scored in the Yugoslav First League. He scored an amazing 218 goals in total! He was also the top scorer for his club, OFK Beograd.
After his playing days, Santrač became a football manager. He led many different clubs and even national teams. One of his biggest achievements was guiding the FR Yugoslavia team to the knockout stage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
Slobodan Santrač passed away in Belgrade on February 13, 2016, at the age of 69.
Contents
Playing Career: A Goal-Scoring Legend
Slobodan Santrač started playing football at a young age. He quickly became known for his ability to score goals. He played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score.
Early Years and Youth Clubs
Santrač began his youth career in 1959. He played for clubs like Takovo and Metalac Valjevo. These early years helped him develop his skills.
Top Scorer for OFK Beograd
From 1965 to 1974, Santrač played for OFK Beograd. He was incredibly successful there. He scored 169 goals in 244 games. This made him the club's all-time leading scorer. He returned to OFK Beograd later in his career, adding even more goals.
Playing in Switzerland and for Partizan
Santrač also played for Grasshoppers in Switzerland from 1974 to 1976. He scored 29 goals for them. Later, he joined Partizan, another big club in Yugoslavia. He scored 29 goals in 63 games for Partizan.
Final Playing Years
He finished his playing career with Galenika Zemun from 1980 to 1983. By the end of his career, he had scored a total of 275 goals in 445 club games. This shows how consistently he found the back of the net.
International Appearances
Slobodan Santrač also played for the Yugoslavia national team. He represented his country 8 times between 1966 and 1974. He scored 1 goal for the national team.
Management Career: Leading Teams to Success
After retiring as a player, Santrač became a football manager. He used his experience to guide many teams.
Managing the National Team
His most famous coaching role was with the FR Yugoslavia national team. He was their manager from 1994 to 1998. He led them to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. The team performed well and reached the knockout stage of the tournament.
Coaching Abroad
Santrač also managed teams in other countries. He coached Shandong Luneng in China and the Saudi Arabia national team. He also managed the Macedonia national team. Later, he returned to China to manage clubs like Changsha Ginde and Qingdao Jonoon. His last coaching job was with Shaanxi Renhe in 2011.
