Edin Sprečo

Edin Sprečo (19 April 1947 – 12 May 2020) was a Bosnian professional footballer who played as a winger.

Edin Sprečo

Personal information
Full name	Edin Sprečo
Date of birth	19 April 1947
Place of birth	Sarajevo, FPR Yugoslavia
Date of death	12 May 2020 (aged 73)
Place of death	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
1959–1964	Željezničar
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1964–1975	Željezničar	199	(61)
1975–1976	NAC Breda	25	(7)
1976–1977	Željezničar	4	(0)
1977–1979	Rennes	35	(18)
1979–1981	Iskra Bugojno	38	(9)
Total		301	(95)
National team
1967–1969	Yugoslavia	3	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia, present day Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sprečo started playing football for the youth team of hometown club Željezničar when he was 12. At the age of 17, he made his debut for the first team. Sprečo scored two goals in his first game and it was clear that he would become a great player.[1]

He played 199 league games and scored 61 goals for Željezničar. In total, Sprečo played in 234 games and managed to score 75 goals. He was a member of the Željezničar team that won the Yugoslav First League title in the 1971–72 season. In 1975, Sprečo turned 28 and he was allowed to go abroad, as it was prohibited for under-28 players to leave the domestic clubs at the time. He went to Dutch Eredivisie club NAC Breda.[1]

He also played for, at the time, French Ligue 2 club Rennes. Sprečo finished his career at the age of 34 in 1981, while playing for Iskra Bugojno.[1]

International career

Sprečo earned 3 caps for the Yugoslavia national team and also scored two goals while playing for the national team from 1967 to 1969.[1] He scored his first goal for Yugoslavia on 12 November 1967, in a 4–0 win against Albania in a UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying match.[2]

Career statistics

Club

Source:[3]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Željezničar	1964–65	Yugoslav First League	2	0	—		—		2	0
	1965–66	Yugoslav First League	2	0	—		—		2	0
	1966–67	Yugoslav First League	19	7	—		—		19	7
	1967–68	Yugoslav First League	26	13	—		—		26	13
	1968–69	Yugoslav First League	24	12	—		—		24	12
	1969–70	Yugoslav First League	6	0	—		—		6	0
	1970–71	Yugoslav First League	33	7	—		—		33	7
	1971–72	Yugoslav First League	32	5	—		8	4	40	9
	1972–73	Yugoslav First League	31	10	—		2	1	33	11
	1973–74	Yugoslav First League	15	7	—		—		15	7
	1974–75	Yugoslav First League	7	0	—		—		7	0
	1975–76	Yugoslav First League	2	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		199	61	—		10	5	209	66
NAC Breda	1975–76	Eredivisie	25	7	1	0	—		26	7
Željezničar	1976–77	Yugoslav First League	4	0	0	0	—		4	0
Rennes	1977–78	Ligue 2	9	4	—		—		9	4
	1978–79	Ligue 2	26	14	—		—		26	14
	Total		35	18	—		—		35	18
Iskra Bugojno	1979–80	Yugoslav Second League	23	6	—		—		23	6
	1980–81	Yugoslav Second League	15	3	—		—		15	3
	Total		38	9	—		—		38	9
Career total			301	95	1	0	10	5	312	100

International

Source:[3]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Yugoslavia
	1967	2	1
	1968	0	0
	1969	1	1
Total		3	2

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	12 November 1967	Stadion JNA, Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia	Albania	1–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying
2.	4 June 1969	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	4–1	5–1	1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
Source:[3]

Death

Sprečo died at the age of 73 in his hometown of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 May 2020.[4]

Honours

Player

Željezničar

• Yugoslav First League: 1971–72

References

1. Nedim Kreštalica. "Edin Sprečo". 1921.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 1 August 2019.
2. "Yugoslavia 4–0 Albania". uefa.com. 12 November 1967. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
3. "Edin Sprečo". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
4. N.K. (12 May 2020). "Preminuo Edin Sprečo, legendarni nogometaš Željezničara" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

External links

• Edin Sprečo at football database.eu