Slobodan Santrač

Slobodan Santrač (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Сантрач, pronounced [slobǒdan sântraːtʃ];[1][2] 1 July 1946 – 13 February 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian football manager and player who played as a forward. He is the all-time top scorer of the Yugoslav First League with a total of 218 goals,[3] as well as the top scorer in the history of OFK Beograd. He has scored 1301 goals overall on his career.,[4] making him the most prolific goalscorer of all time. After finishing his playing career, Santrač was manager of numerous clubs and national teams. He reached the knockout stage with FR Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.[5]

Slobodan Santrač

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)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1959–1960	Takovo Gornji Milanovac
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
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Koceljeva, Santrač started playing in Takovo Gornji Milanovac youth squad, then moved to Metalac Valjevo in the early 1960s, before transferring to OFK Beograd in 1965.[6] He spent the following nine seasons with the Romantics, making 244 league appearances and scoring 169 goals. During that time, Santrač was the Yugoslav First League top scorer on four occasions (1968, 1970, 1972 and 1973). He also won the Yugoslav Cup in 1966, scoring a brace in the final against Dinamo Zagreb.

In 1974, after completing his mandatory military service,[7] Santrač moved abroad and joined Swiss club Grasshoppers. He was their best scorer in both seasons during his stay with the club,[8] before returning to OFK Beograd midway through the 1975–76 season. Santrač was transferred to Partizan in the winter of 1978, winning the league after only a few months upon arriving at the club. He spent two more seasons with the Black-Whites, before joining Galenika Zemun during the 1980–81 season.

International career

Despite being a prolific striker during his entire active playing career, Santrač never established himself in the national team. He made only eight appearances (only 110 minutes played) for Yugoslavia between 1966 and 1974. Santrač scored one goal for the national team in a friendly against Sweden, a game that ended in a 1–1 draw.[9]

Managerial career

In December 1994, Santrač started his managerial career at the helm of the national team of FR Yugoslavia, while the country was still under UN sanctions. He served as their manager for almost four years, qualifying the team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[10] Santrač then moved to China and took charge of Shandong Luneng, winning the double in 1999.[11] He was also manager of Saudi Arabia (2001),[12] and Macedonia (2005).[13]

Death

On 13 February 2016, Santrač died of a heart attack, aged 69. He was survived by his wife Biljana and sons Aleksandar and Nenad.[14]

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	League		Continental		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
OFK Beograd	1965–66	26	20	0	0	26	20
	1966–67	28	12	2	0	30	12
	1967–68	28	22	0	0	28	22
	1968–69	34	16	6	9	40	25
	1969–70	31	20	0	0	31	20
	1970–71	32	19	0	0	32	19
	1971–72	34	33	4	2	38	35
	1972–73	28	25	8	5	36	30
	1973–74	3	2	0	0	3	2
	Total	244	169	20	16	264	185
Grasshoppers	1974–75	24	17	4	2	28	19
	1975–76	18	12	2	2	20	14
	Total	42	29	6	4	48	33
OFK Beograd	1975–76	6	5	0	0	6	5
	1976–77	29	11	0	0	29	11
	1977–78	5	1	0	0	5	1
	Total	40	17	0	0	40	17
Partizan	1977–78	16	11	0	0	16	11
	1978–79	29	14	1	0	30	14
	1979–80	18	4	0	0	18	4
	Total	63	29	1	0	64	29
Galenika Zemun	1980–81	14	9	0	0	14	9
	1981–82	24	19	0	0	24	19
	1982–83	18	3	0	0	18	3
	Total	56	31	0	0	56	31
Career total		445	275	27	20	472	295

International

Yugoslavia national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1966	3	1
1967	0	0
1968	0	0
1969	0	0
1970	0	0
1971	0	0
1972	4	0
1973	0	0
1974	1	0
Total	8	1

Honours

Player

OFK Beograd

• Yugoslav Cup: 1965–66

Partizan

• Yugoslav First League: 1977–78

Galenika Zemun

• Yugoslav Second League: 1981–82

Manager

Shandong Luneng

• Chinese Jia-A League: 1999
• Chinese FA Cup: 1999

Individual

Player

• Yugoslav First League Top Scorer: 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73

Manager

• Chinese Football Association Coach of the Year: 1999

References

1. "slobòda". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 2018-03-17. Slobòdan
2. "sàntrāč". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 2018-03-17. Sȁntrāč
3. "Kraljevi strelaca" (in Serbian). arhiva.srbija.gov.rs. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
4. http://www.arhiva.serbia.gov.rs/news/2000-01/11/16679.html
5. "Deseto mesto u svetu - uspeh ili ne?" (in Serbian). arhiva.srbija.gov.rs. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
6. "INTERVJU NEDELJOM - Slobodan Santrač: Čiča je rekao da fudbal ne sme da stane!" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
7. "Zvezde u JNA - Vojnik Slobodan Santrač raportira ocu Danetu (1973)" (in Serbian). yugopapir.com. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
8. "Switzerland - List of Topscorers". rsssf.com. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
9. "Slobodan Santrač" (in Serbian). ofkbeograd.co.rs. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
10. "The Yugoslavia Squad". bbc.co.uk. 3 May 1998. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
11. "Kineski car" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 13 December 1999. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
12. "Santrac loses Saudi job". bbc.co.uk. 28 August 2001. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
13. "Santrac quits as F.Y.R. Macedonia coach". uefa.com. 23 August 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
14. "ODLAZAK FUDBALSKE LEGENDE Preminuo Slobodan Santrač!". blic.rs. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.

External links

• Slobodan Santrač at WorldFootball.net
• Slobodan Santrač at Reprezentacija.rs (in Serbian)