Branko Zebec
Encyclopedia
Branislav "Branko" Zebec (17 May 1929 in Zagreb
, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
– 26 September 1988 in Zagreb
, SFR Yugoslavia) was a Croatian football
player and coach. In his heyday the player from FK Partizan
and Red Star Belgrade
fascinated the world with his performances at the World Cups in 1954 and 1958 With Partizan he won 3 Yugoslav cups (1952, 1954, 1957), with Red Star he won national championship (1960). As coach he led Hajduk Split, Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV
to success. A highly verstatile player noted for his physical abilities and understanding of the game, Zebec was world class whether on the left wing or in the more defensive role of full-back, although he was capable of playing most positions on the pitch (excluding goalkeeper).
, Milicioner and Metalac. By 1951 he had the call from Partizan
, one of the capital city teams that were the dominating Yugoslav football. His quality and speed secured him soon a place on the left wing of the team, and almost as soon with the national team, in which he should feature 65 times, scoring 17 goals. In 1952 he achieved with the national cup his first title. In the same year the Summer Olympics
in Helsinki
provided a great international stage for him. Yugoslavia had to settle for the silver medal, because this tournament was also the birth place of the Hungarian miracle team of the 1950s. With seven goals Zebec was to secure for himself the honour of top scorer of the event.
On the club level the successful career of Zebec continued. In 1954 saw Partizan finishing second in the championship and again winning the cup. Zebec scored an invitation for the 1954 FIFA World Cup
in Switzerland. There Yugoslavia overcame the group stage with a win against France and a draw against Brazil thanks to a goal by Zebec. In the quarterfinals the eventual winners Germany
put a stop to the campaign of the team from the Balkans.
In his club side Zebec evolved more and more to the leading player in midfield, a position he was most suitable for due to his intelligence. In 1955 he played in the Partizan debut in the European Cup of Champions (Partizan played then as a nominated team and not as a national champion - a historic peculiarity of the first edition of this tournament). In the first round Partizan overcame Sporting CP in two high scoring encounters with 5-2 and 8-5. In the second round, then the quarterfinals, the team of the era, Real Madrid
, put an end to Yugoslavia's first entry into this new competition as a home 3-0 win against the Iberian glamour side was insufficient to compensate for a 0-4 defeat at the hands of Alfredo Di Stéfano
and Co. in the Spanish capital. On the national scene Partizan remained in the shadow of the big two of those days, Hajduk Split, and Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade
). Thus, in 1956 Partizan again had to make do with being honourable runner up in the championship, as it was the case in 1958. In between Partizan could grab another Yugoslav cup trophy.
By the time the 1958 FIFA World Cup
in Sweden took place Branko Zebec had become the captain of the national side. In the group stages draws against Scotland and Paraguay and a win against the hosts Sweden, in the end third of the tournament, was enough to enter the quarterfinals, but, as four years before, Germany put an end to Yugoslavias ambitions.
In Yugoslavia he achieved another second place in the championship before making a controversial switch of allegiances to local rivals Red Star, where at the end of his career, in 1960, he finally got his hands on the championship trophy in 1960. This should remain his last honour as player.
In 1963 he was old enough for a player to leave the country, in line with the political circumstances of those days. For Branko Zebec it was then to late for the big-time clubs, so the German second division side Alemannia Aachen
may not have provided a great opportunity for renewed success on the pitch, but for Branko Zebec it was a valuable two years in which he could acquaint himself with the country in which he should celebrate his greatest successes as coach.
in his hometown Zagreb. He held the office together with Ivica Horvat, who later too should enjoy success in Germany. The team was to qualify for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of the UEFA Cup
. Initially, things were not looking to promising in this campaign. The aggregate result in the first round encounters with the Czech side Spartak Brno was 2-2, and only the toss of a coin saw Dinamo advancing. After Dunfermline
and Dinamo Piteşti were eliminated, Juventus were their opponents in the quarterfinals, but were overcome 2-2 and 3-0. In the semifinals Dinamo managed one of the great comebacks in the history of European competitions. After a 0-3 defeat in Frankfurt against Eintracht
Dinamo outclassed the Germans in Zagreb 4-0.
In the finals the club had to face Leeds United then with Peter Lorimer
and Billy Bremner
in their cast. The home leg could be won with 2-0, thus a nil all draw in England was sufficient. Zebec and his team won the first ever official international trophy for a team from the Central Eastern Europe.
. The team around the young Franz Beckenbauer
and Gerd Müller
had won in recent years two national cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He curbed the offensive style of the team and reinforced the defensive. In his first season Zebec achieved with them the German championship, the club's first in 37 years. To boot, he won with them also the cup, and thus also achieved the first double in the history of the German Bundesliga. The next season began with problems. Bayern was ousted in the first round of the European Cup of Champions at the hands of AS Saint-Etienne
. Already early in the season Zebec announced that he would not extend his contract by the end of the year. As Bayern experienced a spell of three matches with only one point mid-way though the second half of the season and fell back five points behind the leaders his contract was even terminated prematurely. Udo Lattek
was to succeed him. In a later book Beckenbauer reported of "atmospheric disturbances" between the coach and the team.
For Zebec followed a stay of almost two years with VfB Stuttgart
, then a team with aspirations to joining the top of the league. He led the unimpressive cast, which was in his second season reinforced with German international Horst Köppel
and the Austrian midfielder Hans "Buffy" Ettmayer to positions 12 and 8, respectively. This was disappointing for both, club and coach, thus, also here the last couple of months of his contract were cut short.
Zebec returned for a season to Yugoslavia, where this time he coached Hajduk Split in tandem with Tomislav Ivić
, another very notable coach. The team impressed particularly in the Cup Winners' Cup
where they made it all the way to the semifinals, ousting Norway's Fredrikstad F.K.
, Welsh side Wrexham A.F.C.
and in the quarterfinals the Scottish Cup winners Hibernian F.C.
. Hajduk lost in Scotland 2-4, but almost miraculously recovered at home with a 3-0 triumph. However, in the semifinals a 0-1 defeat away to Leeds United proved lethal. The 0-0 draw at home meant the end of the road for the Croatians, but reaching this semifinal remains the greatest international success for them to date. Leeds ended up missing out on winning this tournament by the tightest of margins losing the final against AC Milan 0-1.
The team finished the national league a disappointing 9th, but the defence of the Yugoslav Cup through a victory against champions Red Star Belgrade
assured a memorable season eventually. The 1970s were to be Hajduks golden decade after all, but without Branko Zebec, who returned to Germany.
, in 1967 still champions of Germany, were relegated in 1973 - the year they pioneered advertising on jerseys - but returned to the Bundesliga inside a year. The club, which then had a liquor manufacturer on a spending spree as main sponsor, engaged Zebec in search for better times. Zebec hired two fellow Yugoslavs, the entertaining right winger Danilo Popivoda
and midfielder Aleksandar Ristić
. Coupled with national team goalkeeper Bernd Franke
and other notable players this side offered refreshing quality football and often featured right on top of the table. Inside three years Eintracht worked itself up from place 9 to place 3, then just missing out on the championship by one point. In his fourth and last year with the club the 1974 FIFA World Cup
winner Paul Breitner
joined the team coming from Real Madrid. Even thus reinforced, the team could not maintain the trend and finished a disappointing 13th. By then Zebec's efforts had been successful enough to attract interest elsewhere.
. Most important was that he facilitated the integration of "Mighty Mouse" Kevin Keegan
who failed to convince in his first season. By the end of Zebec's first year at the helm Hamburg were champions.
A year later the team even progressed all the way into the European Cup of Champions final to face Nottingham Forest. A lacklustre Hamburg lost 0-1. Zebec and his coaching methods were widely blamed. Zebec, besides being a strict disciplinarian, believed - with some logic - in the notion, that when a team plays successfully it can take more training. As it was, the players complained about the harsh training at that late stage of the season, and critics said that it was the reason why Hamburg inside four days of the final also lost a decisive match which consigned them to runner-ups in the league.
At the beginning of his third season with Hamburg another problem came to the fore. Branko Zebec had a serious drinking problem and was caught out even on the coaching bench. A funnier consequence was that when he came into the cabin and told his players "0-2, lost! Does not matter, we have to win the next match!" It was only halftime. By December the problem and its consequences which were now frequently recognizable, e.g., when he was dozing on the bench, needed a resolution, and thus by December the contract was terminated. Aleksandar Ristić became his successor for half a year, before Ernst Happel took Hamburg to renewed glory.
By 1981/82 Zebec got himself a new appointment - then with Borussia Dortmund
, incidentally here following in the footsteps of Udo Lattek. He led them to place 6, their best result in 12 years, leading them even into the UEFA Cup
. But the personal issues of the coach were still increasing and stretched the abilities of the club to deal with it. By the end of the season also Borussia saw the need to let him go.
By the beginning of the 82/83 season Brank Zebec had no job. However, this made him available when Eintracht Frankfurt
, the club in Germany with the highest attrition rate for coaches, was in need for a replacement of former Austrian national coach Helmut Senekowitsch
. Zebec ended the season with Eintracht as 10th, but he himself fell victim to the traditional shortlivedness of coaching jobs by October 17 of the following season.
He had one more ephemeral engagement with his hometown club Dinamo Zagreb before his career ended.
In 1988 he died from alcohol related illness, aged only 59. He remains one of the most successful coaches in the history of the German Bundesliga.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
– 26 September 1988 in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, SFR Yugoslavia) was a Croatian football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and coach. In his heyday the player from FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
and Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
fascinated the world with his performances at the World Cups in 1954 and 1958 With Partizan he won 3 Yugoslav cups (1952, 1954, 1957), with Red Star he won national championship (1960). As coach he led Hajduk Split, Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
to success. A highly verstatile player noted for his physical abilities and understanding of the game, Zebec was world class whether on the left wing or in the more defensive role of full-back, although he was capable of playing most positions on the pitch (excluding goalkeeper).
Career as Player
In his youth days Branko Zebec played for a number of teams in his hometown: Građanski (Dinamo), Poštar, LokomotivaNK Lokomotiva
NK Lokomotiva is a Croatian football club based in Zagreb, currently competing in the Prva HNL, the country's top division. Founded originally as ŽŠK Victoria in 1914, the club's only period of success came in the late 1940s and early 1950s before spending most of the following five decades as...
, Milicioner and Metalac. By 1951 he had the call from Partizan
Partizan
Partizan is the Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, and Slovene term for a partisan. It is usually used in those languages to denote a member of the World War II resistance movement, the Yugoslav Partisans, which are always mentioned in those languages without the adjective "Yugoslav", i.e...
, one of the capital city teams that were the dominating Yugoslav football. His quality and speed secured him soon a place on the left wing of the team, and almost as soon with the national team, in which he should feature 65 times, scoring 17 goals. In 1952 he achieved with the national cup his first title. In the same year the Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
provided a great international stage for him. Yugoslavia had to settle for the silver medal, because this tournament was also the birth place of the Hungarian miracle team of the 1950s. With seven goals Zebec was to secure for himself the honour of top scorer of the event.
On the club level the successful career of Zebec continued. In 1954 saw Partizan finishing second in the championship and again winning the cup. Zebec scored an invitation for the 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
in Switzerland. There Yugoslavia overcame the group stage with a win against France and a draw against Brazil thanks to a goal by Zebec. In the quarterfinals the eventual winners Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
put a stop to the campaign of the team from the Balkans.
In his club side Zebec evolved more and more to the leading player in midfield, a position he was most suitable for due to his intelligence. In 1955 he played in the Partizan debut in the European Cup of Champions (Partizan played then as a nominated team and not as a national champion - a historic peculiarity of the first edition of this tournament). In the first round Partizan overcame Sporting CP in two high scoring encounters with 5-2 and 8-5. In the second round, then the quarterfinals, the team of the era, Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, put an end to Yugoslavia's first entry into this new competition as a home 3-0 win against the Iberian glamour side was insufficient to compensate for a 0-4 defeat at the hands of Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
and Co. in the Spanish capital. On the national scene Partizan remained in the shadow of the big two of those days, Hajduk Split, and Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
). Thus, in 1956 Partizan again had to make do with being honourable runner up in the championship, as it was the case in 1958. In between Partizan could grab another Yugoslav cup trophy.
By the time the 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
in Sweden took place Branko Zebec had become the captain of the national side. In the group stages draws against Scotland and Paraguay and a win against the hosts Sweden, in the end third of the tournament, was enough to enter the quarterfinals, but, as four years before, Germany put an end to Yugoslavias ambitions.
In Yugoslavia he achieved another second place in the championship before making a controversial switch of allegiances to local rivals Red Star, where at the end of his career, in 1960, he finally got his hands on the championship trophy in 1960. This should remain his last honour as player.
In 1963 he was old enough for a player to leave the country, in line with the political circumstances of those days. For Branko Zebec it was then to late for the big-time clubs, so the German second division side Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three-year turn in the top flight in the late 1960s and, after a successful 2005–06 campaign, returned to first division play...
may not have provided a great opportunity for renewed success on the pitch, but for Branko Zebec it was a valuable two years in which he could acquaint himself with the country in which he should celebrate his greatest successes as coach.
Career as Coach
Brank Zebec got his firs coaching assignment soon after he played. In 1965 he became joint coach of the Yugoslav first division side DinamoDinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
in his hometown Zagreb. He held the office together with Ivica Horvat, who later too should enjoy success in Germany. The team was to qualify for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. Initially, things were not looking to promising in this campaign. The aggregate result in the first round encounters with the Czech side Spartak Brno was 2-2, and only the toss of a coin saw Dinamo advancing. After Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
and Dinamo Piteşti were eliminated, Juventus were their opponents in the quarterfinals, but were overcome 2-2 and 3-0. In the semifinals Dinamo managed one of the great comebacks in the history of European competitions. After a 0-3 defeat in Frankfurt against Eintracht
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
Dinamo outclassed the Germans in Zagreb 4-0.
In the finals the club had to face Leeds United then with Peter Lorimer
Peter Lorimer
Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who formed part of the much-admired and feared Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s....
and Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
in their cast. The home leg could be won with 2-0, thus a nil all draw in England was sufficient. Zebec and his team won the first ever official international trophy for a team from the Central Eastern Europe.
Bayern Munich
This was an opportunity for Zebec to grab attention beyond the Yugoslav borders and by 1968 he was hired by Bayern Munich to follow in the footstep of his compatriot "Czik" Čajkovski, himself a former Dinamo player and a team mate of Zebec in the days of the 1952 Olympics and 1954 FIFA World Cup1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
. The team around the young Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
and Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
had won in recent years two national cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He curbed the offensive style of the team and reinforced the defensive. In his first season Zebec achieved with them the German championship, the club's first in 37 years. To boot, he won with them also the cup, and thus also achieved the first double in the history of the German Bundesliga. The next season began with problems. Bayern was ousted in the first round of the European Cup of Champions at the hands of AS Saint-Etienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
. Already early in the season Zebec announced that he would not extend his contract by the end of the year. As Bayern experienced a spell of three matches with only one point mid-way though the second half of the season and fell back five points behind the leaders his contract was even terminated prematurely. Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek is a former German football player and coach, and is now a television sportscaster....
was to succeed him. In a later book Beckenbauer reported of "atmospheric disturbances" between the coach and the team.
For Zebec followed a stay of almost two years with VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
, then a team with aspirations to joining the top of the league. He led the unimpressive cast, which was in his second season reinforced with German international Horst Köppel
Horst Köppel
Horst Köppel is a German football manager and former player, who last worked as Head coach for FC Ingolstadt 04.-Player:* UEFA Euro 1972 winner.* European Cup runner-up: 1977.* UEFA Cup winner: 1975, 1979....
and the Austrian midfielder Hans "Buffy" Ettmayer to positions 12 and 8, respectively. This was disappointing for both, club and coach, thus, also here the last couple of months of his contract were cut short.
Zebec returned for a season to Yugoslavia, where this time he coached Hajduk Split in tandem with Tomislav Ivić
Tomislav Ivic
Tomislav Ivić was a Croatian football player and manager.Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game...
, another very notable coach. The team impressed particularly in the Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1972-73
The season 1972-73 of the European Cup Winners' Cup football club tournament was won by AC Milan after a 1-0 victory against Leeds United at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki, in Greece.- First round :-First leg:-----Second leg:...
where they made it all the way to the semifinals, ousting Norway's Fredrikstad F.K.
Fredrikstad F.K.
Fredrikstad footballklubb is a Norwegian football club from the town of Fredrikstad. With nine league championships and eleven Norwegian Cup wins, FFK is one of the most successful clubs in Norwegian football...
, Welsh side Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
and in the quarterfinals the Scottish Cup winners Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. Hajduk lost in Scotland 2-4, but almost miraculously recovered at home with a 3-0 triumph. However, in the semifinals a 0-1 defeat away to Leeds United proved lethal. The 0-0 draw at home meant the end of the road for the Croatians, but reaching this semifinal remains the greatest international success for them to date. Leeds ended up missing out on winning this tournament by the tightest of margins losing the final against AC Milan 0-1.
The team finished the national league a disappointing 9th, but the defence of the Yugoslav Cup through a victory against champions Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
assured a memorable season eventually. The 1970s were to be Hajduks golden decade after all, but without Branko Zebec, who returned to Germany.
Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht BraunschweigEintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...
, in 1967 still champions of Germany, were relegated in 1973 - the year they pioneered advertising on jerseys - but returned to the Bundesliga inside a year. The club, which then had a liquor manufacturer on a spending spree as main sponsor, engaged Zebec in search for better times. Zebec hired two fellow Yugoslavs, the entertaining right winger Danilo Popivoda
Danilo Popivoda
Danilo Popivoda is a former Slovenian football player.On the national level he played for Yugoslavia national team , and was a participant at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and at Euro 1976, where he scored a goal in a match against West Germany.- Clubs : NK Olimpija Ljubljana Eintracht Braunschweig...
and midfielder Aleksandar Ristić
Aleksandar Ristic
Aleksandar Ristić is a Bosnian football manager and a former player.During his playing career he played for the Yugoslav clubs FK Velež Mostar, HNK Hajduk Split, FK Sarajevo and German Bundesliga club Eintracht Braunschweig...
. Coupled with national team goalkeeper Bernd Franke
Bernd Franke
Bernd Franke is a former German football player.Also an outfield player in his youth, young Bernd Franke made his steps towards the professional game following his impressiveness in the ranks of Saar 05 Saarbrücken. Their manager, Otto Knefler, remembered the young goalkeeper during his spell at...
and other notable players this side offered refreshing quality football and often featured right on top of the table. Inside three years Eintracht worked itself up from place 9 to place 3, then just missing out on the championship by one point. In his fourth and last year with the club the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
winner Paul Breitner
Paul Breitner
Paul Breitner is a former German football player. One of Germany's most controversial players, he was capped 48 times for his country.-Playing career:...
joined the team coming from Real Madrid. Even thus reinforced, the team could not maintain the trend and finished a disappointing 13th. By then Zebec's efforts had been successful enough to attract interest elsewhere.
Hamburger SV
The European Cup Winners' Cup winner from 1977 was ambitious and longed for its first championship since 1960 but ended up only 11th in the 76/77 season. Zebec was the right man for the job. In his first season he formed a competitive unit around wing back Manfred Kaltz, striker Horst HrubeschHorst Hrubesch
Horst Hrubesch is a retired German football player employed as a youth trainer at the German Football Association. His nickname was Das Kopfball-Ungeheuer for his heading skills.-Career:...
. Most important was that he facilitated the integration of "Mighty Mouse" Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
who failed to convince in his first season. By the end of Zebec's first year at the helm Hamburg were champions.
A year later the team even progressed all the way into the European Cup of Champions final to face Nottingham Forest. A lacklustre Hamburg lost 0-1. Zebec and his coaching methods were widely blamed. Zebec, besides being a strict disciplinarian, believed - with some logic - in the notion, that when a team plays successfully it can take more training. As it was, the players complained about the harsh training at that late stage of the season, and critics said that it was the reason why Hamburg inside four days of the final also lost a decisive match which consigned them to runner-ups in the league.
At the beginning of his third season with Hamburg another problem came to the fore. Branko Zebec had a serious drinking problem and was caught out even on the coaching bench. A funnier consequence was that when he came into the cabin and told his players "0-2, lost! Does not matter, we have to win the next match!" It was only halftime. By December the problem and its consequences which were now frequently recognizable, e.g., when he was dozing on the bench, needed a resolution, and thus by December the contract was terminated. Aleksandar Ristić became his successor for half a year, before Ernst Happel took Hamburg to renewed glory.
By 1981/82 Zebec got himself a new appointment - then with Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
, incidentally here following in the footsteps of Udo Lattek. He led them to place 6, their best result in 12 years, leading them even into the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. But the personal issues of the coach were still increasing and stretched the abilities of the club to deal with it. By the end of the season also Borussia saw the need to let him go.
By the beginning of the 82/83 season Brank Zebec had no job. However, this made him available when Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
, the club in Germany with the highest attrition rate for coaches, was in need for a replacement of former Austrian national coach Helmut Senekowitsch
Helmut Senekowitsch
Helmut Senekowitsch was an Austrian football player and later a football manager.-Club career:He played for several clubs, including SK Sturm Graz, Real Betis and FC Wacker Innsbruck.-International career:...
. Zebec ended the season with Eintracht as 10th, but he himself fell victim to the traditional shortlivedness of coaching jobs by October 17 of the following season.
He had one more ephemeral engagement with his hometown club Dinamo Zagreb before his career ended.
In 1988 he died from alcohol related illness, aged only 59. He remains one of the most successful coaches in the history of the German Bundesliga.
Career Overview
| Career as Player | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | Club | Titles |
| 1951–1959 | Partizan Belgrade FK Partizan Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978... |
1952 - Yugoslav Cup 1954 - Yugoslav Cup 1957 - Yugoslav Cup |
| 1959–1961 | Red Star Belgrade Red Star Belgrade Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions... |
1960 - Yugoslav Championship |
| 1961–1965 | Alemannia Aachen Alemannia Aachen Alemannia Aachen is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three-year turn in the top flight in the late 1960s and, after a successful 2005–06 campaign, returned to first division play... |
|
| Career as Coach | ||
| Period | Club | Titles |
| 1965–1967 | NK Dinamo Zagreb | 1967 - Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials... |
| 1968–1970 | FC Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups.... |
1969 - German Cup 1969 - German Championship |
| 1970–1972 | VfB Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons... |
|
| 1972–1973 | Hajduk Split | 1973 - Yugoslav Cup |
| 1974–1978 | Eintracht Braunschweig Eintracht Braunschweig Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:... |
|
| 1978–1980 | Hamburger SV Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department... |
1979 - German Championship |
| 1981–1982 | Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football... |
|
| 1982–1983 | Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :... |
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| 1984 | Dinamo Zagreb Dinamo Zagreb GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten... |
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