Mišo Smajlovic
Encyclopedia
Drago "Mišo" Smajlović, nicknamed (born October 28, 1938. in Sarajevo
) is a Bosnian football
manager and a former player.
youth team. Two years later, he signed a professional contract with the club in which he played more than 400 games and scored 241 goals. If we consider only official matches, he played 190 games and scored 97 goals. He was a topscorer of Yugoslav League 1962-1963
with 18 goals.
He was a fine striker, one of the best in Yugoslavia
at the time. He played for youth national teams and "B team", before he made his debut for the Yugoslav national team
in 1963. He has collected four caps. He also scored one goal. He will be remembered as a great sportsman. Journalists often called him a gentleman in football shoes. Unfortunately, the fact that he did not play for one of the bigger Yugoslav clubs caused him not to be regular choice in national team.
In 1967, he went to Belgian
side Standard Liège
. After a season and a half in Standard Liège, he came back to Yugoslavia. He played for Olimpija Ljubljana
and Čelik Zenica
before he has ended his career.
coach on several occasions. He also worked as a sporting director in his favourite club. It is important to say that he was among the responsible ones for saving the club during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 1997, he was elected to be a head coach of Under-21 Bosnia-Herzegovina national team
. After Faruk Hadžibegić stepped down as a national coach in October of 1999, Smajlović was first appointed as a caretaker coach and several months later he was definitely elected as a coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina national team
. After the end of his contract in 2002, he never renew it.
He lives in Sarajevo and he is not employed at any club at the moment.
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
) is a Bosnian 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...
manager and a former player.
Playing career
His career began in FK Sloga, little amateur club from Sarajevo. In 1955. he moved to FK ŽeljezničarFK Željeznicar
FK Željezničar is a professional football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo.The initial acronym stands for Fudbalski sportski klub , and the name Željezničar means "railway worker," given because it was established by a group of railway workers.Željezničar, alias "Željo," is the most...
youth team. Two years later, he signed a professional contract with the club in which he played more than 400 games and scored 241 goals. If we consider only official matches, he played 190 games and scored 97 goals. He was a topscorer of Yugoslav League 1962-1963
Yugoslav First League 1962/63
The 1962–63 Yugoslav First League season was the 17th season of the First Federal League , the top level association football league of SFR Yugoslavia, since its establishment in 1946...
with 18 goals.
He was a fine striker, one of the best in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
at the time. He played for youth national teams and "B team", before he made his debut for the Yugoslav national team
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
in 1963. He has collected four caps. He also scored one goal. He will be remembered as a great sportsman. Journalists often called him a gentleman in football shoes. Unfortunately, the fact that he did not play for one of the bigger Yugoslav clubs caused him not to be regular choice in national team.
In 1967, he went to Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
side Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
. After a season and a half in Standard Liège, he came back to Yugoslavia. He played for Olimpija Ljubljana
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (1911)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana was a Slovenian association football club based in Ljubljana. The club had traced its origin back to 1911 when it was originally founded as SK Ilirija. It had gone through a series of mergers in the first half of the 20th century before adopting the name Olimpija in 1962...
and Čelik Zenica
NK Celik Zenica
NK Čelik is a football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, playing in the city of Zenica.The name Čelik means "Steel" in Bosnian - it is derived from Turkish çelik...
before he has ended his career.
Managing career
After his playing days were over, he dedicated himself to a managing career. He was a FK ŽeljezničarFK Željeznicar
FK Željezničar is a professional football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo.The initial acronym stands for Fudbalski sportski klub , and the name Željezničar means "railway worker," given because it was established by a group of railway workers.Željezničar, alias "Željo," is the most...
coach on several occasions. He also worked as a sporting director in his favourite club. It is important to say that he was among the responsible ones for saving the club during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 1997, he was elected to be a head coach of Under-21 Bosnia-Herzegovina national team
Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-21 football team
Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 national football team is a youth team of Bosnia and Herzegovina that represents the country in the European Under-21 Football Championship and friendly matches....
. After Faruk Hadžibegić stepped down as a national coach in October of 1999, Smajlović was first appointed as a caretaker coach and several months later he was definitely elected as a coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina national team
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. After the end of his contract in 2002, he never renew it.
He lives in Sarajevo and he is not employed at any club at the moment.