Yugoslavia National Team

[ulster21]

If Yuogoslavia were still around today who would be on their starting 11, a sort of all-star team of Croatia, Serbia, & Slovenia?

[PartizanBeograd]

If Yuogoslavia were still around today who would be on their starting 11, a sort of all-star team of Croatia, Serbia, & Slovenia?
Hard to tell, we dont have powerful league to make superstars anymore.
Alot of players that were "the next best thing" that played well at home failed abroad.

[urosmax]

Partizan Beograd is right. If Yugoslavia magically came back today, I don't think that the combined team would do any better at a World Cup or European Championship than Serbia and Montenegro or Croatia can do separately at this moment. There would be a few improvements "here and there", and we'd be more respected by our opponents due to the tradition behind the team, but other than that there isn't really much of an advantage because we've all lost our ability to produce "world class players".

Now, if you asked me about 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998.....I guarantee that Yugoslavia would have won one of those four tournaments if it was still around as SFRJ, especially 92 or 94 when other nations were comparatively weak, but that's all left to the imagination only.

[alchemist]

Partizan Beograd is right. If Yugoslavia magically came back today, I don't think that the combined team would do any better at a World Cup or European Championship than Serbia and Montenegro or Croatia can do separately at this moment. There would be a few improvements "here and there", and we'd be more respected by our opponents due to the tradition behind the team, but other than that there isn't really much of an advantage because we've all lost our ability to produce "world class players".

Now, if you asked me about 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998.....I guarantee that Yugoslavia would have won one of those four tournaments if it was still around as SFRJ, especially 92 or 94 when other nations were comparatively weak, but that's all left to the imagination only.

i agree...

but for arguments sake, a combined Yugoslavia team at the moment might look something like this -

Goalkeeper - Dragoslav Jevric (Ankaraspor)
Right-Back - Dario Simic (AC Milan)
Centre-Back - Nemanja Vidic (Manchester Utd)
Centre-Back - Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin)
Left-Back - Ivica Dragutinovic (Seville)
Midfield - Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Midfield - Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan)
Midfield - Niko Kranjcar (Hajduk Split)
Midfield - Ognjen Koroman (Terek)
Forward - Dado Prso (Glasgow Rangers)
Forward - Mateja Kezman (Athletico Madrid)

[urosmax]

I agree with your choices. The only thing that we're forgetting is that the footbal association would "dictate" that a few Bosnian players would have to be on the team (including 1 or 2 in the starting lineup, not just as subs) and there would have to be a token Slovenian and Macedonian player in there somewhere, though those would definitely be on the bench.

[alchemist]

i know... nothing in Yugoslavia - past or present - is free of politics

[mihajlovic11]

yeh but there are no players from slovenia, macedonia or bosnia that would warrant a starting spot in a combined team.

[urosmax]

I agree that at the moment there are not, though Barbarez and Salihamidzic would likely make the team overall. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally in support of the Serbian players and I think we're level with Croatia in terms of talent right now and that we're far better than the other republics.

Even in the past there were players who did not "deserve" starting spots but were put there to have a balance of nationalities. Should Fahrudin Omerovic have been the starting goalkeeper for Yugoslavia after the 1990 World Cup? I'd have gone with Stevan Stojanovic or Zvonko Milojevic. Also Darko Pancev was never as talented as other forwards like Mijatovic, Suker, Boksic, etc. but he was still the "go-to guy" at the time. See my point?

[mihajlovic11]

Yeh back then the stability of the team relyed on the team consisting of at least one player from each region even if they were not always the best choice.

[Gerasim]

:p

[PartizanBeograd]

I dont know id like Milenko Acimovic from Slovenija, he is a pretty good attacking midfielder.
There should be a place for him.
And Pandev from Makedonija is pretty good. Hasan Salihamdzic id take too form Bosna

[Centarfor9]

I agree that at the moment there are not, though Barbarez and Salihamidzic would likely make the team overall. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally in support of the Serbian players and I think we're level with Croatia in terms of talent right now and that we're far better than the other republics.

Even in the past there were players who did not "deserve" starting spots but were put there to have a balance of nationalities. Should Fahrudin Omerovic have been the starting goalkeeper for Yugoslavia after the 1990 World Cup? I'd have gone with Stevan Stojanovic or Zvonko Milojevic. Also Darko Pancev was never as talented as other forwards like Mijatovic, Suker, Boksic, etc. but he was still the "go-to guy" at the time. See my point?

Susic deserved the start right?

[Centarfor9]

Remember this
Yugoslavia 1989/90


First LevelFinal Table:
1. C.Zvezda Beograd 34 24 5 (3) 5 79 29 51
2. Dinamo Zagreb 34 16 11 (8) 7 53 25 40
3. Hajduk Split 34 18 3 (2) 13 50 35 38
4. Partizan Beograd 34 18 4 (1) 12 51 42 37
5. Rad Beograd 34 16 6 (4) 12 41 31 36
6. Rijeka 34 14 6 (5) 14 29 35 33
7. Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 34 14 6 (4) 14 37 40 32
8. Olimpija Ljubljana 34 14 6 (2) 14 49 40 30
9. Sloboda Tuzla 34 15 4 (0) 15 43 46 30
10. Buducnost Titograd 34 13 8 (3) 13 30 35 29
11. Vojvodina Novi Sad 34 13 6 (3) 15 43 51 29
12. Spartak Subotica 34 12 6 (4) 16 28 40 28
13. Sarajevo 34 13 4 (1) 17 46 49 27
14. Borac Banja Luka 34 12 7 (3)
15 28 40 2715. Radnicki Nis 34 12 8 (2) 14 42 48 26
16. Osijek 34 12 4 (2) 18 28 47 26
17. Velez Mostar 34 11 6 (3) 17 38 51 25

18. Vardar Skoplje 34 8 2 (1) 24 33 64 17 relegated

the match Sarajevo vs Dinamo on Apr 25, 1990 was interrupted after a linesman was hit by a bottle, and awarded 0-3. Sarajevo appealed, and at the end of the season, in which Sarajevo had finished 17th and were relegated, the FSJ ordered a replay which Sarajevo won 1-0; because of this Velez Mostar were suddenly relegated, which they of course protested; the FSJ decided then to extend the first division to 19 teams for 1990/91.

Note that after draws penalties were taken, and only the winner of thepenalty shoot-out was rewarded with a point.

[Centarfor9]

Champions
1923 Gradjanski Zagreb
1924 Jugoslavija Beograd
1925 Jugoslavija Beograd
1926 Gradjanski Zagreb
1927 Hajduk Split
1928 Gradjanski Zagreb
1929 Hajduk Split
1930 Concordia Zagreb
1931 BSK Beograd
1932 Concordia Zagreb
1933 BSK Beograd
1934 no championship
1935 BSK Beograd
1935/36 BSK Beograd
1936/37 Gradjanski Zagreb
1937/38 HASK Zagreb
1938/39 BSK Beograd
1939/40 Gradjanski Zagreb
1940/41 no championship
1941/42 no championship
1942/43 no championship
1943/44 no championship
1944/45 no championship
1945 Srbija [1]
1946/47 Partizan Beograd
1947/48 Dinamo Zagreb
1948/49 Partizan Beograd
1950 Hajduk Split
1951 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1952 Hajduk Split
1952/53 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1953/54 Dinamo Zagreb
1954/55 Hajduk Split
1955/56 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1956/57 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1957/58 Dinamo Zagreb
1958/59 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1959/60 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1960/61 Partizan Beograd
1961/62 Partizan Beograd
1962/63 Partizan Beograd
1963/64 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1964/65 Partizan Beograd
1965/66 Vojvodina Novi Sad
1966/67 FK Sarajevo
1967/68 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1968/69 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1969/70 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1970/71 Hajduk Split
1971/72 Zeljeznicar Sarajevo
1972/73 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1973/74 Hajduk Split
1974/75 Hajduk Split
1975/76 Partizan Beograd
1976/77 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1977/78 Partizan Beograd
1978/79 Hajduk Split
1979/80 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1980/81 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1981/82 Dinamo Zagreb
1982/83 Partizan Beograd
1983/84 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1984/85 FK Sarajevo
1985/86 Partizan Beograd [2]
1986/87 Partizan Beograd [3]
1987/88 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1988/89 Vojvodina Novi Sad
1989/90 (http://www.rsssf.com/tablesj/joeg90.html) Crvena zvezda Beograd
1990/91 (http://www.rsssf.com/tablesj/joeg91.html) Crvena zvezda Beograd

[Centarfor9]

Check this out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslav_First_League

[slav14]

Now, if you asked me about 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998.....I guarantee that Yugoslavia would have won one of those four tournaments if it was still around as SFRJ, especially 92 or 94 when other nations were comparatively weak, but that's all left to the imagination only.[/QUOTE]

i agree with this completly because in 92 we finished first in our qualifaing group over denmark who went on to win the tournament. Also with such players as Suker, Stojkovic, Savicevic, Pancev, Boban.... and many more who were still to hit their prime we couldve won the 94 world cup. But now well never know will we.

[alchemist]

in purely sporting terms, it is unfortunate that the war occurred when it did because the former Yugoslavia in the late 80's and early 90's produced a generation of players that were world beaters... just imagine trying to pick a squad for one of the tournaments in the 90's from a talent pool including:

Defense - Igor Stimac, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Zvonimir Soldo, Miodrag Belodedic, Ilija Najdoski, Slaven Bilic, Slobodan Komljenovic, Robert Jarni, Zoran Mirkovic, Goran Djorovic, Gordan Petric, Miroslav Djukic etc...

Midfield - Dragan Stojkovic, Vladimir Jugovic, Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Boban, Zlatko Zahovic, Srecko Katanec, Aljosa Asanovic, Slavisa Jokanovic, Branko Brnovic, Mario Stanic, Niko Kovac, Milinko Pantic, Ljubinko Drulovic, Zeljko Petrovic etc...

Forwards - Davor Suker, Predrag Mijatovic, Alen Boksic, Dejan Savicevic, Goran Vlaovic, Darko Pancev, Savo Milosevic, Mitar Mrkela, Silvio Maric

[David Ultra Boy]

Miodrag Belodedic is romanian.

[alchemist]

he was born and raised in Romania, played for Steau and their national team... but when he moved to Red Star in the 89/90 season, he declared his intentions to play for Yugoslavia... but the war happened, Yugoslavia was thrown out of Euro '92 and sanctioned and so he returned to play for Romania

[axl rose]

Belodedic had already played for Romania NT before coming to Zvezda in 89-90. That's why he didn't take part in Euro 92 qualifiers and obviously couldn't play for us even if Yugoslavia didn't split.

[alchemist]

Belodedic didn't participate in the Euro '92 qualifiers, but he did want to commit his future to Yugoslavia... but with the war and an uncertain future ahead for Yugoslavia, he continued to play for Romania and played at USA '94 and Euro '96 for them

[Centarfor9]

in purely sporting terms, it is unfortunate that the war occurred when it did because the former Yugoslavia in the late 80's and early 90's produced a generation of players that were world beaters... just imagine trying to pick a squad for one of the tournaments in the 90's from a talent pool including:

Defense - Igor Stimac, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Zvonimir Soldo, Miodrag Belodedic, Ilija Najdoski, Slaven Bilic, Slobodan Komljenovic, Robert Jarni, Zoran Mirkovic, Goran Djorovic, Gordan Petric, Miroslav Djukic etc...

Midfield - Dragan Stojkovic, Vladimir Jugovic, Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Boban, Zlatko Zahovic, Srecko Katanec, Aljosa Asanovic, Slavisa Jokanovic, Branko Brnovic, Mario Stanic, Niko Kovac, Milinko Pantic, Ljubinko Drulovic, Zeljko Petrovic etc...

Forwards - Davor Suker, Predrag Mijatovic, Alen Boksic, Dejan Savicevic, Goran Vlaovic, Darko Pancev, Savo Milosevic, Mitar Mrkela, Silvio Maric
?
One Question, No Bosnians at all Kodro, Susic, Barbarez, Bolic, Baljic etc

[alchemist]

sorry, i didn't realise i didn't include any Bosnians... Elvir Bolic (who did well with Fenerbahce) and Meho Kodro (part of the Barcelona team in 95/96) would definitely have been contenders... although if you mean Safet Susic, i think he would have been past it in the 90's