Friday, May 18, 2012

Dragan Dzajic, best striker of EURO Cup 1968


          Dragan Dzajic of Yugoslavia scored the most number of goals in the third edition of EURO Cup 1968 held in Italy. He might not make his team winner in the competition but tops the list of scoring most goals with 2 goals in his kitty. Euro 1968 was the year that the tournament changed its name from European Nations' Cup to European Championship.
          For the UEFA Euro 1968 Final, two matches were played to determine the Euro 1968 winners. The first match took place on June 8th. For a long time it looked as if a goal by Dragan Dzajic  would be enough to win the competition for Yugoslavia at the Stadio Olimpico. He put his side ahead before half-time and the score remained at 1-0 until ten minutes from the full-time whistle when Angelo Domenghini levelled for the Italians. Neither side could break the deadlock in extra-time so a replay was required and Italy were crowned Champions after beating the Yugoslav's 2-0 thanks to goals from Riva and Anastasi.
        Dragan Dzajic was born in Yugoslavia on 30th May  1946. He started his career as a left winger is widely considered to have been one of the best Serbian football players to emerge from former Yugoslavia. Regarded as a preeminent and very proficient left winger, he is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation. Dzajic has been known for his "great crosses and passes, unstoppable dribbling with great pace, natural technique and some of the best left footed free kicks ever seen". Through soccer fanatics, Dzajic is viewed as perhaps one of the most underrated players in European football, partly because he played in Yugoslavia.
         Dragan Dzajic  was just 18 when he was first named to the Yugoslav national team. He made his debut on 17 June 1964 in a 2–1 defeat against Romania at the JNA Stadium in Belgrade. Dragan Dzajic  played 85 matches for his country (the most in the history of the Yugoslav national team) and scored 23 goals.
      Dragan Dzajic  played for Red Star Belgrade since 1961 to 1975 & scored  365 goals in 590 matches, after that  he went to SC Bastia for 1975 to 1977, scored 31 goals in 56 matches. In the end of his career he returned to Red Star Belgrade once again, spend there for one season only(1977-78), scored 5 goals in 25 matches.
         Dragan Dzajic  retired as a player in 1978, at age 32. In 1979 he returned to his club, serving as Red Star's technical director and then, from 1998, as the club's president, due to his poor health condition he resigned president post in 2004.

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