Safet Sušić

Safet Sušić
Personal information
Full name	Safet Sušić
Date of birth	April 13, 1955 (1955-04-13) (age 54)
Place of birth	Zavidovići, Yugoslavia
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1971 1972–1973	FK Krivaja FK Sarajevo
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1973–1982 1982–1991 1991–1992	FK Sarajevo Paris Saint-Germain Red Star Saint-Ouen	221 (85) 343 (85) 017 0(3)
National team
1977–1990	Yugoslavia	054 (21)
Teams managed
1994–1995 1996–1998 2000–2001 2004–2005 2005–2006 2006 2008 2008–2009 2010–	Cannes İstanbulspor Al-Hilal Konyaspor Ankaragücü Çaykur Rizespor Rizespor Ankaraspor Bosnia-Herzegovina[1]
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Safet Sušić (born 13 April 1955) is a Bosnian former footballer and current manager of the Bosnia-Herzegovina National Team^[2]. In his playing days, he operated as playmaking attacking midfielder with superb passing ability.

Playing career

Sušić began his career with hometown club of Krivaja. In 1973, he was transferred to FK Sarajevo, where he was to become a legendary figure by the late 1970s. During the 1979–80 season, he was top scorer in the Yugoslavian league with 17 goals. In 1979, he was honoured as the best football player in Yugoslavia, also being selected as the best athlete hailing from the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 1982, Sušić signed with French outfit of Paris Saint-Germain, where he became a star on the European stage. Hardly ever injured, he performed at a high level well past his 30s. The Yugoslav international was never injured nor suspended, thus allowing him to score 85 goals and make a record 61 assists for PSG between 1982 and 1991. On 22 September 1984, in a 7–1 home drubbing of Bastia, he assisted on five of the side's goals. At 36, Sušić left the capital for a final year with Red Star Saint-Ouen.

During a 13-year span, Sušić appeared 54 times with the Yugoslav national team, netting 21 goals, in spite of the fact that he was always in the role of midfield playmaker. He represented the nation at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups, and at Euro 1984. On 19 June 1990, Sušić opened the score in Yugoslavia's 4–1 World Cup win against the United Arab Emirates, aged 35.

In 2004, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.^[3] "If you were to rank Safet Sušić with the all-time greats, you would have to put him in at least the top 40," German Gerd Müller (one of the greatest goal scorers in history) said.

"It's well known how much I valued and still do value Safet Sušić. For me he's unsurpassable, the best Yugoslavia had. Probably one of the best in the world. I was often known to say that us other players should have to pay to play in the same team as Pape. At least I always talked and thought like that. Pape was a treasure for every forward. His crosses were unbelievable. Sometimes his ball would hit me without me even being aware of it. A wonderful player." – Darko Pančev^[4]

Coaching career

Sušić coached Cannes, also in France, where he retired as a player, briefly in 1994–95. Between 1997–1999, he managed İstanbulspor, returning to that country during 2003–04, with Konyaspor, and in the first half of 2006–07, taking charge of Çaykur Rizespor (12 matches).

After he was sacked by Rizespor, another Turkish side, in February 2008,^[5] Sušić was hired by Ankaraspor in March.^[6]

Honours (player)

Team

• FK Sarajevo:
  • Yugoslav League: Runner-up 1979-80

• Paris Saint-Germain:
  • French League: 1985–86; runner-up 1988–89
  • French Cup: 1982–83; runner-up 1984–85

Individual

• FK Sarajevo:
  • Yugoslav League: Top scorer/best player, 1979–80

• Paris Saint-Germain:
  • French League: Best foreign player, 1982–83

References

External links

• UEFA.com - Golden Player of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• National team data (Serbian)

v • d • e Yugoslavia squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 Pantelić • 2 Jerolimov • 3 Gudelj • 4 Zajec • 5 Stojković • 6 Krmpotić • 7 Petrović • 8 Šljivo • 9 Zoran Vujović • 10 Živković • 11 Zlatko Vujović • 12 Pudar • 13 Sušić • 14 Jovanović • 15 Hrstić • 16 Šestić • 17 Jerković • 18 Deverić • 19 Halilhodžić • 20 Šurjak • 21 Pašić • 22 Svilar • Coach: Miljanić

v • d • e Yugoslavia squad – UEFA Euro 1984 1 Simović • 2 N.Stojković • 3 Baljić • 4 Katanec • 5 Zajec • 6 Radanović • 7 Šestić • 8 Gudelj • 9 Sušić • 10 Baždarević • 11 Vujović • 12 Ivković • 13 Hadžibegić • 14 Elsner • 15 Miljuš • 16 D.Stojković • 17 Čop • 18 Deverić • 19 Halilović • 20 Cvetković • Coach: Veselinović

v • d • e Yugoslavia squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Ivković • 2 Stanojković • 3 Spasić • 4 Vulić • 5 Hadžibegić • 6 Jozić • 7 Brnović • 8 Sušić • 9 Pančev • 10 Stojković • 11 Vujović • 12 Omerović • 13 Katanec • 14 Bokšić • 15 Prosinečki • 16 Šabanadžović • 17 Jarni • 18 Baljić • 19 Savićević • 20 Šuker • 21 Panadić • 22 Leković • Coach: Osim