Blagoje Marjanović

Blagoje "Moša" Marjanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Благоје "Моша" Марјановић, pronounced [blâɡoje marjǎːnoʋitɕ]; 9 September 1907 – 1 October 1984) was a Yugoslav football player and manager.

Blagoje Marjanović
Personal information
Date of birth (1907-09-09)9 September 1907
Place of birth Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia
Date of death 1 October 1984(1984-10-01) (aged 77)
Place of death Belgrade, SR Serbia,
SFR Yugoslavia
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1912–1920 Jugoslavija
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1920–1925 Jugoslavija 126 (167)
1925 SK Olimpija ? (8)
1925–1939 BSK Beograd 566 (575)
1939 Jugoslavija 18 (17)
1939–1941 Čukarički ? (?)
1945–1948 Dinamo Pančevo 20 (2)
1949 Proleter Osijek 17 (5)
Total 747 (774)
National team
1926–1938 Yugoslavia 58 (37)
Teams managed
1953–1956 BSK Beograd
1957–1958 AC Torino
1958–1959 Calcio Catania
1959 Pobeda Prilep
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Born to merchant father Dimitrije and housewife mother Sofija, young Blagoje grew up on the outskirts of Belgrade in 7 Đakovačka Street with his older brother Nikola who was also a footballer.[1]

Playing career

Blagoje Marjanović was one of the best football forward in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He played for BSK (1926–39), with whom he won five league titles (1931st, 1933rd, 1935th, 1936st and 1939th) and three times was the best league goal scorer (1930th, 1935th, 1937). For the national team, he debuts on 28 June 1926 in a friendly match against Czechoslovakia (2-6) in Zagreb. The first goal he scored on 15 May 1927 against Bulgaria in Sofia when in the last five minutes he scored two goals in the match. During his career, he scored 37 goals in 58 games for the national team (unbroken record, until Bobek came, and scored 38 goals in 63 games, although Marjanović has a better scoring ratio at 0,63 goals per game), and 575 goals in 14 seasons for his club BSK. He participated in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and the first FIFA World Cup 1930 in Uruguay. He has won a bronze medal in the FIFA World Cup 1930 in Uruguay.[2][3] He scored one goal in that tournament in the game versus Bolivia.[4] After returning from South America, this excellent striker became (alongside his teammate Tirnanić), first professional footballer in Yugoslavia[5] (although he had a little bit higher salary then Tirnanić). For his services at BSK Marjanović was paid YUS1,800 per month. The exchange rate of dinar against US dollar in December 1930 was $1 = YUS56.39 meaning that his monthly salary was $32 (about $446 in 2014 dollar).He and Tirnanić formed one of the greatest right side partnership in Yugoslavian football history. Although, during the match he understood with Tirnanić very well, he had almost the same understanding with other teammates, from his club and from national team. Marjanović was highly intelligent player, and he was able to realize, how every of his teammates plays. During the game it always seemed that he knew what to do with or without a ball (especially during goalscoring situations in opponent penalty box, when he was highly unpredictable and very clever). He was very accurate shooter, but with average shot power. Moša could score from almost every position (he scored quite a few goals with his back-heel, chests and sometimes even stomach) and he didn't care if the ball came low or high, because he was, also, very good in air game. His main specialty was volley shot. Besides that, he was also one of the best free-kick takers in Yugoslavia. He scored a few times hat-trick for national team, but probably most memorable was against Brazil in 1934, in friendly game in Belgrade (the score was 8:4 for Yugoslavia). Many football experts of that time showed great appreciation for "Moša's" skills, including Hugo Meisl (creator and coach of the Austrian "Wunderteam") who claimed that with Marjanović in the attacking line "Wunderteam" would be perfect.

Marjanovic enjoyed great fame. He was a national superstar but also a playboy, up to the moment when his club played against Hajduk, in Split. On the eve of the match, he met a Dalmatian girl who supported Hajduk. They were married in 1938 with great interest of the public and journalists. The last match for the national team was played on 3 April 1938 against Poland in a World Cup qualifier. Marjanović scored the only goal of the match. During German invasion on Yugoslavia, he was captured as truck driver soldier of Yugoslav Army and placed in a prison camp in Fürstenberg, Germany. In the midst of adversity, sometimes they organized football matches between "war prisoners" versus "the guardians". When the war ended, he returned to Yugoslavia and played for Dinamo Pančevo (1945–48). His career ended in Proleter from Osijek (1949).[6]

According to a biography of his time [7] Marjanović scored more than 1,000 goals in his career.

Coaching career

During his coaching career, he first led Proleter Osijek then OFK Beograd, with whom he won the national cup in 1955.[8] After this, Marshal Tito honored Marjanovic with the Yugoslavian Order of Merit of the People. Also in 1955, Marjanović went on a tour to Asia where he had the honor to meet Chinese People's Leader Mao Zedong. He was later a coach in the Italian league (one year in AC Torino and one year in Calcio Catania). He returned to Yugoslavia and became a coach for FK Pobeda Prilep. After a match in 1961, Moša suffered a stroke. He never regained his speech and the right side of his body was paralyzed. He died in 1984. In the former Yugoslavia, he was also remembered for his statement: Football is my life.

Film

In the 2014 film See You in Montevideo, Marjanović was portrayed by actor Petar Strugar.

International goals

Yugoslavia's goal tally first[9]

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.15 May 1927Slavia Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria1–02–0Friendly
2.2–0
3.25 March 1928Üllői úti stadion, Budapest, Hungary Hungary0–12–1Friendly
4.6 May 1928Stadion SK Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Romania2–03–11928 King Aleksandar Cup
5.19 May 1929Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, France France2–03–1Friendly
6.28 June 1929Stadion Concordije, Zagreb, Yugoslavia Czechoslovakia2–23–3Friendly
7.3–2
8.6 October 1929ONEF Stadium, Bucharest, Romania Romania1–21–21929–31 Balkan Cup
9.13 April 1930BSK Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Bulgaria2–06–1Friendly
10.4–1
11.17 July 1930Estadio Gran Parque Central, Montevideo, Uruguay Bolivia2–04–01930 FIFA World Cup
12.3 August 1930Estadio Alvear y Tagle, Buenos Aires, Argentina Argentina1–31–3Friendly
13.16 November 1930Slavia Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria2–03–01929–31 Balkan Cup
14.19 April 1931Stadion SK Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Bulgaria1–01–0
15.21 May 1931BSK Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Hungary1–03–2Friendly
16.28 June 1931Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Yugoslavia Romania1–12–41929–31 Balkan Cup
17.2 August 1931Stadion SK Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Czechoslovakia2–02–1Friendly
18.4 October 1931Yunak Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria2–03–21931 Balkan Cup
19.30 April 1933Stadion SK Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Spain1–11–1Friendly
20.24 September 1933BSK Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia  Switzerland2–02–21934 FIFA World Cup qualification
21.18 March 1934Stadion AS 23, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria1–02–1Friendly
22.2–0
23.3 June 1934BSK Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Brazil3–38–4Friendly
24.6–3
25.8–3
26.26 August 1934Stadion SK Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Poland4–14–1Friendly
27.16 December 1934Parc des Princes, Paris, France France1–12–3Friendly
28.1 January 1935Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, Athens, Greece Romania2–04–01934–35 Balkan Cup
29.17 June 1935Yunak Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Romania1–02–01935 Balkan Cup
30.20 June 1935Yunak Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Greece2–06–1
31.24 June 1935Yunak Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria1–03–3
32.12 July 1936Taksim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Turkey1–13–3Friendly
33.6 September 1936BSK Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Poland1–09–3Friendly
34.3–0
35.5–0
36.8–1
37.3 April 1938BSK Beograd Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Poland1–01–01938 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

SK Jugoslavija

BSK Beograd

Manager

BSK Beograd

References
  1. Večernje novosti (16 May 2017). "Kopačke mamac za prelazak kod rivala" (in Serbian). Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  2. Ексклузивно: Како се Моша спремао за Монтевидео; RTS, 18 February 2012 (In Serbian)
  3. Who was Mosha? on YouTube
  4. Kada su fudbaleri primili prve plate; Blic, 17 January 2010
  5. "Serbia's 10 most legendary footballers". (in English). Retrieved 10 February 2020
  6. "Biografija : Blagoje Marjanović". (in Serbian). Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. https://www.kupindo.com/Antikvarne-knjige/45436709_1000-golova-Mose-Marjanovica-1936-PRVO-IZDANJE-RETKO Retrieved 25 January 2020
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "B.Marjanovic national team goals". reprezentacija.rs. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
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