Vladimir Nikolovski

Vladimir "Vlado" Nikolovski (Macedonian: Владо Николовски, born 25 August 1936) is a former Macedonian footballer. He became known as the first in a long line of Macedonian players to play for Red Star Belgrade.[1]

Vlado Nikolovski
Personal information
Full name Vladimir Nikolovski
Bлaдимиp Николовски
Date of birth (1936-08-25)25 August 1936
Place of birth Skopje, Yugoslavia
Date of death 2010 (aged 73–74)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1950–1954 Vardar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1954–1958 Vardar 77 (27)
1958–1960 Red Star Belgrade 6 (1)
1960–1963 Vardar 33 (9)
1966–1968 Galatasaray 4 (0)
National team
1957 Yugoslavia B 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Skopje,[2] Vardarska banovina, he began playing with the FK Vardar youth team in 1950.[2] later being incorporated into the first team of Vardar in 1954.[2] As a talented youngster, he came to the Yugoslav capital Belgrade in 1958 to join the Red Star Belgrade. He stayed on Red Star two seasons, and despite being a promising forward, made only six appearances and scored one goal in the Yugoslav First League.[1] However, the time he spent there were golden years for the team, with Red Star winning two consecutive championships, in 1959 and 1960, and the Yugoslav Cup in 1959 (his first season he won the double).[1] He played alongside great names of Yugoslav football such as Dragoslav Šekularac, Bora Kostić, Vladimir Beara, Vladimir Durković, Miljan Zeković, Ljubomir Spajić, Vladica Popović, Lazar Tasić, Ivan Toplak, Anton Rudinski, and it was consequently very hard for him to find a place in the starting eleven.[1]

Nikolovski returned to Vardar, which was a productive move. It meant a continuation of winning national trophies, with Vardar winning the 1960–61 Yugoslav Cup, and Nikolovski scoring the opening goal of the 2–1 victory in the championship game.[1] He became one of the legendary players of Vardar.[1]

In 1966, in a transfer worth 40,000 British pounds, Nikolovski signed with Turkish giant Galatasaray, becoming their first foreigner since the club became professional.[1] It ended up being a bad move for Nikolovski since he managed to play only four games in the Süper Lig and one in the Turkish Cup.[1][3]

After returning from Turkey he retired from his playing career, and became director at a supermarket at Skopje.[1]

International career

Nikolovski played one game for Yugoslav national B team, in Skopje on 29 September 1957, against Romania.[2]

He died in 2010.[1]

Honours
Red Star Belgrade
Vardar
Galatasaray

References
  1. Vldimir Nikolovski biography and career stats at Red Star at redstarbelgrade.info (in Serbian)
  2. "50. godina fudbala vo Makedonija", page 65 (in Macedonian)
  3. Vladimir Nikolovski at mackolik.com

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