Velimir Sombolac

Velimir Sombolac (Serbian Cyrillic: Beлимиp Сомболац; 27 February 1939 – 22 May 2016) was a Serbian footballer and manager.[1]

Velimir Sombolac
Personal information
Full name Velimir Sombolac
Date of birth (1939-02-27)27 February 1939
Place of birth Banja Luka, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Date of death 22 May 2016(2016-05-22) (aged 77)
Place of death Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
1955–1957 BSK Banja Luka
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1959 Borac Banja Luka
1959–1965 Partizan 102 (0)
1965–1970 Olimpija Ljubljana 70 (0)
1970–1971 Orijent Rijeka
1971–1973 Borac Banja Luka
National team
1958–1959 Yugoslavia U21 10 (0)
1960 Yugoslavia Olympic 2 (0)
1960 Yugoslavia 3 (0)
Teams managed
1973–1974 Sloga Gornji Pogradci
1976–1979 Kozara Gradiška
1998–2001 Republika Srpska
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Following the steps of his elder brother Petar, he started playing in his hometown club FK BSK Banja Luka where he, with his team, surprisingly achieved the third place in the Yugoslav national youth championship. After this success, BSK coach Aco Mastala received a proposal to move to the city's main club FK Borac Banja Luka, which he accepted and brought along some of the players that helped him previously, between them, obviously, Velimir Sombolac. While in Borac, Velimir's good exhibitions didn't pass unnoticed, and, beside starting to represent the Yugoslav under-21 team, two seasons after he came there, received an invitation to move to one of the greatest Yugoslav clubs, the Belgrade's FK Partizan. There, playing alongside stars like Šoškić, Galić, Jusufi, and others, he played six seasons with a total of 260 matches, being national champion on four occasions. In 1965 he moved to NK Olimpija Ljubljana where he played until 1970. Together with Smajlović Arslanagić and, again, Šoškić, they would make Olimpija one of the most attractive Yugoslav First League teams. In 1970, instead of moving abroad, as many other Yugoslav players in that period and with his age did, he moved to Second League NK Orijent Rijeka where he would play one season, before returning to FK Borac Banja Luka where he hung up his boots in 1973.

National team

After having played ten matches for the Yugoslav U-21 team, and also five for the national "B" team, he was in the Olympic team that represented Yugoslavia at the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, and where Yugoslavia won the gold eliminating hosts Italy in the semi-finals, and beating Denmark ( 3–1 ) in the final. Afterward, Sombolac also played five matches for the Yugoslavia national football team.

Honours

Club
Partizan Belgrade

National team
Yugoslavia

Managerial career

Right after retiring, in 1973, he took charge of a small regional club called FK Sloga Gornji Pogradci, that provided him with crucial experience for returning, in 1974, to Borac, to become the assistant manager until 1976. During these years, Borac played one Yugoslav Cup final, also played in the European Cup Winners Cup and gained promotion to the Yugoslav First League. Then he took charge as main manager of FK Kozara Gradiška. After three seasons there, he stayed in the club, but he found his true vocation, which was working with youth.

After the break-up of Yugoslavia, he worked at the Football Association of Republika Srpska, helping to form all the youth category teams. From 1998 to 2001, he was the head coach of the Republika Srpska official football team.

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References
  1. Partizan official website tribute
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