Branko Oblak

Branko Oblak (born 27 May 1947) is a Slovenian football coach and former international player. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or deep-lying playmaker.

Branko Oblak
Personal information
Full name Branko Oblak
Date of birth (1947-05-27) 27 May 1947
Place of birth Ljubljana, FPR Yugoslavia
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
0000–1965 Svoboda
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1973 Olimpija 181 (34)
1973–1975 Hajduk Split 35 (9)
1975–1977 Schalke 04 49 (5)
1977–1980 Bayern Munich 71 (5)
1983–1985 Spittal
Total 336 (53)
National team
1970–1977 Yugoslavia 46 (6)
Teams managed
1992–1994 Naklo
1994 Črnuče
1994–1995 Olimpija
1998–2000 Rudar Velenje
2001–2002 Koper
2002–2003 Olimpija
2004 Slovenia U21
2004–2006 Slovenia
2007 Rudar Velenje
2009–2010 Olimpija Ljubljana
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Brane, as he is often known, started playing football at the youth team of Svoboda. In 1965 he went to Ljubljana's more famous club, Olimpija. He made his debut on 20 May 1966 against Partizan in Belgrade, where he scored both Olimpija's goals for a 1–2 win. He stayed with Olimpija until 1973. During that time he played 181 matches and scored 33 goals.

In 1973, he moved to Hajduk Split and stayed there for two seasons. In both seasons Hajduk won the national champion and cup winner titles. In 1975, he signed a two-year contract with Schalke 04 of the German Bundesliga for what was a world record fee for that season. In the 1976–77 season, Oblak's second year at the club, Schalke 04 finished the league in second place, behind Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the summer of 1977, Oblak went to Bayern Munich. He stayed there for three seasons and in his final season with the club (1979–80), Bayern became the German champion. After that, Oblak played in various Austrian amateur clubs until 1987, when he retired as a football player.

Oblak's debut for the Yugoslav national team came in a friendly match against Romania in 1971. The same year he had the honour of playing at Pelé's farewell match at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. At the 1974 World Cup in Germany, he and his teammate Danilo Popivoda became the first Slovenians to play in a World Cup. Even more impressive is that Oblak was selected into the best squad of the World Cup. In 1976, he played at the European Championship, which was hosted by Yugoslavia. His excellent pass for the first goal in the semi final match against Germany is still remembered among football experts. After the tournament, he retired from international football. In altogether 46 matches he scored six goals.

Coaching career

After retirement as a football player, Oblak started coaching at various Slovenian clubs, including three times at Olimpija Ljubljana,[1] NK Naklo[2] and FC Koper.[3] He proved to be a good youth coach, so in February 2004 he was named the new Slovenia under-21 national coach. On 24 May 2004, he replaced Bojan Prašnikar as the head coach of the Slovenia national football team. The team started brightly under his guidance, with the highlight being a 1–0 over Italy (eventual World Champions) in a World Cup qualifying match. However, the team soon ran into a series of bad results, and the pressure mounted on Oblak, until finally in late 2006, he was fired from the job. He was succeeded by Matjaž Kek. In 2009, he again took the managers job at his home club NK Olimpija Ljubljana. He was relieved of his duties after only four games.

In November 2003, UEFA member football associations organized surveys to find the best national players in 50-year period of existence of UEFA. In Slovenia Branko Oblak was awarded this title, "beating" rivals such as Srečko Katanec and Zlatko Zahovič.

Career statistics

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.1 September 1971Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary Hungary2–1LostFriendly
2.22 September 1971Stadion Koševo, Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia Mexico4–0WinFriendly
3.5 June 1974Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia England2–2DrawFriendly
4.18 June 1974Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen, West Germany Zaire9–0Win1974 FIFA World Cup
5.15 October 1975Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia Sweden3–0WinUEFA Euro 1976 qualifying
6.19 November 1975Stadion JNA, Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia Northern Ireland1–0WinUEFA Euro 1976 qualifying
Correct as of 10 December 2013[4]

References
  1. "Nogometni klub Olimpija Ljubljana" (in Slovenian). nkolimpija.com. 28 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  2. "Zgodovina" [History] (in Slovenian). NK Naklo official website. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  3. "Slovenia round-up: Koper close on Primorje". UEFA.com. 23 February 2002. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  4. "Football PLAYER: Brane Oblak". eu-football.info. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
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